Visit your local branch
It's our aim to offer support in any way we can. This
includes opening our doors in most of our 202 branches for clients
to come in and talk face-to-face in total confidence with one of
our volunteers.
To find out if your local branch can offer this service,
please choose your local branch.
Talking face-to-face allows people to see the person they are
talking to, in a safe non-threatening environment.
Our volunteers provide emotional support to people in distress
on the phone, face to face, by email and by letter.
We believe that being listened to in confidence, without fear of
being judged, can be a huge relief and is often the first step in
finding a way to cope.
Our volunteers don’t offer advice, because what works for one
person might not work for you. But we believe that given the time
and space to work through problems or difficulties in confidence,
everyone can find an inner strength that lets them find their own
way forward.
Most branches offer a drop-in service for people who want to
speak to a Samaritans volunteer face to face. You don’t need to
make an appointment, but it always helps the branch if you can let
them know in advance to make sure a volunteer is available to
you.
Anyone in distress can contact Samaritans at any time of the day
or night. Samaritans are contacted every 7 seconds, by phone, by
email, by letter 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.
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 or
write a letter to us instead. Sometimes writing down your thoughts
can really help understand them better.
A
re you confidential?
- We have informed consent from you to pass on information
- We call an ambulance because a visitor appears to be incapable
of making rational decisions for him or herself
- We receive a court order requiring us to divulge
information
- We are passed information about acts of terrorism or bomb
warnings
- A visitor attacks or threatens volunteers
- A visitor deliberately prevents the service from being
delivered to another