On a recent appearance on “The Big O Show,” Chief Amy Barden of Seattle’s CARE Department asked a harrowing question: how do you help someone who doesn’t believe their life has value? Through her work at CARE, Barden asks herself this same question while attempting to steer people away from suicide who have gone through seemingly insurmountable circumstances, from the carceral system to family crisis to an inhumane lack of emotional support.

In the full interview, Barden explained the CARE Department's dual dispatch pilot, which sends mental health professionals to 911 calls to avoid sending law enforcement to calls unrelated to their work. Her goal, she explained, is to forge emotional and validating connections that, from her experience talking with survivors, have literally saved lives.  

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988—the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Watch the full interview here.