Every day, Samaritans respond to around 10,000 calls for help. In 201 branches across the UK and Ireland, over 20,000 Samaritans volunteers are there to support anyone who needs it.
Whilst we know that 1 in 4 people will suffer with mental health issues each year, and despite charities and, in some cases, the media doing their best to increase awareness, there’s still an underlying stigma and fear associated with discussing mental health.
During the last couple of years, we’ve seen a rise in employers requesting mental health assessments and treatment for their employees. Samaritans’ research in June 2021 found there to be a strong relationship between calls relating to work or unemployment and concerns regarding Covid-19. Seeing the clear synergies in supporting employee mental health and wellbeing, we were keen to find out more.
We were invited to meet some of the volunteers based at the Croydon and Sutton branch of Samaritans, just around the corner from our own head office.
Despite the unassuming façade, the home of Samaritans in Croydon and Sutton is a lifeline for so many seeking help. Inside we meet a team of volunteers providing remote services and others that support outreach in the communities.
Peter, Vice Branch Director, explains that ‘listening volunteers’ work 3-6 hour shifts, and approximately 6 overnight shifts per year. The phone lines are open 24/7, but it’s the night shift that experiences the highest volume of calls, with the peak being between midnight and 4am.
The Samaritans are not here to give advice, that is not their purpose. What they are here to do is listen, not judge, and provide emotional support. And it’s being listened to that makes the difference. In fact, their research shows that 76% of people feel better after calling because they have felt listened to.
“We help people to work out their own solutions” says Peter. “We listen and reflect back what they have told us, giving them an opportunity to offload. We’re not here to provide the solutions, we encourage them to look at their own situation.”
The success in this approach is backed up by their research which shows that giving people the time and space to talk helps them to manage their own levels of distress and, as is sometimes the case, their suicidal thoughts and feelings.
Although Samaritans is generally regarded as a service that primarily supports people contemplating suicide, this is not the case. Samaritans is a listening service that is here for anyone in distress.
Calls relating directly to suicide are actually in the minority. People phone in with problems such as depression, loneliness and stressful situations they face at home or work for example. The majority of these aren’t actively planning to end their lives. The charity often signposts to other pre-agreed support organisations, such as debt charities to support people who are seeking practical help.
Up until this point, I wasn’t aware of the range of services offered by Samaritans. The outreach team for Croydon and Sutton, headed up by Marion, provide services locally to schools, supporting students and staff following upsetting incidents, at hospitals such as The Royal Marsden, supporting patients, and for staff who work at locations that are, unfortunately, deemed to be potential sites for suicide attempts, such as car parks and bridges. For that reason, they do a lot of work with Network Rail employees, and at East Croydon Station, working with staff and providing a Samaritans presence for station users. Marion says that sometimes all it takes to provide support is to interrupt someone’s negative thought process. Having a conversation at the right time can help to lift someone out of a negative frame of mind and improve their mood.
This outreach into the community is vital, particularly after major incidents such as the devastating Croydon tram crash in 2016 and terrorist incidents at London Bridge. Samaritans from the Croydon and Sutton branch have been there to support those affected by such incidents.
Marcia, part of the outreach team, explains that they’re currently trialling services supporting detainees in custody suites, as well as for members of staff. And whilst it may seem unusual at first, it makes sense that people in such environments are likely to feel distressed and may not have any other support available to them. Given that Samaritans come from all walks of life, you would be forgiven for assuming there may be some apprehension as they respond to such outreach needs, though Marcia responds by simply saying, “we are armed with our training”.
Peter tells us that calls often come in from people who you’d generally think wouldn’t use the Samaritans as their first port of call, for example, individuals in mental health facilities and care home residents. It’s sad to think that people in such facilities feel the need to call Samaritans when we would assume that they can readily access support. Pressure on care services means that Samaritans are there to provide a path for human connection and time to talk things through.
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Croydon and Sutton Samaritans have found an increase in calls relating to loneliness, isolation and, above all, mental health concerns in general. With a backlog of people trying to access dedicated mental health services, Samaritans are sometimes the only timely source of support available.
In 2020, Samaritans launched their own self-help app, which Peter says is “good for people waiting for mental health services.” The app allows people to track their mood, identify patterns in their feelings, and offers evidence-based coping techniques.
It is refreshing to hear that, at 69 years old, the charity is still going strong and continues to offer support to people of all ages by keeping pace with modern times and technology, offering new ways of accessing support for those who face varying challenges in their lives.
“We seem to be getting more calls from young people,” says Marcia, and it’s clear that the team agree, citing peer pressure through social media and the anxiety they experience when comparing themselves with the images they see online.
Providing an app alongside email and online chat options is certainly helping young people to reach out in a way that feels comfortable and convenient for them.
So, what does it take to be a Samaritan? Shaz has been with the Croydon and Sutton Samaritans for about 6 months. She, like many others, has a paid job, working for the Civil Service, plus a family and children at home to care for. What made Shaz decide to take on the responsibility of a Samaritan? She tells us she had been through her own personal struggles, and this had made her want to support others. “You can’t get away from what’s going on up here”, she says, pointing to her head, “but by being there to listen, we’re making a real difference to people.”
It’s amazing the amount of time that volunteers are giving to the Samaritans. Training takes around a year to complete – 84 hours in total with a further 6-month review. It seems a huge responsibility, but Shaz says it’s worth it when you “hear just how much you’re helping somebody.”
It’s inspiring to hear someone who, by their own admission, has been through some very tough times, speak with such passion and enthusiasm for the charity, and reach a place where they want and feel able to provide support to people in need.
She describes the support that each Samaritan receives as “incredible”. Developing listening skills is key for all volunteers, and for this they use the ‘Listening Wheel’: open questioning, summarising, reflecting, clarifying, encouraging, and reacting. Each volunteer has a mentor who provides regular feedback, support and helps to develop confidence, and Shaz views the ongoing training that is provided to enhance their skills as “essential embedded development”.
What really impresses me, aside from the enthusiasm and resilience of Samaritans, is that, as a volunteer, you’re never alone. At the end of each shift, the on-call leaders hold a debrief session to discuss anything the team want to walk through. Volunteers will never share anything they hear to anyone outside of the Samaritans, so the support from within is vital. Peter says it’s important to help manage the expectations of new Samaritans because, once the call has ended, “you’ll never know the outcome”. He says it’s important to support the volunteers with training and debrief sessions to enable them to “let things go” and to maintain that drive and determination to support others in need.
Discussing the future of the charity, they hope it will continue to expand and offer different services, working with other organisations to provide wider support.
Marion asks us not to forget that the Samaritans is the only service of its kind that’s there, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
That’s the overwhelming reality – they are there for everyone, no matter what challenges someone may be facing. It’s an incredible service, delivered by incredible people, that makes a real difference.
Stuart Butler, Head of Corporate Health Services
Find out more about the Samaritans, and how you can support.