Tyron Woolfe: Volunteering for Shout – a 24/7 crisis text service in the UK (BSL)

Shout is a 24/7 UK crisis text service available for times when people feel they need immediate support. I have been volunteering with SHOUT for a month now as a “crisis volunteer”. I hope you find this article helpful. Take good care of yourself.

If you are Deaf and experiencing a crisis, you can text 85258 to get help from Shout.

More information about SHOUT can be found on www.giveusashout.org and https://signhealth.org.uk/with-deaf-people/crisis-text-service/

On returning from South America travels in 2018 I had decided I wanted to do some work in the therapeutic field.  A lot of the career routes I explored came with barriers and I sometimes wondered if it was the right direction for me.  I was told about the whole “GiveUsaShout” service by a trustee of SignHealth who is also a long-term friend of mine. 

Here is a signed version of the article from Tyron:

A text-based service, SHOUT seeks to support anyone feeling like they need help, particularly with life and certainly with mental health support needs by texts.  I read about their work and what they do, and decided to apply.

It’s now been about six weeks since I passed the training course, a very heavy online course with modules to do and pass marks given by experienced coaches.  On applying, you had to write why you thought you would be a good volunteer, what skills and experience you have.  You also had to give the names of two referees to provide a short character reference for you.  If I remember correctly, I also had to do a few tests before getting through to the actual training course.  

All of this is delivered online with excellent videos, all captioned brilliantly.  There are modules on risk assessment, building rapport with texters, looking after your own mental health and various other topics, including deaf culture and LGBT+.  You also have to watch a video clip of a texter supporting someone for 1.5hours.

Further, you do a mock conversation and the system gives you feedback on what you have said and could improve.  I actually “failed” this test 3 times but the support and feedback from my coach was ace.  

Much of the training places emphasis on the use of language, the use of words and the importance of listening and supporting.  You don’t just dive in to solving texters’ problems with recommendations, you are there to give a listening ear and to calm the texter down, to give options and hear them out and look at options.

On the SHOUT platform are lots of excellent resources – ranging from services and helplines dealing with suicide, depression, loneliness, relationship issues, grievance, employment. All of these are vetted by SHOUT and we are only allowed to give these specific resources.

The level of a volunteer grows as you have more conversations. I am now at Level 3, have done 32 conversations and its another 18 conversations before I get to Level 4.  When you are at Level 3 you can support multiple texters, which is not easy but it is very rewarding to help more people.  I also valued having a supervisor looking at my first 10 conversations, giving feedback when needed.  All of my conversations are always recorded and my coach contacts me every now and then to give me feedback.

Data is really valued in SHOUT.  They analyse so much stuff, the types of messages, the lengths of messages, what gets referred, what new issues arise.  These insights get fed to the supervisors, volunteers and of course national services etc.  I know that from my own 32 conversations held, 40% have been linked to depression for example. (Its like Johnny Five in Short Circuit! “Dataaaaaa!”)

A normal shift for me goes something like this:

The web platform is opened, I’ve received a unique code on my phone to log in.  The supervisor almost immediately messages me before I can say hello first, with a warm greeting to welcome me and check in with me.  Supervisors are trained employees in the field of mental health.   

I check if there’s any relevant new information, e.g. Coronavirus and Multiculturalism most recently, and with no messages to read, I hit the “Help a texter button”.  I also check to see how many conversations are happening with how many volunteers are on call – this ratio tells me how busy it is.

You either immediately get a message or you wait minutes, and sometimes more than minutes.  It depends on how many people need support, and how many Crisis Volunteers are available in the queue system. This can also vary on what time of the day it is; more texters make contact in the evening/late hours (otherwise known as a SPIKE).

The system then ‘buzzes’ and a new conversation comes up on your screen, you immediately reply with the aim to build a rapport with the texter.  It goes from there, using all the training given and online resources from the Platform.

A few closing thoughts…

There is no “matching” of individual texters with an individual volunteer – we are there for everyone who comes our way.  There is a lot of material given for our continued learning and development.  The volunteers also have a chat group online and we support each other for a whole host of things as well as encouragement.  Of course, I do wish sometimes that I could be directly matched with deaf texters for greater empathy and lived experience etc, however there is no clear way, especially given it’s a text based service.

Dealing with conversations about suicide has been hard at times, and your training prepares you very well, with excellent resources and advice.  You are trained about asking people if they plan to end their lives.  There is also support for volunteers who may feel overwhelmed with specific conversations held. It’s a very caring community of volunteers and staff. I have sometimes felt really startled after a conversation, my “Self Care” usually involves having a chat with my housemates or a nice long walk or a bath.

I find the whole service incredibly valuable and am proud to be a Crisis Volunteer and telling people about the service.  I also find it amazingly different; almost every message that comes through comes from someone in genuine need of help.  We are definitely not running around trying to get people to come to us.

SignHealth, the Deaf health charity, have a key-word partnership with SHOUT which means if a texter texts the word DEAF to the number 85258, the Crisis Volunteer will know the texter is Deaf. I have given feedback to them about my experience of this service and will continue to do so, especially with the need for more services to deaf people facing times of crisis.  I have also found another deaf person who has become a crisis volunteer.  We would continue to try and reach and engage with other deaf crisis volunteers.  I have encouraged a few friends to think about becoming a volunteer.

I am totally aware that this service is text based, with nothing in sign language for Deaf people in crisis other than charities who may have support services via video technology.  I also know that people assume that deaf people in times of crisis want to be kept anonymous, but surely it is up to them to decide whether to engage via a video service with trained people?

Much more information about SHOUT can be found on www.giveusashout.org and https://signhealth.org.uk/with-deaf-people/crisis-text-service/