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A colleague of mine has recently completed the training, said it was the best training she has ever had. The support network is amazing and she is really glad that she made the decision to volunteer.
She has had tough calls, but said there is always somebody to talk to after, and she never goes home full of “burden”.
She had confided that she has had a few “lonely old men calls” in the middle of the night
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Good luck with your journey, I think it’s fantastic
She has had tough calls, but said there is always somebody to talk to after, and she never goes home full of “burden”.
She had confided that she has had a few “lonely old men calls” in the middle of the night
.Good luck with your journey, I think it’s fantastic
I was when I was a trainee solicitor (going back almost ten years now). The training was phenomenal like PP said. The support network was second to none. I always had the option to debrief if needed. I was even walked back to my car each and every 'shift'. There were some calls that did play on my mind afterwards and I often think about where those people are today. I learned how to be empathetic rather than sympathetic (enormous difference). It helped hugely in my career and taught me how to switch off my feelings to some degree in order to be able to help assist someone. Taught me to become an active listener. Taught me to be non judgemental.
I'd love to think I made a difference to at least one other person. But it made the biggest difference to me.
Good luck. Despite the grim nature of the role, you will form great bonds with other people you work alongside and will likely learn some skills that will carry you through life.
I'd love to think I made a difference to at least one other person. But it made the biggest difference to me.
Good luck. Despite the grim nature of the role, you will form great bonds with other people you work alongside and will likely learn some skills that will carry you through life.
Yep did it for 2 years. Helped me a lot with a job in terms of switching my emotions off and really got a lot out of it !
My father in law has just stepped down as the branch head for his local samaritans after 5 years. He said he might go back to it but he needs a break. But before his retirement and volunteering in this he was a high up police office in child protection so you can imagine he's had to deal with tit for a long time and samaritans took its toll on him. He also developed prediabetes during his time because he would constantly comfort eat while on shift (full packs of biscuits). I did a santa fun run in aid of samaritans once worse hour of my life 
Is it a volunteer type situation?
Gosh, your post brought so much back to me. We used to do a LOT of comfort eating on our shifts. Bad food, like we'd take it in turns to cook for the group to bring it into work, and then spend the entire time picking at naughty foods.My father in law has just stepped down as the branch head for his local samaritans after 5 years. He said he might go back to it but he needs a break. But before his retirement and volunteering in this he was a high up police office in child protection so you can imagine he's had to deal with tit for a long time and samaritans took its toll on him. He also developed prediabetes during his time because he would constantly comfort eat while on shift (full packs of biscuits). I did a santa fun run in aid of samaritans once worse hour of my life
I hope your father in law is okay. I think being the branch head would have been considerably difficult as not only would have he had to deal with his own emotions and the callers emotions, but also his volunteers. Huge respect to him.
We had lots of vicarious trauma counselling/training sessions which helped so much but despite that, the nature of some calls do take their toll. Especially if you're able to personally relate to anything the caller tells you (Eg having kids at similar ages to you or the caller being close in age to you). But I remember now when I needed to debrief with our branch leader, she was always so amazing and I wish now (after reading your post) that I thanked her more for sharing my burden.
I was a volunteer but I must have had a dud shift because most of my calls were men wanking down the phone at me. I only lasted a few months before I felt like I was wasting my time (and it’s a big time commitment with the overnights as well). I really wanted to make a difference but I didn’t often feel like I did.
Someone from work trained at the same time as me, at the same branch, and she said she handled loads of rewarding calls so I do think I just got an unlucky shift and there wasn’t any flexibility to change it. I personally preferred doing the texts and emails but my branch was old school and wanted me to focus on the phones. It wasn’t for me in the end but I did learn a lot in the training so I can’t knock it.
Someone from work trained at the same time as me, at the same branch, and she said she handled loads of rewarding calls so I do think I just got an unlucky shift and there wasn’t any flexibility to change it. I personally preferred doing the texts and emails but my branch was old school and wanted me to focus on the phones. It wasn’t for me in the end but I did learn a lot in the training so I can’t knock it.
Wow what a man !My father in law has just stepped down as the branch head for his local samaritans after 5 years. He said he might go back to it but he needs a break. But before his retirement and volunteering in this he was a high up police office in child protection so you can imagine he's had to deal with tit for a long time and samaritans took its toll on him. He also developed prediabetes during his time because he would constantly comfort eat while on shift (full packs of biscuits). I did a santa fun run in aid of samaritans once worse hour of my life
Yes I’d forgotten how many biscuits there would be! I am also old enough to have volunteered when we were still allowed to smoke in the building as well, most of my colleagues were retired and went away a lot so there were often duty free cigs and we’d chain smoke our way through overnights...ah happy days!