Email
Find it impossible to talk
about your problems?
Then don't.
Email us now at: jo@samaritans.org
"Someone was prepared to listen. It also
helped me think things through by writing it all down and the fact
that someone was prepared to read it and effectively
listen...helped a lot."
Samaritans caller
Why should I email Samaritans?
Anyone in distress can email Samaritans at any time of the day
or night. Samaritans are contacted every five seconds, by
phone, by email or by people coming into our branches. People of
all backgrounds and ages contact us for emotional support.
Common reasons to call
Samaritans are:
- Relationship and family problems
- Loss, including loss of a job, a friend or a family member
through bereavement
- Financial worries
- Job-related stress or overwork
- College or study related stress
- Body image issues
Last year our active
volunteers gave 2,446,800 hours of their time to provide
confidential non-judgemental emotional support.
If you think you might benefit from confidential emotional support
then we are here for you. You do not have to be suicidal to contact
us. We will not judge you if you call. We understand that sometimes
it can feel difficult to pick up the telephone, so try an email
instead. Sometimes writing down your thoughts can really help
understand them better.
How long does it take to reply to an email?
Emails are always answered by real human volunteers, there are
no "automatic" responses. If you email we try our hardest to get
back to you within 24 hours. If you need immediate
support you can pick up the telephone at any point and speak to a
Samaritans volunteer. You can phone 08457 90 90 90 if you are in
the UK and 1850 60 90 90 if you are in the Republic of
Ireland.
How does the email service work?
Trained Samaritans volunteers provide
the same kind of confidential emotional support to people in
distress as on the telephone. Emails enter a virtual queue, and are
picked up on a rotational basis by a Samaritans volunteer based at
one of our branches. No automated responses are used.
Is the email service
confidential?
The software that supports Samaritans
email service is specially written to be completely confidential
and reliable. The software works by removing the sender's details,
such as email address, from incoming emails before they are seen by
Samaritans volunteers.
Emails are kept on a central server
for 30 days so that if you want to email us again, we can see that
you have contacted us before. After 30 days, all emails are
automatically deleted and no record remains of the emails or the
contents.
"It was nice to be able to write my feelings
down and no one telling me how stupid I am."
Samaritans caller
Can I send a completely anonymous
email?
The easiest way to maintain anonymity
is to create a free email address specifically for contacting us.
You can do this by visiting web sites such as www.yahoo.co.uk, www.hotmail.com.
Will my email messages always be answered by the same
person?
No. We reply to mail daily but each
individual volunteer typically replies to mail once or twice a
week.
I’m under 18. Will you tell my parents/guardians I
contacted you?
Confidentiality of calls is
always respected regardless of your age. The volunteer’s primary
responsibility is to you, not your parents or guardians. Please
note that if you call us from your home phone, Samaritans’
telephone number will appear on an itemised telephone bill.
When was the email service set up?
An increasing number of Samaritans branches across the UK have
been offering an emotional support service via email since 1994 and
we officially launched the service in 2002. Once Samaritans was
confident that it was able to offer a reliable, secure service, it
looked to expand the service across the organisation and to begin
to raise awareness of it externally. Around 150 branches now answer
approximately 400 emails each day.
Why isn't Samaritans using Instant Messaging?
We are currently investigating how we can maintain
confidentiality and provide enough volunteers to support Instant
Messaging.
Have you used our service?
We'd like to know what you think of our service. By telling us
how your email conversation went, you'll help us improve the way we
work. Please tell us what you think.
Take the
anonymous survey