Help Seeking
New self-help resources
Lifeline and the MLC Community Foundation are pleased to announce the release of four new self-help fact sheets. These fact sheets offer practical tips to help prevent and respond to a number of common mental health and wellbeing issues.
The new Family Violence, Stress, Financial Pressure and Suicide Bereavement fact sheets add to and compliment the existing suite of self-help resources provided by Lifeline.
The fact sheets focus on providing practical guidance which explores the issue, how it affects wellbeing, and what people can do immediately to ensure their safety and draw on available support services. The fact sheets are intended to facilitate further help-seeking about a specific issue someone may be experiencing.
Fact sheets can be downloaded from the Lifeline website, and ordered by emailing marketing@lifeline.org.au
Lifeline extends its appreciation to MLC Community Foundation for its ongoing support, and for assisting Lifeline to remain responsive to the mental health and wellbeing needs of the Australian community.
Suicide Prevention
Help seeking signage at The Gap Park, Sydney
The Gap Park in Sydney, situated on a stretch of eastern coast line, is acknowledged for its natural beauty but ‘The Gap’ sadly is also known as a significant suicide hotspot. In recognition of this and to address suicide in this area, Lifeline has been working closely with Woollahra Council to support the implementation of their Self Harm Minimization Plan to prevent further deaths by suicide.
The number of suicides at The Gap anecdotally is between 12 and 50 each year. This affects both the community as a whole as well as local Police who frequently respond to distressed individuals at the park.
To help prevent suicide at The Gap Park, two emergency phones have been installed for distressed callers to contact either the Police or Lifeline. This initiative is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing and is supported by designated staff from Lifeline Western Sydney.
Lifeline has also collaborated with the Black Dog Institute to develop signage that encourages distressed people to reach out for help.
These suicide prevention activities at this well known suicide hotspot will provide invaluable information for further research, development and implementation of future activities at suicide hotspots across Australia.
If you would like to support Lifeline’s suicide prevention activities please make a donation to our suicide prevention fund.
If you or someone you know is thinking abut suicide contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. If life is in immediate danger please call 000.
Training
Training for suicide safer communities
Over 2000 people die by suicide in Australia each year, and suicide is the leading cause of death for males between the ages of 15 and 44*. There is something you can do to help.
Lifeline provides suicide prevention training through the LivingWorks program, and is committed to training the community to support our vision of safer suicide communities. Lifeline introduced LivingWorks to Australia in 1995 and has worked with many organisations to develop trainer networks in every state and territory.
We know that most people considering suicide would rather live if they could reduce their desperation and distress and find support to deal with painful problems in living. The LivingWorks training programs provide caregivers and the community with the resources to respond to these prevention opportunities.
LivingWorks training programs help people:
- Increase their awareness of suicide and see prevention opportunities they may otherwise miss
- Become more alert to clues and communications that someone may be thinking of suicide
- Ask about suicide and respond in ways that show understanding and assess risk
- Work with persons at risk to increase their safety
- Facilitate links with further help from family, friends and professional helpers as needed.
Programs
Focus: suicide awareness
Explores how we can overcome stigma about suicide and play a role in preventing suicide and promoting life. Basic TALK steps are introduced – Tell, Ask, Listen and Keepsafe.
Focus: suicide alertness
Moves beyond general awareness to demonstrate how people alert to suicide risk can increase suicide safety. Considers how opportunities to prevent suicide are often missed, dismissed or avoided. Learn how basic TALK steps can link persons at risk with suicide first aid and other help to increase their safety.
Focus: suicide first aid
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) focuses on people learning to apply a suicide intervention model. It helps caregivers recognise when someone may be at risk of suicide. It then explores how to connect with them in ways that understand and clarify that risk, increase their immediate safety and link them with further help.
If you or your organisation is interested in attending training or would like more information about LivingWorks; visit www.livingworks.org.au, call (02) 6215 9499 or email info@livingworks.org.au
*ABS 2007 Causes of Death
Fundraising
Prime Minister attends lifeline business lunch
On Friday 24 September, almost 500 guests from the Sydney business community attended a lunch with guest speaker Julia Guillard and hosts Lifeline Patron John Brogden and Andrew Denton to show their support and acknowledge Lifeline’s life saving work in the community.
