I volunteered for 3 years on a telephone support line. None of the volunteers were professionals, but we all got extensive training. Most callers weren't in crisis - they were just lonely or upset about something and needed to talk. For some regular callers we were part of their everyday support system.

We'd talk about whatever the caller wanted to talk about, could be sports, could be brainstorming to solve a problem, could be providing information on where to get addiction or mental health treatment for themselves or a family member.

We never called the police on anyone. If someone said they were suicidal, we'd do a risk assessment, and if we thought it was serious, transfer the call to telehealth Ontario, where trained nurses could do a more thorough assessment.

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