Working at a call center for Alabama’s 988 suicide and crisis hotline can be rewarding.
Kelsi McDowell, volunteer coordinator at Birmingham’s 988 call center, has been with the center since 2015, when she started as a volunteer.
She helps out where she can and does a bit of everything. On the Monday before the Fourth of July, she was answering the rape response hotline.
Those taking the phone calls may need to hear about people’s traumatic experiences; watch disturbing videos; read case files, or deal with the after-effects of violence on a day-to-day basis.
McDowell said the hardest calls, although infrequent, are when people call with their mind set on taking their own lives.