JUNE 2009
the newsletter for Nuçi’s Space, a nonprofit musicians’ support/resource center
Knowing Your Role
O
ne of the most useful pieces of advice I’ve received during my time at Nuçi’s Space came from a psychiatrist who sat on our Board of Directors during the early stages of the organization’s conception. One late afternoon, in the early part of 2001, I was progressing through a somewhat typical workday when I received my first “counseling call.” This is how we’ve come to refer to a call when someone has an inquiry about the counseling assistance services that we offer. Linda Phillips, who usually handles the intake of all these calls, was not in the office that day. The voice on the other side of the phone was shaky, uncertain and in need of some guidance. He was concerned about a friend who was severely depressed. He was worried his friend may try to hurt himself. Although I managed to hold it together and present a clear, calm demeanor, I was freaking out on the inside. I thought to myself, “What the hell am I doing? I have absolutely no business on this side of the phone. What if I give them the wrong information? What if his friend does hurt himself?” A million thoughts and scenarios crossed my mind. I wasn’t sure if I was prepared for this.
Despite being unable to convince his friend to visit the emergency room that evening, he was able to provide comfort and stay with him through the night. Once I was able to get in touch with Linda, she was able to enlist the help of one of our therapists to develop a plan to get this person help first thing in the morning.
nuçi’s space by
Bob Sleppy
A few weeks after this call, Linda had arranged for a couple of mental health professionals, including the psychiatrist I mentioned earlier, to sit down with our small staff to better prepare ourselves for the next “call.” To be honest, a lot of great information was shared that day but it took several years to absorb it all. However, there was one three-word phrase that made a profound effect on me immediately. Amongst a flurry of questions to the psychiatrist that included countless “what if…” scenarios, he simply stopped us and said, “Know your role.” He went on to remind us that we are not therapists, psychiatrists, emergency-room doctors or nurses. It is not our job to “fix” anyone. As Nuçi’s Space employees it is our responsibility to be the conduit between the person who needs help and those who provide it. To be effective in this role, as Linda often reminds us, we simply need to be nurturing, understanding, compassionate and insightful individuals. We need to have a good heart and be a good friend. Many of the philosophies and values that we promote through Nuçi’s Space are quite simple. We are not performing brain surgery in our little blue building. Our focus is on helping people, kindness and caring for one another. Most importantly, this approach has been proven effective throughout our work time and time again. Whether you are a psychiatrist, a therapist, a nurse, a friend, a survivor, a volunteer, a donor or a staff member, the role you play is vital to our continued success and our mission to lessen the burden of those suffering with depression and to prevent suicide.
396 Oconee Street Athens, GA 30601 706.227.1515 space@nuci.org www.nuci.org
Newsletter Contributors
Bob Sleppy Will Kiser Laura Ford Design & Layout
Larry Tenner