988 crisis hotline counselors are sometimes targeted by sexually abusive callers

In 2023, Lily Lantz started a full-time job as a crisis counselor at PATH Crisis Center in Bloomington, Illinois. It’s part of the national network known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

It was her first job out of college, and it was common to have back-to-back calls with people who didn’t see the point in living anymore, she said.

Sometimes the work was difficult and draining, but she had always wanted a job helping people and felt called to the work.

But there was a job hazard she never expected: almost every shift, she said, she spoke to people who would masturbate on the call.

“They would sometimes say things like ‘Your voice sounds so good right now, you’re making me feel so good right now,’” Lantz said.

NPR interviewed 10 current and former counselors from five different call centers who also experienced similar sexually inappropriate behaviors. They’ve become a chronic and troubling problem in the hotline industry.

There are also other types of abuse, such as pranks, racist or sexist insults and personal attacks on the crisis counselors. At the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, those who perpetuate such behaviors are known as “abusive contacts.”

The number of abusive contacts isn’t tracked nationally, but since 988 rolled out nationally in 2022, the network of call centers has received over 10 million contacts.

Data from one local crisis center in Portland, Oregon, Lines for Life, shows abusive contacts accounted for slightly more than 1% of the nearly 5,000 monthly interactions.

Counselors emphasize that even one harassing phone call can be distressing, and there aren’t enough measures in place to prevent such calls or help them cope when they do occur.

The impact on 988 retention

Five former 988 counselors told NPR that because of the sexual harassment, they no longer wanted to work for the hotline.

Another crisis counselor, Daisy, said she quit because of the abuse. Daisy was the name she used with callers in her job at the PATH call center. She does not want to be identified by her legal name while discussing this issue, because she doesn’t want her personal or professional networks to know about the abuse.

The incidents were traumatizing. “I did not sign up to be a sex worker,” Daisy said. “I signed up to help people who are having a difficult time.”

Lantz lost her job in June during layoffs at PATH. The only reason she hadn’t left the job sooner, she said, was that she got switched to the day shift, where abusive calls were less frequent.

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