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Isabella was thousands of miles away from her children1<\/sup>. Driven to ensure they had food, clothing, and a roof over their head, Isabella left her children with family members in her Latin American home country and immigrated to Oregon for work.<\/p>\n The guilt and stress of leaving her children was unbearable. Isabella\u2019s despair went far beyond just missing her children; she feared for their safety. Years ago, a neighbor had sexually abused one of Isabella\u2019s children. Now, that same neighbor was living with her children while Isabella was away.<\/p>\n Worried and alone, Isabella felt out of control. She had attempted suicide three times before. Without a support system or the ability to communicate in English, Isabella was caught in a dangerous cycle of self-harm. Her dream of reuniting with her children began to fall apart.<\/p>\n When JT thinks back to the day she answered Isabella\u2019s* call to the crisis line, she smiles, gets a little teary, and says, \u201cI will always have her in my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n A call counselor and supervisor for Lines for Life\u2019s Behavioral Health Support Line, JT\u2019s call with Isabella felt different \u2013 closer to home. JT and Isabella were the same age, both spoke Spanish, and both were mothers of young children.<\/p>\n In her previous counseling job, JT was working and commuting constantly to make ends meet. Now at Lines for Life, working from home wasn\u2019t just a paycheck, it was a chance to be more present for her own child and for others who needed hope the most.<\/p>\n \u201c\u00bfC\u00f3mo est\u00e1s?\u201d JT asked Isabella. They talked for a few minutes and JT listened closely, realizing that Isabella could benefit from help from the Behavioral Health Support Line. Offering Isabella a few free counseling sessions in Spanish felt like handing her a lifeline.<\/p>\n Isabella\u2019s voice brimmed with gratitude: \u201cMuchas gracias. He estado esperando esta llamada.\u201d (“Thank you so much. I’ve been waiting for this call.”)<\/p>\n For Isabella, finding mental health care felt out of reach. She didn\u2019t speak English, didn\u2019t have health insurance that covered counseling, and she couldn\u2019t afford to miss work . She felt enormous relief when JT said she was eligible for free telephone counseling sessions offered by the Behavioral Health Support Line. Finally, Isabella could access counseling in Spanish.<\/p>\n JT and Isabella met by phone four times for 50-minute counseling sessions. JT listened to what was weighing Isabella down and began guiding her toward small but powerful shifts in her mindset and choices.<\/p>\n When Isabella felt powerless, JT helped her find control.<\/p>\n When Isabella felt worthless, JT helped her define her value.<\/p>\n When Isabella felt vulnerable, JT helped her protect her mental health.<\/p>\n Being a working mom herself, JT understood Isabella\u2019s drive and helped Isabella see just how much she was doing for her children, her employer, and herself. JT opened a door for Isabella to see herself for who she truly was \u2013 a loving mother and a hard worker who was contributing to the world in meaningful ways.<\/p>\n Isabella began feeling empowered to tackle the circumstances in her life that were causing her the most stress. She could see how conversations with her family back home diminished her mental health. So, she reduced the amount of contact she had with those family members.<\/p>\n She figured out how to move her children to a new living situation where they would not be harmed. And she discovered new coping skills, leaning into her faith and journaling whenever she got anxious about her family.<\/p>\n Most importantly, Isabella stopped harming herself.<\/p>\n With each small shift, Isabella found more confidence and capacity for life. She worked harder at her job and people noticed. In the span of just one month, she went from just showing up for work to being employee of the month. She thrived knowing others could finally see her worth, too.<\/p>\n Of the hundreds of crises calls and counseling sessions JT has fielded in her career, her work with Isabella sticks with her to this day. They were both young mothers. \u201cShe was my age,\u201d JT said. \u201cWhat if that person in the phone had been me?\u201d<\/p>\n On their final call together, Isabella brought tears to JT\u2019s eyes. JT recalled: \u201cShe told me, \u2018I have this dream of building my house in my country. When I go back to my country, I hope you’re still working here, because I want to call you and say that my dream came true.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n JT wept in awe of how Isabella had moved from complete despair \u2013 ready to end her own life \u2013 to a place of hope.<\/p>\n Isabella had come to the Behavioral Health Support Line feeling empty, like she had nothing to give herself or others. She left with hope and a new lens through which to see herself.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you can give someone a little bit of hope, you’re changing their life,\u201d JT reflected. \u201cWe walk with people through it, so no one feels alone. And at the end of the day, that’s the most powerful tool that we have. That has the greatest impact. And that’s why I do this job.\u201d<\/p>\nAn Offer of Hope<\/h3>\n
Building a New Foundation of Strength<\/h3>\n
Seeing Life in a New Light<\/h3>\n
Hope That Lasts a Lifetime<\/h3>\n