Helpline

Helpline- one of the types of socially significant services. Provides the ability to anonymously telephone conversation with a qualified consultant.

During the conversation, the subscriber can be provided with information and psychological support, and the subscriber can transfer information to the consultant. The helpline is often used for counseling on complex, controversial topics that may be difficult to discuss in a personal conversation: interpersonal and sexual relationships, stigmatized diseases, drug use, crime.

Also, a helpline is a common service of law enforcement agencies: they are used to report an impending or occurred crime, a terrorist act, etc. Police departments, the Federal Drug Control Service and the FSB of Russia, and investigative agencies have helplines.

Story

The first helplines appeared in the United States at the beginning of the last century. In the spring of 1906 in New York, Protestant minister Harry Warren was awakened by a call. “I beg for a meeting, I have a hopeless situation,” he heard from the telephone receiver and replied: “Tomorrow the church is open in the morning.” The next morning the holy father learned that the caller had hanged himself. Shocked by what happened, the priest advertised in the newspaper: “Before you die, call me at any time of the day.”

In 1958 (according to other sources in 1952), the first helpline opened in London. Its founder, Anglican priest Chad Wara, read in the newspaper about the increase in suicides and thought that these people had no one to talk to and that is why they decided to take such a desperate step. Then he advertised in the newspaper with his phone number and an invitation to talk. They called him often. Since then, helplines have been operating all over the world.

Basic principles

Helpline counseling is based on several basic principles:

• anonymity of the subscriber and consultant: both of them are not obliged to identify themselves or provide their personal information; the consultant often acts under a pseudonym, the subscriber can call himself by any name or not give it at all, phone number the subscriber is not recorded - this increases the security of the interlocutors;

• confidentiality: the content of the conversation is not recorded or transmitted to a third party; Only statistical information about the call can be collected: category of problem, age of the subscriber (if he reported it), his social status;

• tolerance: the views expressed by the subscriber are not condemned or criticized; this allows you to create comfortable conditions for conversation and effective work with the problem;

• conversation control: the subscriber can interrupt the conversation at any time, and the consultant can do the same under certain conditions.

In addition to the basic principles, the staff of each helpline develops its own consulting methodology, a set of rules and guidelines for the consultant.

Consultants

Psychologists or volunteers who have undergone special training act as consultants. Consultants are trained to develop telephone counseling skills, develop tolerance, and study theoretical material. The work of consultants is monitored by supervisors (professional psychologists, psychiatrists or social workers), whose task is to maintain motivation and a sufficient level of consultant skills and conduct training sessions.

Financing

Funding for the helpline is assigned to the parent organization or through monetary funds or grants. Volunteer work can be free; motivation in this case is determined by the important social role of the helpline, the opportunity to develop one’s own skills, communication or self-expression.

Hotline

It is necessary to distinguish a helpline from a hotline, since the latter has fewer basic principles, as a rule, does not provide psychological support and the main task is to collect or provide information.

Examples of helplines in Russia

• helplines for police, rescuers and investigative departments;
• several HIV/AIDS helplines;
• helpline for homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals;
• psychological helpline.

see also

Links

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

• Comparative mythology
• Depot

See what “Helpline” is in other dictionaries:

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HELPLINE- “TELEPHONE OF TRUST”, Russia, IBRUS (Russia/Azerbaijan), 2001, color, 103 min. Psychological drama. Rena, the heroine of the film, becomes a victim of violence in her youth. This injury becomes a lifelong tragedy for the girl; she can only trust... ... Encyclopedia of Cinema

Helpline- See synonym: Telephone psychotherapeutic assistance. Brief explanatory psychological and psychiatric dictionary. Ed. igisheva. 2008 ... Great psychological encyclopedia

Helpline- a form of remote psychological assistance to people. those in need of moral, psychological or spiritual support in a state of internal crises and critical situations. Anyone in need of such help calls the psychological service,... ... Fundamentals of spiritual culture (teacher's encyclopedic dictionary)

Helpline- One of the methods of socio-psychological work for the prevention of mental illness. A 24-hour service providing qualified advice to people seeking help in a stressful situation. Served by psychologists... ... Dictionary psychiatric terms

