April Wilkner has long struggled with thoughts of self-harm. After calling the suicide hotline for support, she decided to become a crisis counselor.
“I became a crisis counselor for 988 because I have personal lived experience with suicidal ideation, and I have called into the hotline for support. I also lost a friend to suicide last year, three years after becoming a crisis counselor,” Wilkner said.
Wilkner now works with Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, whose crisis counselors support more than 450 people every day through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline. Earlier this month, Wilkner spoke at Alive Together, an event at Exposition Park aimed at promoting suicide prevention and supporting survivors of suicide attempts and loss. She shared her personal experiences with thoughts of self-harm and offered advice to the hundreds in attendance about what they should do if a loved one communicates suicidal thoughts.
“That can look like a friend saying to you, ‘right now, I’m standing in the rain,’ and if you say something well intentioned like ‘Oh, but it’s so sunny out, have gratitude,’ really, you’re denying their weather, right? I think it’s more effective to open up an umbrella and just hold their hand even if you can’t see the rain,” Wilkner said.
Events like Alive Together are becoming more important than ever. As suicide rates rise, folks like Didi Hirsch CEO Lyn Morris said suicide prevention and community building are vital.
“Anytime there’s an increase of suicides, we always pay attention to it because we want to know why, and we want to know how we can help people even more than we are now,” Morris said
