I’m having a pretty difficult time at present. I’ve called The Samaritans quite a number of times. I’ve had periods of doing so before. But in the past I used to hang up in disgust after just a few minutes.
Maybe I’m a different person now? Or maybe I’m just more desperate? Whatever, I’ve certainly found some of my conversations with The Samaritans to be helpful. So I’m grateful the service exists.
I thought I’d try CALM, as their title ‘Campaign Against Living Miserably’, and their specific remit, re males and suicide, sounds tailor made for me, esp’ right now. But the two times I’ve called, it was shit.
The first time it was a technical issue. The line was so appalling I couldn’t hear the guy the other end. Mind, the little I did hear left me feeling ‘what’s the point?’ That was a few days ago. I just called them again, today, and, although the line was better, the quality of support wasn’t.
So after 5-10 minutes of chat, I said thanks and goodbye, and hung up. Not impressed with CALM! It seems the quality of staff on the end of The Samaritans lines is a lot higher.
I wonder what training, if any, is required? There must be some? And it’s not going to be a job, one would’ve thought, that just anyone could do, straight off the street. But that’s what I felt I was getting with CALM.