Suicide Prevention

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available.

Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

Crisis Phone Numbers

  • Nationwide
    988
  • Sacramento
    (916) 368-3111
  • Auburn
    (530) 885-2300
  • Roseville
    (916) 773-3111
  • Lincoln
    (916) 645-8866
  • 24-Hour Maternal Support Line
    (916) 681-2907 Click here for more information.

Crisis Chat

Visit 988lifeline.org or click here.

Crisis Text

Text 988 or text the word HOPE to 916-668-iCAN (4226)

Suicide Prevention Resources

Click here for information about becoming a Suicide Prevention & Crisis Services Volunteer.

Suicide Prevention & Crisis Line Services Annual Report (2021)

About the Crisis Center

WellSpace Health operates the region’s Suicide Prevention Crisis Line. The hotline, which is nationally accredited and a vital member of the National Lifeline network, serves Sacramento and Placer counties and many other counties in Northern California. We answer calls 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The Suicide Prevention Crisis Line receives calls from people of all ages who are feeling depressed, hopeless, alone, desperate, and sometimes considering suicide as a way to end their pain. We also respond to calls that involve emergency rescue, such as a suicide in progress, someone on the Foresthill Bridge, or calls patched in from the California Highway Patrol or other law enforcement.

A person does not have to be suicidal to talk with one of our counselors. Some of our callers are concerned about a friend or loved one who is suicidal. We are here to listen and understand, and offer information and resources as needed. The Crisis Lines are staffed by extensively trained, carefully selected volunteers who not only understand how a suicidal person reaches such despair, but also help the individual choose life.

This vital, life-saving program also extends beyond the phone lines to community groups, colleges, high schools and others through presentations and informational outreach.

Donations are accepted for community outreach and general operating funds.

To learn more about the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Line Services, please click here to view our Annual Report.

Eligibility/Fees

Crisis intervention services are provided free of charge, regardless of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation. Crisis line services are prioritized according to immediate need.

Training

WellSpace Health’s Crisis Center is a regional training hub for suicide prevention skills and crisis intervention. Our staff provides two-day ASIST Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training workshops to train and equip people in the community to learn to recognize and estimate suicide risk, and become more effective at helping people at risk of suicide. ASIST is an evidence-based training, developed by LivingWorks.

WellSpace Health also offers customized workshops on Suicide Awareness, Lethality Assessment, and Crisis Intervention to meet the specific needs of many groups and agencies throughout the region including: high schools, colleges, therapists, hospitals, non-profits, law enforcement agencies, social workers, domestic violence centers, professionals, faith organizations, and more.

To schedule a training, please contact our program manager, Liseanne Wick, at (916) 368-3118 or email lwick@wellspacehealth.org.

Suicide Prevention & Crisis Services also offers multiple community outreach, education, and awareness presentations to the region upon request.

Volunteering

Volunteers are chosen for their sensitivity, maturity, and communication skills. No previous experience is required. Approximately 60 hours of professional training is provided in crisis intervention and communication skills. Ongoing training is provided regularly. Volunteers are asked to contribute a minimum of 200 hours over a one-year period. Professional crisis intervention training is available as a fee-based service.

If you wish to become a crisis line volunteer, please call our business office at (916) 368-3118 for the latest training information.

Testimonials:

…“ I could see no hope until I talked to you- I’m ready to find me again and get my strength back.”

A person phoned our 24/hr Suicide Prevention Crisis Line in great distress, crying, alone, hopeless, helpless, confused, desperate, experiencing shame and guilt, depressed, and suicidal. They had felt depressed, but never in this way. A current relationship breakup had led the caller to remember many other painful losses. It was hard for them to even talk as they said they’ve never done this before- called a place like this for help. Initially they felt uncomfortable to just talk, ashamed even. They had experienced significant trauma in their life including being abused and victimized as a child, homelessness as a teenager, not ever really experiencing the childhood they hoped for. They spoke for the first time openly about home, growing up with parents with substance abuse issues, and not feeling cared for. The caller talked about being placed in a psychiatric facility as a child, remembering the yard and feeling unsure why their parents sent them there. They talked with the counselor about the influence of drugs on their childhood and adulthood, never remembering feeling loved. They also spoke openly about the suicide attempt of their siblings in childhood and what that was like then and even now feeling the same way.

As the counselor listened and provided empathy, the caller also recognized what brought them hope- a caring person in their life who showed unconditional support. A plan for safety was created with the caller, including counseling, crisis respite care, and mental health treatment options. The caller felt they were now able to keep safe, looking forward to start counseling. Follow-up calls were offered for additional support and linkage to resources; the caller felt much better saying, “ I could see no hope until I talked to you- I’m ready to find me again and get my strength back.”

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…“after 28 suicide attempts, you’re the first person to get what I am feeling/saying.”

An individual phoned our 24/hr Suicide Prevention Crisis Lines “just needing to talk to someone right now.” They were having thoughts of suicide; having a hard time. They had a history of both self-injury and over 20 previous suicide attempts and current thoughts of overdosing. They were at work at the time of the call. Nights seemed to be the hardest for them, feeling very alone and isolated and depressed. After all those previous attempts no one ever knew- they never told anyone about it. The counselor explored this history and the caller expressed that part of them was disappointed at times about having lived, but the other part was happy. They felt like it wasn’t that they want to die, just want to end the suicidal thoughts. The counselor listened and explored the caller’s ambivalence about life and death calmly and without judging. Counseling resources were discussed as part of their plan for keeping safe.

The caller felt more able to keep safe from suicide, agreed to stay away from the means (suicide method), and to call back as needed or contact the alternate resources provided to them in the call. They also were offered and agreed to additional follow up calls for support and re-assessment. The caller told the counselor at the end of the call that “after 28 suicide attempts, you’re the first person to get what I am feeling/saying.”

 

 

 

 

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