Being A Crisis Counselor Sometimes Means I'm A Sex Worker

A crisis can come in so many forms.

And as a counselor for a suicide lifeline, it is my duty to take every crisis seriously and de-escalate as needed.

When I signed up for this career, I set out to save lives and make a difference in the world. I never expected to be the result of so many orgasms.

I get a little sick just thinking about it,

so this post is not easy to write.

Now, there are a lot of mental health risks that come along with being a crisis counselor on a suicide lifeline, and having tough skin is just part of the job. However, I did not know that I would be subjected to sexual abuse every day I show up to work.

I didn't know that people would use a suicide hotline for phone sex.

That thought had never crossed my mind.

There are far too many who only call the hotline to get their rocks off, and they will say anything to keep you on the line until they finish.

One minute you're dealing with a suicidal man who can't sleep and might be having a panic attack.

Ten minutes later, he's moaning and thanking you for the good time. WTF?

If the caller admits to having suicidal thoughts, then the counselor must stay on the line and try to help them through it.

Now, you might think that we could just block these sex callers from calling the hotline after an inappropriate incident, but no. They might actually be suicidal one day, and we still have to be there for them in that event.

Because of that rule, we have the same prank callers and sex callers that fill the lines all day long. If they make us feel uncomfortable, we are allowed to politely end the call.

However, it's often very difficult to decipher whether someone is truly having a panic attack or experiencing sexual euphoria on the other end of a telephone line.

To assume wrong could be the death of someone.

There have definitely been some obvious clues…

I take some pride in my ability to catch these guys early in the phone call, most of the time. Though it has taken years to know the ins and outs of the sex caller game, I almost have them figured out.

And to be totally honest, I'm never polite about ending one of those calls.

It is exactly these kinds of calls over and over, every day that makes me wonder why I do this job.

But it's a handful of other calls I get throughout the day that actually provide comfort and life-saving guidance to those who need it the most.

I am still there for them, even though so many other people are taking advantage of and abusing such a crucial resource like a lifeline.

At the end of the day, I find solace in knowing that I was still there for the people who needed me the most.

Still, the trauma of sex callers is very real.

There's nothing worse than just trying to do your job and save people's lives, just to find out that you've been sexually violated in the process. It can be absolutely traumatic, to say the least.

Part of me believes that these perpetual sex callers don't deserve access to the hotline after pulling a stunt like this. People should be held accountable for their actions and the mental health of the counselors should also be a top priority.

The other part of me just shows up to do the job I agreed to.

If nothing else, at the end of the day,

I have saved another counselor from the job of having to endure the sex callers.

It's not a glamorous job, but someone has to do it.