Christabel is a counsellor who works at Kids Helpline.
What is your role within Kids Helpline?
I am a counsellor here at Kids Help Line. My role involves counselling young children and adolescents via the telephone, web and email.
What inspired you to work in this field?
I was inspired to work in this field for different reasons including, my natural ability to listen to others, the difficulties I encountered growing up as an adolescent, and also my strong desire to work with young people and make a difference to their lives.
What (if any) specialised training do you undertake to deal with matters in regard to depression and mental health?
One of the requirements to work at Kids Help Line is to have a formal qualification that relates to working with young people in this field. I completed a BA in Psychology which provided me with a solid understanding of depression and mental health and how it impacts on young people. In addition to this, during my probation period at Kids Help Line I was required to attend specialised mental health trainings run internally by the organisation. Kids Help Line also offers ongoing training in mental health at various times throughout the year, which are opportunities to extend my knowledge about depression and mental health. These trainings have included, working with young people who self-harm and working with suicidal callers.
How important do you believe it is for young people to take action within their community about something that they are passionate about?
I believe it is very important for young people to take action within their community about something that they are passionate about.
What do you believe would be the positive mental health outcomes from taking action?
I believe taking action could help young people feel empowered in many ways including being able to make changes. I also feel it might help to build their self-esteem and confidence and provide them with an opportunity to develop skills needed to build their social networks. It might also give meaning to some lives where very little meaning exists.
