Your support can help save lives

How your donation helps

Helps provide Australians experiencing emotional distress with access to 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.

Helps more people in our local community access low cost counselling services for early intervention and support.

Helps reduce financial distress for people through access to a free financial counselling service.

Helps to cover the cost of training more volunteers to answer the phones and continue to meet demand.

Meet Will,
Volunteer Crisis Line Supporter

I first came across Lifeline Northern Beaches through their "Accidental Counsellor" course which I attended with my running club. Curiosity led me to their Crisis Supporter training. I’d been searching for a cause to volunteer for, and this felt like the right fit. The training was thorough and supportive, and now, at stage 3, I am taking calls and connecting with people in need.

My connection to Lifeline is quite personal. At just 18, I lost my first friend from school to suicide. Over the years, I’ve lost five more friends. It’s something I’ve always been confused about, often wondering how someone’s life could spiral to that point.

The Crisis Support training at Lifeline Northern Beaches opened my eyes. It taught me how easily life can unravel—whether finances, health, family… things can fall apart so fast. There are many paths to crisis, and when isolation takes hold, suicide can feel like the only way out. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s made me determined to help others before they reach that tipping point.

I’ll never forget the first time I picked up the phone, I was so nervous. You’re talking to someone in a delicate state, and it’s a huge responsibility. But then I reminded myself: I’m just a human helping another human.

What I’ve learned is that you can help someone by simply being present—sitting with them in their discomfort, pain, or sorrow. Active listening, without judgment or prejudice, makes a world of difference. It’s incredible hearing the shift in someone’s voice as they move from distress to calm. Sometimes, all someone needs is to feel heard, and that’s what we’re here for.