Lifeline Melbourne

24-Hour Telephone Counselling Service   13 11 14

What is Lifeline? »
What will happen if I call? »
Who provides the counselling? »
Lifeline Melbourne external training courses »
Information about becoming a volunteer telephone counsellor »

What is Lifeline?

Lifeline is a 24-hour telephone counselling service available every day of the year to anyone, at anytime and from anywhere in Australia for just the cost of a local call*.

Lifeline Melbourne is one of more than 40 Lifeline centres around Australia. It is operated by Wesley Mission Melbourne and services the Melbourne metropolitan area and the Mornington Peninsula.

Lifeline Melbourne volunteer telephone counsellors answer more than 100 calls each day. The issues people call about include:

• relationship difficulties
• grief, loss and separation
• drug and alcohol abuse
• crisis in the home or workplace
• depression, anxiety
• thoughts of suicide and self harm

Click here to visit the Lifeline Australia website »

* From a Telstra fixed phone. Additional charges may apply for calls from payphone and mobile phones. Mobile call rates are dependent on the caller's carrier and their contracted rate.

What will happen if I call?

• Our counsellors will take the time to listen, offering support and understanding.
• They will work with you to consider options and help you make decisions about what to do next.
• Counsellors can also provide information about other help available in the community.
• You can talk confidentially and anonymously.

Who provides the counselling?

Highly trained volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds, who are supervised by qualified staff. Click here for more information about becoming a volunteer telephone counsellor.

"I wasn't sure whether calling would really help me. But with the counsellor's support I felt less alone and more hopeful for the future."
Steve (name has been changed)

Did you know?
The Mission's support for people in crisis is not limited to telephone counselling.

Wesley also runs a range of crisis and support services for people experiencing homelessness in the Eastern metropolitan area and the City of Maribyrnong. Read more »

Lifeline Melbourne external training courses

Lifeline Melbourne provides a range of training courses and workshops for organisations on a fee-for-service basis.

These include:
General

• Telephone counselling skills, especially crisis calls.
• Working Effectively – Handling challenging behaviours or situations - Full or half-day course.
• Moving On - Half-day workshop, looking at minimising the personal impact of emotionally draining calls.

Suicide-related

• ASIST - Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (2-day workshop).

• ASIST Tune-up - Half-day refresher for people who have previously completed the 2-day workshop.
• Safe TALK - Half-day workshop developing skills in recognition of suicide risk and referral. This workshop is based on premise that participants have ready access to staff/community members who have suicide intervention skills (ASIST-trained or equivalent) within their organisation or community.
• Working with chronically suicidal callers.
• Understanding and working with self-harm.

The training team can also tailor a course to meet specific goals of an organisation.

Organisations who have used Lifeline Melbourne’s training services in the past 12 months include:
* Department of Consumer Affairs
* Magistrates Court of Victoria
* Victorian Workcover Authority