Helpline- emergency psychological assistance service for adolescents. Psychologists, teachers, social workers, representatives of public and religious organizations. Anonymous forms of communication, etc. allow you to receive... Pedagogical terminological dictionary

Helpline- - in medicine - an organizational form of providing assistance by psychotherapists over the telephone. At the same time, the patients’ problems are clarified, possible assistance is provided (recommendations, advice, explanations, the efforts of the patients themselves are stimulated to... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of Psychology and Pedagogy

Helpline- emergency psychol. assistance intended for emergency use in urgent situations; addressed to persons in crisis, those who have, in their opinion, insurmountable obstacles in O. with... ... Psychology of communication. encyclopedic Dictionary

Helpline of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation- The helpline is a means of direct communication between citizens and the bodies of the Investigative Committee of Russia (hereinafter referred to as investigative bodies) for reporting (including anonymously) information about signs of illegal acts being prepared, committed or committed,... ... Official terminology

Federal Tax Service helpline- Helpline is a communication channel with citizens and organizations created in order to receive additional information to improve the activities of the Federal Tax Service of Russia, promptly respond to violations in the tax sphere, corruption and others... ... Official terminology

The helpline is a service designed to provide psychological assistance to people who find themselves in difficult life situations. Problems, experiences, negative emotions are what each of us faces, and this is normal. But sometimes we can't handle it alone. In such cases, it can be useful to seek help from a psychologist, in person or over the phone.

However, some people have persistent prejudices that become an obstacle to seeking help or reduce the effectiveness of psychological counseling. This article provides an opportunity to clarify the situation. For ease of perception, we can conditionally divide the existing prejudices into 3 groups: before the consultation, during the consultation and after it.

Before consultation, no matter how trivial it may sound, the lack of experience in seeking advice and doubts about the qualifications of the psychologist interfere. On the helpline, a professional psychologist with higher education and work experience works with you - this is true, even if his words shock you, go against your existing worldview or outlook on life.

In addition, there is an idea of ​​the Helpline as a service where people with mental disabilities call. Accordingly, there is a fear of making a diagnosis, and the very fact of seeking help is perceived by a person as an admission of his own inferiority. This is wrong. Psychologists and psychiatrists are different specialists with different work profiles. The Helpline has a qualified psychologist who works with variants of the norm. Sometimes, as a result of a consultation, you may receive a recommendation to see a psychiatrist, but there is nothing to worry about: diagnosis and diagnosis are two different things, checking your mental health has never harmed anyone.

Also, very often, at the thought of calling the helpline, there is a fear of opening up, and the very fact of the call is perceived by a person as a sign of weakness, sometimes a feeling of shame is also mixed in. These experiences can be understood: you don’t see the person you’re talking to, you don’t know him, you can’t know in advance what gender and age the person will answer the phone, and with all this you need to somehow open up to the person, trust him. But remember that a telephone consultation has another side: anonymity, the opportunity to see your situation from a different angle, to share your experiences here and now in a safe communication format. The consultant is not part of your life, which means there is no personal gain for him in a conversation with you. In addition, sometimes it is easier to talk about your experiences over the phone than in person. If you're feeling down, why not take advantage of these benefits? Asking for help, taking a step towards improving your psychological (and possibly physical) well-being is a manifestation of strength, not weakness.

During the consultation process, the psychologist is often perceived as a magician who has the answers to all questions. In fact, the psychologist doesn’t have the answers, you have them. Calling the Helpline means that you can’t find them, but you already have them. The psychologist is the fulcrum in the search process.

Situations are common when people rely on one consultation: now I’ll call, talk, solve all the problems, and the next morning I’ll start life from scratch. No. Not always. There are problems, questions, situations that can really be solved within one consultation. But this is rare. After all, many experiences are the result of a whole complex of factors, different situations, some of which may relate not only to the present, but also to the past. More often than not, a consultation via the Helpline is the first, but not the last step towards solving the problem.

Many people think that a psychologist reads you as open book, has telepathic, paranormal abilities... No. We need information to help you navigate the current situation with you. Therefore, a detailed presentation of the problems and the willingness to be sincere and open in communication with a psychologist makes the consultation more productive, effective, and useful for you.

