‘The suicide centre is vital at Christmas’
Joy Hibbins is the founder and CEO of Suicide Crisis, a charity that works to prevent suicide. She runs an award-winning Suicide Crisis Centre in Cheltenham and is the author of the book Suicide Prevention Techniques.
In 2012, I’d had a close family bereavement, followed days later by a traumatic experience, which led to a rapid deterioration in my mental health. Feeling suicidal, I went to an out-of-hours GP, who involved the psychiatric crisis team. Their approach didn’t work for me – and that was the driving force behind setting up an alternative crisis service. I felt that what was needed was a place where someone could come any time, 365 days a year, and be supported over a number of hours
