What happens when I contact Samaritans?
A trained Samaritans
volunteer will answer and give you the chance to talk about what’s
happening in your life and how that is affecting you. Samaritans
volunteers are trained in many of the same techniques as
professional counsellors, but they won’t judge you or tell you what
to do.
By listening and asking questions, the
volunteer will help you explore your feelings and work out the way
forward. The volunteer will often ask if you are feeling suicidal.
This doesn’t mean that you must be suicidal to contact us but we
always ask because it can be a huge relief for someone to admit how
bad they are really feeling.
You can talk to Samaritans for as long as you
want and you needn’t tell us your name or any personal details at
all if you don’t want to.
"I really liked the way the woman dealt with
my problems. She was very calm and did not judge. She seemed to
understand and appeared generally interested and sympathetic with
my state. I like the way you deal with things in a personal and
anonymous way, as it is very difficult for me to talk about my
ongoing depression, but I never feel pressured to do so or say
anything I am not happy revealing."
Samaritans caller
Find out more
about contacting Samaritans
Read out
Caller Confidentiality and Data Protection
Statement
"It is like a sort of safety blanket to me, as
I know that I can always talk to someone who is not connected to
anything and will not pre-judge me or the situation I am in. The
time I contacted Samaritans was when I had all my family around me,
was in a loving environment and was completely 'safe'. However,
sometimes this can be the most lonely time. I am just so glad my
mother gave me Samaritans number; otherwise I don't know what would
have happened."
Samaritans caller
Related Information
Frequent
Questions
Find out
more about ways of contacting Samaritans
Who are
Samaritans volunteers?
Volunteer
for Samaritans