The Listeners

Bob Hurst's sensitive and informative documentary focuses on a suicide prevention hotline. The trainees at the Lawrence, KS, Headquarters Counseling Center are mostly students of psychology. The center, which began in 1969, was originally formed to serve drug users or "heads." Former director Marcia Epstein believes that it's more important for counselors to have compassion than academic knowledge, while call trainer Steve Lopes feels that it helps if they've also experienced some kind of trauma. Joe, who lost his sister to a drug overdose, wishes he had done a better job at listening to her talk about her problems, an experience that appears to have inspired his desire to aid others in similar straits. Each fall, the center welcomes 11 new trainees to the 100-day program, where they practice listening skills through role-playing—acting out scenarios as both callers and counselors. Trainers discourage trainees from asking questions or giving advice, instead encouraging them to allow callers to drive the conversation, since many callers feel too isolated to share their concerns with anyone else. As Marshall Knudson, former director of Florida's Alachua County Crisis Center, puts it, "We all learn how to talk, but we don't learn how to listen." The program offers trainees a few surprises, including the fact that many callers are actually regulars who check in at least once a month, some going on 25 years or more. Hurst makes a convincing case that centers such as this one are a vital part of America's mental health support system. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)