March 2010: Krystal's Story
Krystal's Story
By Scott Spiegler
The day was winding down when call center supervisor Leslie checked the bulletin board to see if there were any new posts. Upon opening the link on NRS’ website, Leslie saw a post from 17-year old Krystal from Illinois. According to Krystal’s post, it seemed as if she needed an urgent response. Upon reading about her dilemma, Leslie was ready to respond.
Krystal wrote that she had a very unhappy home life. Her father was verbally abusive to both her and her mother, she had a lack of support from both of her parents, and to top it off, Krystal was unable to see her 19 year old boyfriend whom she had been dating for one and a half years. She stated that she was having suicidal thoughts, and felt the need to leave her house immediately. She also said that her boyfriend told her to come and live with him and his mother and they would support her while she finished school. Krystal wanted to know what would happen if she decided to do that.
Leslie wrote a timely response to Krystal in which the crisis intervention model was followed. She supported her by praising her aspirations of higher education and encouraged her to consider her options. She told Krystal she could not answer the question for her. However, Leslie asked questions in order to elicit solutions from Krystal.
Have you spoken to your parents about your feelings?
Do you think your parents would get the police involved if you left without their permission?
Have you spoken to anyone else about the situation?
What would happen if you decided to stay at your parents’ house?
Do you have ways that you are coping with the situation?
What are the pros and cons of staying versus leaving?
What is the age of maturity in your state?
In the end, Leslie wanted to make sure Krystal knew that this was her decision to make and that Leslie could not make it for her. However, her safety was Leslie’s number one priority. Leslie also wanted to make sure Krystal knew that should she need anything else, she could always call the 24 hour crisis hotline 1-800-RUNAWAY. Within the hour, Krystal posted back a long and heartfelt thank you. She had never considered asking herself those questions and really felt as though Leslie was helping her to make an educated and well thought out decision. She felt comforted to know that she had someone in her corner and that the National Runaway Switchboard was always there to help, should she find herself in need.
*The names, photo, and location have been changed to protect anonymity of the caller.