Helpline case study

This caller felt unconfident talking to a male - but by the end felt empowered to take control

Staffordshire Mental Health Helpline
Staffordshire Mental Health Helpline Case Study 
When a female caller contacted the Staffordshire Mental Health Helpline for support, she was hesitant when she was put through to a male. She had a history of distrust in men and felt she couldn’t share the same connection as she could with a female.
However, by the end of the call, she felt empowered that somebody else ‘believed’ in her. 
As the caller was new to the Helpline, our Helpline Support Worker explained the remits of the service and outlined the confidentiality. The caller slowly began to open up about thoughts of self-harm brought on by personal circumstances.  
She explained that she had a decision to make and faced the dilemma of either prosecuting a family member for historical abuse or continue life without any form of closure. This decision may split up her family – and she knew her next move will stay with her forever. 
The caller went on to talk about some of the past and where she stood with flashbacks. She knew this was a process she would have to go through to see herself as a survivor and not a victim. This hope was her barrier to ending her life, but the feelings were becoming too much to bare. She didn’t want to give up but felt she was running out of options. 
As the she opened up, she expressed gratitude that somebody understood how she felt and was reassured that the Helpline was a non-judgemental service. 
She was reminded that she’d made a difficult step to trust somebody she didn’t know with her personal information. She began to cry and said: “yes, I did, didn’t I”?   
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