Abstract:
This paper is designed to help anyone who has a desire to set up a crisis hotline in his community. Although it does not cover every aspect of starting a hotline, the majorsteps in organizing such a service are explained. As I have stressed throughout the paper, every hotline is different so this paper is merely a guideline to provide a foundation for people unfamiliar with the way hotlines function.This paper also serves an historical interest in that it traces the development of a particular hotline, the Crisis Intervention Center of Muncie, Indiana. I personally worked there for three months, and I think that it is a great service to the community and to those people who volunteer their assistance.