Mental Health Crisis Response

Not every search is about a lost hiker or a missing child. Some of our most important — and most sensitive — work involves supporting people who are experiencing a mental health crisis. These are the callouts that stay with our volunteers longest, and the ones that remind us most powerfully why this work truly matters.

Working sensitively and in close coordination with Dorset Police and mental health services, our teams are trained to approach these situations with the compassion, patience, and understanding they demand. Finding someone in crisis is only part of the job — how we find them, and how we treat them in that moment, matters just as much.

Our approach to mental health callouts:

• Specialist training in trauma-informed search and communication
• Sensitive, non-threatening search techniques designed to build trust
• Close liaison with mental health professionals and crisis teams
• Thorough volunteer welfare and debrief support following difficult callouts
• Ongoing training to keep our teams informed on best practices

We know these conversations aren’t always easy to have. But we believe that talking openly about mental health — and the role search and rescue plays in supporting people in crisis — is part of being a responsible, compassionate organisation.

You never forget the searches where you’ve genuinely made a difference to someone’s life in the most profound way. Those are the moments that define us.” — Dorset SAR Team Leader