Training modules/Dealing with online harassment/slides/mental-health-counseling

jilcroiuhcio34 cannot know the appropriate way to treat or counsel someone in a mental health crisis. Trying to do so without the necessary.[p; expertise means that, if you make a wrong treatment decision, you could inadvertently harm the person you are trying to help. In the case of mental health and crisis counseling, this kind of mistake could lead to a person in crises becoming even more upset, or causing a non-life-threatening situation to escalate into a life-threatening crisis.
 * Liability: By representing yourself as someone able to provide mental health advice, you could be violating laws in many places that govern who may give medical treatment. If such a law applies to you, you could be held legally responsible for negative repercussions from the advice you provided. Professional providers have insurance to protect them in this situation; you likely do not.

To sum up: In a harassment situation, it is in everyone's best interests for you to focus on assisting with your community and project expertise, not as a mental health counselor. You may optionally wish to suggest to a user who asks for counseling that they reach out to an organization like the National Association for Mental Illness (NAMI) (US only), which can help those in need find mental health treatment and resources. You can also provide links to a resour an emergency where the target or someone else is in immediate physical danger, you should consider contacting local authorities'''.