Frequently Asked Questions

Option 1 - "Please *call the In Touch office at 8893-1893 / 0917-863-1136 / 0956-053-4257 between Mon - Fri, 9 AM - 5 PM."
Option 2 - "Go to www.in-touch.org/booking-form to fill up the appointment request form." 

You can but we have reasons for not recommending this.

1. To maintain anonymity of a caller if they're using a fake name.

2. Crisis Line is primarily a helpline for immediate emotional assistance. Questions about the services of In Touch are handled by the head office, not Crisis Line. 

3. This is also to avoid being asked more questions about information you may not be fully familiar with. There are nuances and other criteria involved in this process. These are best handled by the Counseling Program.

4. To avoid misinformation as details about the services of In Touch may change without prior notice. 

5. To err on the safe side as EAP clients may sometimes mistakenly call Crisis Line instead of their dedicated 24/7 EAP Helpline numbers.

We know you mean well and we appreciate the extra help, but we also don't want to overwhelm you with other duties and extra information to process while you are manning the lines. Managing a caller's emotional crisis is already tremendous help we cannot thank you enough for.

Refer to the Resources page to get the In Touch office numbers and hours.

1. Crisis Line is primarily a helpline for immediate emotional assistance. Questions about the services of In Touch are handled by the head office, not Crisis Line.

2. This is also to avoid being asked more questions about information you may not be fully familiar with. There are nuances and other criteria involved in the appointment setup process. These are best handled by the Counseling Program.

3. To avoid misinformation as details about the services of In Touch may change without prior notice. 

Politely tell caller that his/her questions will be best answered by someone from the In Touch head office. Crisis Line is a different service and our focus is to give them immediate emotional support. Upon redirecting them to the head office, you may ask if they are in distress and remind them that they can also talk to you.

1. Offer services provided by In Touch: counseling sessions and psychiatric consultations via phone/web. Direct them to call the In Touch HO.

2. Tell them that they can call up nearby hospitals and ask for the Psychiatry Department.

3. Check the Resources page. There are two referral databases there.

4. You may do a Google search for them.

5. If the service they are looking for is beyond what we can give such as COVID testing centers, reporting for cybercrime cases, internet problems (yes, we do get inquiries like this!), in-person emergency response, know that it's okay to tell them that we are a Mental Health service provider and we cannot provide what they need. Give them other options instead such as calling 911, their LGU's emergency hotlines, their barangay office, nearby hospitals, etc. It won't hurt also to tell them that they can search the internet themselves. Remember that our callers cannot be dependent on us.

1. Acknowledge caller's needs.

2. Tell caller that you will put them on hold for a few minutes while you check your resources (you can just put yourself on mute).

3. Unmute yourself after gathering the referrals.

4. In case the call gets cut or caller chooses to call again to get the referrals, leave a comment on your log in post to relay the info to fellow responders.

Tell them to:

1. Call 911, our national emergency number.

2. Call up their LGU's emergency hotline numbers. They can search for their LGU's Facebook page or website if they don't know the numbers. If you have the capacity to do the research for them, you may do so.

3. For emergencies that require medical assistance, ask the caller to identify the nearest hospital to them and if someone can accompany them to the ER. If you have the capacity to do the research for them, you may also do so. 

4. Help the caller identify people they trust who can immediately assist them (e.g. a relative, friend, or neighbor) and encourage him/her to call this person.

Important note: If the one needing emergency assistance is a different person, giving the caller the emergency numbers is enough. 

Gently inform the caller that our protocol does not allow us to call anybody on their behalf, but we can share with them the resources that may have the capacity to help them. Remember that our callers cannot be dependent on us.

If you know of other ways that you can respond to an *emergency situation, consult with staff responders or supervisors first.

Crisis Line doesn't have the capacity to act or send help outside of the helpline. We can only connect them to resources that may have the capacity to do so and/or link the caller with the family or close support system.

Tell caller to:

1. Refer the person to Crisis Line.

2. If the person's safety is at risk, inform caller of the safety protocol.

• Tell them that they can call 911 or their LGU's emergency hotlines.

• Ask caller to look for people who can physically attend to the person.

Crisis Line provides immediate emotional support to people in need. We cannot emotionally support someone we are not directly talking to. Their needs have to be communicated by themselves, not by another person.

Also, remember that helplines are prone to prank or fake calls and requests for help without consent from the person in actual distress. We always need consent first before we extend our services. The best way to verify that is by having the individual in distress reach out to us himself/herself.