Lifeline patron John Brogden excelled as the official Master of Ceremony, sharing his personal experiences as a survivor of a suicide attempt and reiterating the importance Lifeline plays in providing the Australian community with vital mental health support and suicide prevention services.
The Prime Minister spoke publically about the Australian Government’s commitment to suicide prevention and their support of broader mental health issues, reaffirming the government’s election commitment of increased funding to Lifeline. The Prime Minister personally acknowledged Lifeline’s CEO Dawn O’Neil AM, for her contribution to the mental health sector and to Lifeline, also thanking Lifeline’s major corporate partners for their continued support of Lifeline.
Australian comedian and television presenter Andrew Denton interviewed the Prime Minister in a style typical of popular television show Enough Rope; in a candid and entertaining way. Topics of discussion ranged from the daily grind of being the Prime Minister, discussing Gillard’s upbringing and family connections with mental health, and working at Parliament House.
Pictured: Andrew Denton, Julia Gillard and Dawn O'Neil
Denton asked the Prime Minister about what it was like working at parliament house, mentioning that it was a ‘unique’ place of work.
Prime Minister Gillard said the “current parliament house tends to not be a building on human scale, it’s a national monument and deliberately designed as much and a very impressive one, but its also means for someone who is feeling a bit isolated, it would be physically possible in parliament house for no one to realise someone is missing…it would be possible for someone to be very much be alone in that building”.
She then went on to say that both sides of politics very much understand that and “deliberate things have been created to include people at a human level, whether its playing soccer in the morning or working in friendship groups…it brings people together, to get some of that human interaction rather than just the conflict interaction.”
This business lunch event was an enormous success and Lifeline would like to acknowledge the generous support of the Macquarie Group for sponsoring the lunch and thank those organisations and individuals who made a financial pledge to Lifeline.
Watch Prime Minister Gillard's speech
Watch the Andrew Denton interview of Prime Minister Gillard
Lifeline Ambassador
Dr Katrina Warren joins Lifeline
Lifeline is pleased to welcome Dr Katrina Warren as a national ambassador focusing particularly on pet related issues. Having experienced bereavement associated with the deaths of her own pets, Toby the Wonder Dog, as well as her cat Milly, Dr Katrina Warren is committed to raising awareness of the significance of pet loss.
Pets are often much loved members of the family and society does not often validate or understand the role pets play in our lives. Lifeline hopes that Dr Katrina Warren's role as an ambassador can help build understanding around pet bereavement.
“I am honoured to be an ambassador for Lifeline because it is exactly that - a lifeline to all - a supportive voice on the other end of the phone that is always there, always listening, when things are tough.”
“By proudly supporting Lifeline I hope to breakdown the isolation and loneliness many pet owners feel when they grieve their pets by raising awareness of just how much our loving pets and companions give to us in their lives.”
If you are experiencing pet bereavement or require emotional support call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit our website.
Further information and support for people facing or living with the death of a beloved pet can also be found at Katrina’s new website Our Wonderful Pets .
Fundraising
Have you ever considered becoming a regular Lifeline donor?
Why donate to Lifeline?
Lifeline answers over 450,000 calls a year nationally and needs sustainable financial support to provide emotional support to anyone in crisis. Lifeline operates 24 hours a day, 7days a week, every day of the year to connect people with care.
Why donate regularly to Lifeline?
It is always wonderful to receive one-off donations from the public, but donating on a regular basis means that all money you give is received and put to work instantly. Regular donations also allow us to plan financially for the future and develop our ongoing work around suicide prevention services within Australia.
And don’t forget - all donations you give over $2 are 100% tax deductable.
Do it with a Debit!
Lifeline has recently introduced a new payment system allowing you to make direct donations regularly and directly from your bank account to the Lifeline Gift Fund. This has the advantage of not needing to continually update credit card details and is also a secure method of donation with little effort to set up and maintain.
If you would like to set up a reoccurring donation to Lifeline or find out any more information about donating using direct debit, you can contact us on 1800 800 768.
This facility will also be available online in the next month.