Telephone counseling service expects many calls on public holidays

At Christmas, the telephone counseling service expects a particularly high number of calls. The workload is generally very high, said Tilmann Beyer, who is responsible for the telephone counseling service at Diakonie Sachsen. However, the service is used even more during the holidays. At peak times, it can happen that callers cannot get through directly because all the lines are busy.

"Everyone seems to be fine, only I'm in a bad way"

Topics such as loneliness or the loss of family members and friends come to the fore. In the Christmas spirit, the impression arises: "Everyone seems to be doing well, only I'm doing badly," said Beyer. The winter depression caused by darkness and cold is also noticeable.

People seeking help can contact the telephone helpline around the clock by phone or online. Last year, the six Saxon locations in Dresden, Bautzen, Chemnitz, Leipzig, Zwickau and Auerbach received around 57,000 inquiries, which resulted in around 45,000 pastoral conversations, according to Diakonie. The volunteers provided around 38,000 hours of service for this purpose.

More use being made of the service

"Overall, demand is increasing," said Beyer - for various reasons. The telephone counseling service is being advertised more and more. As a result, the public is more aware of the service and is also making more use of it. According to Beyer, the inhibition threshold has also fallen. It has become more normal to turn to the help service. "Of course, it is also a point that loneliness and mental health problems are on the rise."

The service is completely anonymous and no caller data is collected. The same telephone number is used throughout Germany. However, a technical solution ensures that inquiries are forwarded to a nearby switchboard, as Beyer explains. "In Saxony, we actually get the Saxon calls too." Only in exceptional cases does a call from Berlin come in between.

400 volunteers in Saxony

In Saxony, there are around 400 volunteers who ensure that the telephone helpline is available around the clock. Anyone who wants to take part has to undergo several months of training. In total, there are between 120 and 150 hours of training. "An essential part of this is dealing with yourself," explained Beyer. By reflecting on how they deal with their own problems, the volunteers learn how to stay in contact with those seeking help without putting their own views first.