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The ACTS Helpline program is the only 24/7/365 crisis hotline serving the citizens of Prince William County, and those of Manassas City and Manassas Park. It provides:
• Crisis intervention for suicide, sexual assault, substance abuse, and domestic violence
• Confidential listening
• Information and referrals
• Primary relay for SAVAS (Sexual Assault Victim’s Advocacy Service)
• Teleteen for teens hotline
• Phone-A-Friend for “latchkey” children
• Senior Link for senior adults or homebound citizens
• Support groups:
- SAS for individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide
- Renewed Hope for individuals who have made a suicide attempt
• Training in the community:
- Active Listening
- Suicide prevention / intervention / postvention. Trainers certified in ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training), Safe TALK, Suicide TALK, and QPR (Question, Persuade and Refer)
Suicide is not painless … it impacts individuals and communities. One of the goals of ACTS Helpline is to help create a “suicide safer” community by responding to individuals in crisis, providing prevention and intervention training, and reaching out to those whose lives have been impacted by suicide.
Helpline recognizes the importance of responding to families and friends who have lost a loved one to suicideOn November 7, 2011, Dr. Frank Campbell provided training for approximately 47 individuals in our community interested in a new initiative to reach out to survivor families. Dr. Campbell is certified in thanatology and is the former Executive Director of the Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center, former president of the American Association of Suicidology, and operates a private practice in forensic suicidology . It was due to his more than twenty years of working with those bereaved by suicide that he introduced his active postvention model most commonly known as the LOSS (Local Outreach to Survivors of Suicide) team. The model has been replicated in the United States, Canada, Singapore, Northern Ireland, and Australia.
Potomac Health Foundation awarded Helpline a grant that will fund the creation of a LOSS team. The LOSS team is a group of trained volunteer responders designed to bring immediate support and referrals to survivor families, thus shortening the elapsed time between the death and the families finding the help they need. The goal of Helpline’s LOSS team is to provide on-going support for those left behind so that no one walks alone.
If you would like more information about the LOSS team or would like to participate as a volunteer responder contact Sabrina Goines-Watkins, Community Outreach Coordinator, or Vicki Graham, Helpline Director at (703) 221-1144.
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