After the consultation, it is very important to determine the “starting point”, make a choice and begin to act for changes in your life. The ability to listen to yourself, to hurry up somewhere, and to stop somewhere and not rush, all this helps to determine the best actions, in the context of your own life. The very need to act often causes difficulties for a person. Understanding alone will not bring positive change. There is a lot to understand, but if your actions, reactions, and manifestations in the real world do not change in any way, it is very likely that you will encounter the same situations and experiences that initially prompted you to seek advice from a psychologist.

And the last thing I would like to draw special attention to in this article: the final decision about what exactly you should do or not do in your life is yours alone. Not for a neighbor, boyfriend/girlfriend, psychologist, relative—for you.

I wish you that the decisions you make bring you closer to personal happiness and do not interfere with the happiness of other people!

21 Feb 2015

What is a helpline?

One of the most popular services of social significance is helpline. Its goal is anonymous counseling by qualified specialists via telephone conversation.

In addition to the fact that the subscriber is given the opportunity to receive from the consultant necessary information or report important information, he may also be provided with psychological support. Most often, helpline service specialists provide assistance in complex, controversial issues that may cause difficulties in a personal conversation, for example:

• health status, possible diseases;
• interpersonal relationships;
• illegal actions;
• various types of addictions (drug, alcohol);
• sexual relations.

Why do you need a helpline?

This is a service that has established quality standards and adherence to them is an important condition work of consultants. Each person, if necessary, can receive qualified help or practical advice in resolving an issue of concern, and coordinates of other services. In this case, the subscriber has the right to count on anonymity.

The principle of confidentiality.

The helpline service guarantees complete confidentiality to clients, so employees are prohibited from disclosing information provided to them, either general information (age or gender) or any other information obtained during the conversation. Discussion of an incoming call with employees of the same organization is possible only on its territory and for advisory purposes.

Anonymity for service employees.

In order to completely protect the work of consultants, they are prohibited from providing their personal information to the caller. Don't share with helpline specialists personal experience with the subscriber, provide your address or real name. The conversation should focus on the caller's problem and possible solutions to it.

Filling the need for an interlocutor.

The main ability that all trust service consultants have is listening skills, moreover, they help the subscriber speak and formulate thoughts. The art of listening is not so simple, so specialists master it at a professional level. It is very important during a conversation to treat the caller with an open mind, without judgment or attempts to make a “diagnosis”. The outcome of the consultation largely depends on this.

Find a solution.

A person in a state of psychological crisis is characterized by a feeling of hopelessness, indecision and fear of active action. Therefore, after discussing the subscriber’s problem, the consultant should help find a solution. The important thing is that the specialist cannot insist on something or lecture the client. On the contrary, it provides as much as possible possible options ways out of a critical situation, while indicating all their advantages and disadvantages.

Communication with other services.

The helpline is the primary point of contact for a person who needs help and support. But it often happens that some subscriber questions are beyond the competence of service employees, so they can provide up-to-date information about other organizations providing medical, social or psychological services.

Limitations in the provision of services.

Due to its characteristics, the helpline service has some limitations in the provision of services. Most often, they are associated precisely with the fact of the lack of individual contact between the consultant and the contacting subscriber.

A very important rule in the work of helpline service consultants is the prohibition on providing specific advice. A specialist can share information, listen, help formulate thoughts, but conclusions and decisions must be up to the subscriber. After all, be that as it may, the person himself is much more interested in finding an adequate way out of a critical situation. In addition, making any decisions can be fateful, so only the client can be held responsible for his actions.

Psychotherapy and diagnosis.

It is very important to understand that a helpline specialist cannot provide full psychotherapeutic assistance during a conversation, because psychotherapeutic counseling itself is a long process that requires face-to-face contact with the client. But in general, thanks to this service, you can determine whether there is a need to contact a qualified psychologist. A diagnosis cannot be made or treatment prescribed during a telephone conversation.

A big drawback of all helpline services is the frequent failure to comply with the basic principles of counseling by employees. This happens due to rapid professional burnout. Therefore, sometimes you can meet an incompetent and indifferent specialist.

Be that as it may, asking for help is the first step towards a solution. existing problem, and helplines, thanks to their activities, make it much easier.