have you ever used Nightline?

Oh ok. Do volunteers get frustrated with hour long calls?

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No, I'm a volunteer, and I find the longer the call, the more rewarding it is.

Never used it, but if its anything like Samaritans, frankly don't bother. Give it a try.

I didn't even know about nightline. Sometimes I'd want someone to talk or vent to and often there just isn't anyone or the people I talk to get bored and aren't interested so I blog. Sometimes I don't want advice but just to get it all out of my system. I would definitely like to be there for someone else and I think it'd really help me develop my communication skills and to be a better listener cos I'm quite chatty and tend to talk lots and not listen much. I'd like to develop my listening skills and learn more about how young people think and what sort of worries and troubles they have. I think that'd come in use as a doctor cos I tend to struggle talking to people my age so this would help. I filled out a form for more details about being a volunteer

yeah there seems to be a lot of medics that do it xxx

They weren't very helpful when I called, but then I wasn't making a typical call. I cut my leg really badly at about midnight trying to shave, had no plasters e.c.t and nothing would stop the bleeding so phoned in the hope someone might be able to go and bring me one (or a bandage really given the size of the cut) so I could go to sleep without soaking my bedsheet through as they were the only people whose numbers I had who were open at that time and my flatmates were asleep. Needless to say though the girl on the other end of the phone didn't seem too bright - eventually she gave me the number of the campus security team but that wasn't what I wanted really as I couldn't really go anywhere. In the end just had to sit for an hour to wait for the bleeding to stop.

^ This, really. A good Nightline will offer a consistent, high quality service. A poor Nightline will be a bit rubbish at what they do and probably be a bit useless. (I can think of a couple of **** ones right away, haha.) HOWEVER, it is also fair to say that sometimes Nightline is just not the right service for an individual caller (eg. if they only want advice).



I'm a current Nightline volunteer, and I love it. It's the sort of thing where you get out what you put in, and more. If you are empathic and want to be there to provide emotional support to someone who may be in a bit of a **** situation then go for it! There is no true typical call and so you have to be prepared to listen to anything someone might want to discuss with you. Of course, the service is aimed at students and so usually calls are related to some aspect of student life. Can't really tell you about the weirdest ones without breaking confidentiality, sorry!

Sorry for my ignorance, but if nightline really is just a listening service then what makes a particular nightline good or bad?

And tbh, I'm not entirely convinced of the value of these listening services, of course I respect the samaritans for their function of emotional support and helping people who are suicidal and reading some of the stories on their website I see it can be helpful to get your thoughts together and talk through your problems to someone, but if they don't say anything more than 'mmm', then they surely can't be that much of a help for someone who is suicidal?

Sorry for my ignorance, but if nightline really is just a listening service then what makes a particular nightline good or bad?

And tbh, I'm not entirely convinced of the value of these listening services, of course I respect the samaritans for their function of emotional support and helping people who are suicidal and reading some of the stories on their website I see it can be helpful to get your thoughts together and talk through your problems to someone, but if they don't say anything more than 'mmm', then they surely can't be that much of a help for someone who is suicidal?

I've never used nightline myself but I'm assuming that what is not for. The girl online probably didn't seem "too bright" as you say in your own words as she was probably taken a back as she's not trained in such matters. It doesn't sound like you where going to be in much danger anyway, unless you had sort of disorder were your blood doesn't clot, even then I'd imagine most people would suggest A+E rather than a service run by volunteers that is primary for those in emotional distress.

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I would never use anything like this.


Firstly it would just seem ridiculous, as I have friends anyway, and secondly it'd just make me feel worse. For some people dealing with your **** by yourself is better. I'm all for getting rid of the stigma attached with seeking help but sometimes it feels to you like people are trying to push things too far in this direction.

When you say contacts, do you mean callers or volunteers?

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