The question of suicide:
Keep it a question.
It's not really an answer.
Peter McWilliams

Suicide intervention is a life-and-death crisis. Bobble it, and we may not get a second chance.

Before he became a pastor, a man we'll call Terry was at work one day when he received a phone call. The caller, Howard, was the 34-year-old son of a fellow worker. Terry knew of Howard's continuing problem with drug abuse, and he remembered that Howard had been hospitalized a while back for psychiatric problems. Howard got right to the point: "Look, I called so you can help my mom. You'll need to talk with her soon, because she's going to find me dead."

What's Terry to do?

Saving a Life

It's remarkable that even most of the suicidal don't want to die. That's why the calls. They're using their next-to-last trick from a bag that's nearly empty. Our task: keeping a precious life intact.

Engagement. The initial moments of the conversation are terribly important. ...