Samaritans to close email and letters service

I’ve only needed to use USA’s 988 service once via phone, so I’ve never considered the importance of email/letter/texting. It makes sense now, reading y’all’s responses. I was lucky to have the privacy of my car when I needed to call. I still feel that letter writing would be too slow in the midst of a crisis, but I can see how potentially quick responses from text and email could prove to be immensely helpful. I agree that it’s a shame this service is being removed.

They're awful. Twice I've had to use them and both times took multiple hours to get back to me. I guess I can't criticise Samaritans to be fair, as their webchat is the only time a text based service has actually helped me. I respect them, but still think closing the email service is the long decision

Our local branch of the Samaritans had a sign up in the window saying it was closed due to coronavirus. They did remove the sign after a few years but I don't know if its actually open or not. 

I've heard people both recommend and complain about Shout. As someone who doesn't really use SMS messages I don't really see the appeal of trying to cram your thoughts into a 160 character message using a telephone keypad. Its usually so fumbly that I give up before I've finished typing the message unless its important.

I'd first contacted the samaritains during 2020,where I was struggling with the covid 19 outbreak.

Preferred email, but some volunteers said I was emailing them loads of times and should phone them. There's isn't enough privacy around me.

One year I did the letter service which was really good. 

The webchat is my Preferred method as I'm used to this and easier. 

The only problem is that some of the volunteers ask me do I work or lost confidence in working again. I ended up termination of the call. What I supposed to say? I end up saying I do volunteering at my group.*

Going to carry on with this service.

*I certainly don't want to go through this again, with another company. No support, bullying and easily promoted. Also recruiting the wrong people. 

I wish I could say this surprised me, but it dosen't, I've never had much faith in the samaritans after a bad experience with them years ago.

This is sad. There are very few services which can be contacted when feeling unable to speak verbally. 

I hate it, I really do hate it (the fact they're closing the email service). From what I've gathered they have (or at least had post 2020) cutback massively on the in person services too (which I'll admit I never used). I found the email replies could be robotic sometimes, but the reply times from my experience were fairly decent, they massively improved after the announcement of the decision to cease the service and the last time I used it I got a relatively passive aggressive note at the bottom questioning why I didn't call.

Not only do I have zero privacy, I find talking on the phone very difficult and it's much easier for me to compartmentalize my thoughts via typing. The Calm webchat is a poor man's version of Samaritans webchat (which is barely open when I need it), and the less I mention Shout the better after I was held for a 4 hour wait a few months back.

And while I know more dedicated services exist for it, it really hurts people who could be in domestically abusive scenarios where many people end up using older technology to communicate via email or messages opposed to meeting up or calls.