Distress line a labour of love for Douglas College graduate

March 2 , 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

When Jackie Yurick looks at her watch and sees it?s five o?clock she can?t believe the day went so quickly.

?I am one of those people who absolutely loves my job,? says Yurick, who lives in Surrey.

That?s not so unusual, but when she tells you her job is supervising the South Fraser Regional Crisis Line - a service people in Surrey, Delta, Langley and White Rock call in varying states of duress, sometimes even when they are suicidal -- it starts to sound amazing.

?I love working here because I totally believe in the value of the crisis line,? says Yurick. ?Because it?s anonymous, anyone who needs help can call. It?s very accessible. For some people, it?s the only place they can turn to for help.?

Yurick has logged hundreds of hours on the line, which is run by Surrey Community Services Society. She recruits, trains and supports a team of 90 volunteers. ?Sometimes you get a call where you hang up thinking, I?m not really sure that helped and then there are other times when you know for sure you made a difference in that person?s life,? says Yurick.

She started at the crisis line to earn 100 volunteer hours required to enter the Community Social Service Worker Program at Douglas College and continued volunteering when she was accepted into the program. After s earning her Certificate, she was offered a full-time job.

?Everything I learned in the Community Social Service Worker Program gets used in my job all of the time,? says Yurick. ?The counselling skills - I teach counselling to the volunteers on the line. The communications skills - I use every day dealing with volunteers and other stakeholders. The knowledge of mental health issues, addictions, family dynamics - people phone the crisis line with all of these troubles that I studied at the College.?

Yurick says she was a ?single mother, going nowhere? when she came to Douglas College. ?Going to college and pursuing the program turned my life around.?

She?s still involved as the Chair of the Program?s Advisory Committee, a group of professionals from the field who help the program keep connected to the realities of the workplace, and her former instructor, Bob Shebib, is still someone she relies on as a sounding board.

Yurick is also the founder and President of the B.C. Crisis Line Association. ?In most cases, you?re looking at one or two staff running crisis lines that are dealing with life and death issues,? says Yurick, who says Douglas College program with giving her the know-how to create a non-profit association. ?We need each other?s support and we need professional development and education programs.?

With her certificate in hand, Yurick yearned for the credibility of a diploma. But with several years of experience already, she didn?t want to go back to school to learn something she already knew.

She took advantage of Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition at Douglas College, which gives students credit for work that applies to their program of choice. Because she had already taken some extra psychology courses, she only had to take one course in addictions to get her Community Social Service Worker Diploma, which she received in 1996.

?It was really rewarding in the end to learn that the skills and knowledge I acquired in the workplace were worthy of College credit,? says Yurick.

If you or someone you know is in a time of crisis, please call the South Fraser Regional Crisis Line at 604-951-8855 or a crisis line in your area. If you are interested in volunteering, call 604-584-5811.

To learn more about Douglas College?s Community Social Service Worker Program, attend our information sessions on March 23 and April 19 at 5 p.m. in room 1614 at the New Westminster Campus, 700 Royal Avenue in New Westminster, one block north of the New Westminster SkyTrain Station. To register or for more information call 604-527-5139.

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For more information, please contact:
Kimberley Fehr, Communications & Marketing Office: 604-527-5325
Bob Shebib, Community Social Service Worker Program Coordinator: 604-527-5139