To mark World Suicide Prevention Day, Health & Protection speaks to Beth Lockwood, a senior customer support professional at LifeSearch, about treading carefully when discussing suicide to prevent triggering customers and advisers alike.
“I’ve been working in support for seven years,” Lockwood tells Health & Protection.
“I’ve had a few instances on my Saturday calls, where suicide has been discussed where I’ve been taking information directly from the clients.”
Warning customers ahead of time
Lockwood adds that her preferred approach is to stay calm and patient, always say thank you to the clients for sharing as well as asking if they need a break.
“I also warn customers when coming up to mental health questions with something along the lines of “the next section is with regards to mental health, if at any point you want to stop or take a break, I can call you back. Take your time where needed.”
Once completed, or if it’s an update, Lockwood always says: “Thank you for sharing that with me, are you okay?”
Potential to be triggered
But Lockwood also has concerns about the potential of triggering customers when these sorts of calls come up.
“I know we can’t gloss over or ignore, but I do wonder how they are feeling after the call,” Lockwood continues.
“Is there a person who can be there for them after disclosing something so heavy? Was my approach okay?”
But a further concern is the impact on her own mental health, Lockwood says.
“This can be quite triggering, as I’ve had suicide in the family and friends have also taken their own lives,” she continues.
“So after the calls I always need to take 10 minutes away just to sit in emotions for bit, to be able to crack on and get back to work.“
Support is on hand for LifeSearch’s claims professionals should they need it.
“We do have listening ears which is great, but it can take some time,” Lockwood continues.
“Though this is not the team’s fault as they have other duties, sometimes you find after the wait, the service is not actually needed.”
