Sarah Johnson

Answered crisis phone calls.

I served dinner to the guests and played with the kids who were staying with us. I spent the night with another volunteer and when we woke up in the morning we prepared breakfast and served it to guests and made sure they had a care package with water, hand warmers, and snacks. After everyone left we stripped the beds, washed the bedding, and cleaned the floors.

How did your direct service benefit members of the broader community?
My service benefits the community by giving a listening ear to those who are feeling hopeless and need someone to talk to.
If people-facing:
Which population(s) did you serve?
I serve people in the Memphis area over the phone, I cannot go into more specifics due to confidentiality.
What was their reaction to you/your group being there?
Since the Crisis Center serves people over the phone, there is typically no reaction.

Do you plan to continue volunteering with this organization? Why or why not?
100%, I will continue to volunteer with this organization because it aligns with the line of work I want to go into and I deeply care for people and this is a wonderful outlet to give care to those who desperately need it.

What impact do you think your service had on you personally?
It personally has given me a new perspective/outlook on the mental health field as a whole and really excites me for grad school and building a career of my own.

Did you work individually or as part of a team during your service? How did that
impact your experience?
I worked individually with other volunteers, this impacts it in a positive way because it allowed me to be personable with the callers.

How has this experience influenced your future career or educational goals?
- this ecperience influence my career goals because it shows me how impactful listening to someone and being empathetic can be and it makes me excited to continue as a counselor in my career.

Did this experience change your perspective on your role within the community or
environment?
_ for sure, the appreciative callers really make me understand the impact i am having on calming them down which is very nice to hear that the work I am doing is helpful.

Did you work individually or as part of a team, and how did that impact your
experience?
- individually - which can be stressful at times when the call frequency is high

Do you plan to continue volunteering with this organization? Why or why not?
- yes, I really enjoy giving back to my community especially through mental heath care.
What would you change about your approach to this service opportunity in the future?
- theres nothing at the moment I would change, but to continue to learn and grow in my mental health knowledge.

How has this experience influenced your future career or educational goals?
- this ecperience influence my career goals because it shows me how impactful listening to someone and being empathetic can be and it makes me excited to continue as a counselor in my career.

Did this experience change your perspective on your role within the community or
environment?
_ for sure, the appreciative callers really make me understand the impact i am having on calming them down which is very nice to hear that the work I am doing is helpful.

Did you work individually or as part of a team, and how did that impact your
experience?
- individually - which can be stressful at times when the call frequency is high

Do you plan to continue volunteering with this organization? Why or why not?
- yes, I really enjoy giving back to my community especially through mental heath care.
What would you change about your approach to this service opportunity in the future?
- theres nothing at the moment I would change, but to continue to learn and grow in my mental health knowledge.

How did this experience challenge your problem-solving abilities?
- In all honesty each shift comes with different challenges due to the nature of the work. You do not know what type of callers you will be getting and you have to act quickly when faced with a difficult caller.
What did you learn about the community or environment you served?
- that everyone is effected by mental health challenges, depsite their background and economic standing.
Did you work individually or as part of a team, and how did that impact your
experience? ( I cannot answer the other questions in this category due to the nature of the work)
- individually
How did the organization support or guide you during your service?
- Whenever there is a tough call my administrator is always very quick to let me call and talk through any difficulties / challenges a call may have caused.

What unexpected challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?
- sometimes I am presented with a call that is heavier than the other ones and I need to quickly ground myself to be present and empathetic.