• Replies 3 replies
  • Subscribers 8 subscribers
  • Views 66 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Samaritans to close email and letters service

mp500

I just found out today that The Samaritans are closing their long running email and letter services. 

https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/letter-writing-service-closing/

https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/email-service-closing/

Since The Samaritans are often recommended by people on these boards, I thought this was worth pointing out since many people who suffer from autism and other related mental health problems either find speaking on the telephone to be difficult, or lack the privacy to do so.

They say that they "cannot provide immediate support" by letter. Indeed when I've used them they have taken weeks to reply, but that isn't really the point. Being able to think about what you are saying, in your own time, is more important than the immediacy. 

This isn't really surprising. Last year, they announced that they were intending to close half their branches, and have some volunteers "work from home".

Parents

  • 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.

Reply

  • 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.

Children
No Data