Holly Guenther

After attending a TedxBerkeley event in 2016 where Lava Mae - a San Francisco based nonprofit - spoke about improving conditions for homeless populations, my best friend and I were inspired to make a change in our own college town. We discovered that an on-campus club supporting the cause had once existed but faded due to lack of involvement. After some research, we located the previous President of the club and took over the club ourselves. By the end of the semester, we had a presence on… Show more

After attending a TedxBerkeley event in 2016 where Lava Mae - a San Francisco based nonprofit - spoke about improving conditions for homeless populations, my best friend and I were inspired to make a change in our own college town. We discovered that an on-campus club supporting the cause had once existed but faded due to lack of involvement. After some research, we located the previous President of the club and took over the club ourselves. By the end of the semester, we had a presence on Instagram as well as Facebook and had coordinated a fundraiser in which we prepared sanitary kits to donate to a local homeless shelter. Show less

Being a Crisis Counselor for Crisis Text Line consists of counseling individuals who are suffering a life crisis. Supporting the texter includes guiding them through several steps to move them from a "hot moment" to a "cool calm." As many of the callers report feelings of hopelessness, a portion of the job is to complete ladder-up risk assessments to screen for suicidal ideations; and see if EMS intervention is needed. My experience communicating empathetically has been with people of all ages,… Show more

Being a Crisis Counselor for Crisis Text Line consists of counseling individuals who are suffering a life crisis. Supporting the texter includes guiding them through several steps to move them from a "hot moment" to a "cool calm." As many of the callers report feelings of hopelessness, a portion of the job is to complete ladder-up risk assessments to screen for suicidal ideations; and see if EMS intervention is needed. My experience communicating empathetically has been with people of all ages, gender, race, and who have suffered all types of abuse and trauma. Creating individualized safety plans is a vital aspect of this position, as safety is one of the Crisis Text Line's priorities. Show less