A Mother in Despair
Isabella was thousands of miles away from her children1. 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.
The guilt and stress of leaving her children was unbearable. Isabella’s despair went far beyond just missing her children; she feared for their safety. Years ago, a neighbor had sexually abused one of Isabella’s children. Now, that same neighbor was living with her children while Isabella was away.
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.
An Offer of Hope
When JT thinks back to the day she answered Isabella’s* call to the crisis line, she smiles, gets a little teary, and says, “I will always have her in my heart.”
A call counselor and supervisor for Lines for Life’s Behavioral Health Support Line, JT’s call with Isabella felt different – closer to home. JT and Isabella were the same age, both spoke Spanish, and both were mothers of young children.
In her previous counseling job, JT was working and commuting constantly to make ends meet. Now at Lines for Life, working from home wasn’t just a paycheck, it was a chance to be more present for her own child and for others who needed hope the most.
“¿Cómo estás?” 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.
Isabella’s voice brimmed with gratitude: “Muchas gracias. He estado esperando esta llamada.” (“Thank you so much. I’ve been waiting for this call.”)
Building a New Foundation of Strength
For Isabella, finding mental health care felt out of reach. She didn’t speak English, didn’t have health insurance that covered counseling, and she couldn’t 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.
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.
When Isabella felt powerless, JT helped her find control.
When Isabella felt worthless, JT helped her define her value.
When Isabella felt vulnerable, JT helped her protect her mental health.
Being a working mom herself, JT understood Isabella’s 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 – a loving mother and a hard worker who was contributing to the world in meaningful ways.
Seeing Life in a New Light
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.
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.
Most importantly, Isabella stopped harming herself.
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.
Hope That Lasts a Lifetime
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. “She was my age,” JT said. “What if that person in the phone had been me?”
On their final call together, Isabella brought tears to JT’s eyes. JT recalled: “She told me, ‘I 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.’”
JT wept in awe of how Isabella had moved from complete despair – ready to end her own life – to a place of hope.
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.
“If you can give someone a little bit of hope, you’re changing their life,” JT reflected. “We 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.”
1Isabella is a real client supported by Lines for Life. Her name and key details have been changed to protect her identity.
