Connecting With Young People in Crisis: Practical Approaches Utilized by the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Format

Workshop

First Presenter's Institution

Vibrant Emotional Health

First Presenter’s Email Address

gbarker@vibrant.org

First Presenter's Brief Biography

George Barker, LCSW- George Barker is a Coordinator of Clinical Best Practices for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. George provides clinical guidance and coaching to crisis centers in the national network to support the integration of crisis counselor training programs. Additionally, George contributes to the development and implementation of training products and guidance documents for 988 Lifeline. George has over 10 years of experience in the social work field providing services in various settings including crisis intervention, schools, and healthcare facilities. Prior to joining Vibrant, George served as certified school social worker and a crisis counselor at a network center and is proud to be a part of the 988 mission.

Second Presenter's Institution

Vibrant Emotional Health

Second Presenter’s Email Address

jordonez@vibrant.org

Second Presenter's Brief Biography

Jess Ordóñez, is a Clinical Mental Health Counselor with over 15 years of experience in therapeutic settings, specifically, crisis counseling, safety assessment & triage. Jess began her career as a mobile crisis clinician dispatching to emergency situations where she helped clinically deescalate high-risk calls. Jess is Bilingual and speaks fluent Spanish. Jess feels a responsibility to advocate for underserved Latino communities. Jess is a passionate speaker, advocate and mother. Jess started her career at Vibrant as Standards, Training, and Best Practices Coordinator in July 2022.

Submitter

I am submitting this proposal as one of the presenter(s)

Location

Scarbrough 5

Strand #1

Hands: Safety & Violence Prevention

Strand #2

Health: Mental & Physical Health

Relevance

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and other 988 affiliated programs provide critical, life-saving services and support to young people across the nation. Specifically in the strands of Hands (Safety and Violence Prevention) and Health (Mental and Physical Health), 988 crisis services and programs provide access to intervention as well as access to professional, community, and peer support. Resources such as mysafetyplan.org and 988lifeline.org provide access to tools and educational information that empower individuals to increase their own safety and navigate their emotional health journey.

Brief Program Description

This session will focus on essential techniques utilized by 988 Lifeline for discussing safety with youth, specifically on active engagement, collaborative problem solving, and creating a safety plan. We will discuss empowering young people to participate in their own decision-making process. By leveraging active listening and engagement, empathy, and safety-focused conversations, individuals can better meet the unique needs of youth, leading to more positive outcomes.

Summary

Establishing connection and actively engaging with young people are imperative to helping them stay safe during crisis. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among young people. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free, confidential, 24/7 emotional support via phone, text, chat, and videophone to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, including youth.

The 988 Lifeline emphasizes that the practical approaches of active engagement, collaborative problem solving, and safety planning empower and support individuals in crisis. This workshop explores how these skills can help you to better serve the youth in your community.

When a young person reaches out for help, the first instinct may be to jump to problem solving. However, rushing this process without establishing a collaborative relationship can lead to misunderstandings, resistance, and ineffective solutions.

When supporting youth in crisis, it's important to seek to understand the individual’s story. By balancing collaborative problem solving with active engagement, you can ensure they feel heard, validated, and empowered in their own decision-making process.

Active engagement involves intentional behaviors of fully immersing oneself in the conversation. This skill involves transitioning from basic "active listening" to proactively collaborating with the individual in crisis.

Active engagement has been shown to reduce feelings of sadness, helplessness, and hopelessness in suicidal individuals. Promoting the young person’s collaboration in securing their own safety enhances the effectiveness of the intervention and supports their autonomy and dignity.

Active engagement goes further than just absorbing information by helping the individual explore their options, make decisions, and take actionable steps such as safety planning.

Safety plans are a structured way to help those with suicidal thoughts identify: their warning signs, personalized strategies for safety, and resources for support. Safety plans involve collaborative efforts to develop and document specific actions for the individual to continue enhancing their safety.

Safety plans are designed to be used whenever an individual needs it. By actively engaging and collaborating together on a safety plan, you are empowering the young person to identify coping skills, connect with support, and take steps to make their environment safer.

Evidence

  1. Gould, M. S., Chowdhury, S., Lake, A. M., Galfalvy, H., Kleinman, M., Kuchuk, M., & McKeon, R. (2021). National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Crisis Chat Interventions: Evaluation of Chatters’ perceptions of effectiveness. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 51(6), 1126–1137. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12795

  2. Gould, M.S., Lake, A.M., Galfalvy, H., Kleinman, M., Munfakh, J.L., Wright, J. and McKeon, R. (2018), Follow‐up with Callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Evaluation of Callers’ Perceptions of Care. Suicide Life Threat Behav, 48: 75-86. doi:10.1111/sltb.12339 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28261860/

  3. Stanley, B., & Brown, G. (2012). Safety Planning Intervention: A brief intervention to mitigate suicide risk. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 19(2), 256–264.

  4. Mishara, Brian L.; Chagnon, François Daigle, Marc et al. “Which Helper Behaviors and Intervention Styles Are Related to Better Short‐term Outcomes in Telephone Crisis Intervention?” Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 37, no. 3, June 2007, pp. 308–21. https://doi.org/10.1521/suli.2007.37.3.308.

Learning Objective 1

Participants will be able to understand how 988 Lifeline utilizes active engagement to build connection and trust with youth in crisis situations.

Learning Objective 2

Participants will be able to identify common barriers to engagement and problem-solving when working with youth and how to overcome them.

Learning Objective 3

Participants will be able to implement safety planning strategies utilized by 988 Lifeline that prioritize youth agency and resilience while addressing mental health crises.

Keyword Descriptors

988 Lifeline, Crisis Intervention, Suicide Prevention, Mental Health, Crisis Continuum, Community, Youth Mental Health

Presentation Year

2025

Start Date

3-4-2025 8:30 AM

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Mar 4th, 8:30 AM

Connecting With Young People in Crisis: Practical Approaches Utilized by the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Scarbrough 5

This session will focus on essential techniques utilized by 988 Lifeline for discussing safety with youth, specifically on active engagement, collaborative problem solving, and creating a safety plan. We will discuss empowering young people to participate in their own decision-making process. By leveraging active listening and engagement, empathy, and safety-focused conversations, individuals can better meet the unique needs of youth, leading to more positive outcomes.