“It really was an emotional rollercoaster; we were able to keep him on the line for 45 minutes, until the police came,” said Colombo, 21, a junior at Fontbonne University, majoring in human services and a practicum student at Life Crisis. “You try to build a rapport with someone, and try to get them to talk.”

This caller was a recent parolee who was upset with his wife. The incident eventually ended with no one hurt. The call came from a location near Fairbanks, Alaska through the national “Lifeline” at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Life Crisis, one of the nation’s oldest crisis intervention hotlines, works with other organizations to provide services in states that may lack a hotline.

“This was one of the most volatile, high risk situations I’ve seen in a long time,” said Ellen Reynolds, volunteer coordinator for Life Crisis. Reynolds supervises volunteer crisis workers and students who work alongside professionals on the Life Crisis hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “She (Valerie) did a great job.”

Colombo said her job was to keep the caller talking, to get him to open up and discuss his problems. “We like to train our crisis workers to really work to enter the world of the caller, pain and all, and accept it as such before intervening,” said Reynolds.

The Life Crisis staff was able to call a police dispatcher and get help on the way. But it took about 20 to 30 minutes for authorities to respond—the whole time Colombo was continuing the conversation.

People like this might not have a chance with a place to turn to like Life Crisis, Colombo said. “It has to be hard when you don’t have anyone to listen to you and understand,” she said.