Holding the line on hurt

• Source: Global Times
• [10:57 June 02 2010]
• Comments

A volunteer counsels a caller at LifeLine Shanghai. Photo: Chris Chagnon

By Chris Chagnon

When Allan McDean first answered a call for help he had no idea he would be the one need-ing relief at the end of it all. "I couldn't sleep the night after my first serious counseling call. I just kept second guessing myself, 'Did I say the right thing? Could I have done more?'"

McDean, an Australian, is a volunteer at LifeLine Shanghai, the bridge to professional counseling for thousands of people who arrive in Shanghai every year to start new chapters in their lives. People like McDean are just a hotline away for those who are overwhelmed by the new environment or disoriented, uprooted as they are from their native countries.

In all there are about 48 volunteers who are assiduously working behind the scenes to offer solace to callers from within the city and also from other provinces of China. The problems these callers want to be looked into are varied: relationship issues, work-life stress, loneliness, substance abuse or sometimes they simply seek a few nuggets of information.

Interestingly, LifeLine Shanghai, positions itself more as a listener than a solution provider and its international team of volunteers is available to lend an ear to callers on their toll free number (021 6279-8990), 12 hours a day (10 am - 10 pm), 365 days a year.

So why does the city need this bunch of dedicated listeners?

Giving ear

Though Shanghai was one of the fastest evolving cities of China in the last decade, expats coming here for work still found this world far removed from theirs. A host of issues stared them in the face but there were some westerners who began to sense the predicaments of foreigners. And so in 2004, Susan Hine, then Medical Attaché to the US Consulate, set up the LifeLine Shanghai (LLS) with a group of professionals.

While Shanghai certainly wasn't a backwater when LLS was founded, it is safe to say that the international complexion of the city was not as developed as it is today; foreigners suffering from the psychological stress of a new alien environment had even fewer places to turn to.

"Back then, and even somewhat today, the supply of trained psychotherapists who could speak foreign languages wasn't even close to the level of demand for their services. Even if a potential patient could find someone, the fees were usually too expensive for most people to afford - around 1,500 yuan ($220) an hour," said Lystia Putranto, Executive Director of LLS.

Troubled calls

Since its inception, the primary service of LLS has been its hotline, which provides both information and counseling services to callers. On average, about two-thirds of the calls received are seeking information but an estimated 60 percent of these information calls turn into counseling calls. The information service is meant to provide referrals to mental health professionals or general information about life in Shanghai, such as how to get involved with various groups or where one can find an English-speaking veterinarian. Even with misplaced or off-topic calls, the volunteers still try to help provide information whenever possible, either from their own experience or by using the Internet.

Of course, people calling for counseling have many reasons, but generally most calls deal with relationship issues, stress at work, feelings of isolation or loneliness, and substance abuse.

When Angeli Chang first called LLS, she did not reckon she would come to rely upon it so often. Now an LLS volunteer herself, Chang first called the hotline when she arrived in the city. "I was swamped with work when I first came in; also I faced discrimination at my work place. So when I saw an LLS advertisement in an English-language magazine, I just called," she said.

Chang's call to LLS was the start of something new for this lady from Henan. While she found solace just by speaking to one of the volunteers, later she too began to volunteer for LLS. The best aspect of LLS according to Chang is that the volunteers were helpful but not interfering. "I was able to talk about all the problems that were affecting me then and the volunteer really listened to what I was saying and did not judge me. I felt so much better afterwards, so relaxed and comforted. So, after that, whenever I had any problems I'd call LifeLine," said Chang.

Callers to LLS are mainly English-speaking and therefore it is the primary language of the service. But this lifeline also offers support in 13 other languages. So, the people who call LLS come from a myriad of nationalities, backgrounds and age groups. The majority of the 250 to 500 monthly calls come from Shanghai and the Yangtze Delta Region. But because the service is unique in China, they also receive calls from people around the country. "That's why we include the Shanghai area code in all of our advertisements, so that no matter where a person is, they can reach us and get help," said Putranto.

Despite not offering Chinese language service (callers who can only speak Chinese are referred to the Chinese Mental Health Hotline,) approximately 20 percent of all calls come from Chinese people. "Many Chinese callers say they accidentally found LifeLine while surfing the Internet or reading a magazine. As far as the question why they don't call the Chinese mental health hotline is concerned, I think it's because they believe that LifeLine can help them and they can be trusted," said Chang.