Is Niteline just for when you’re really depressed and/or suicidal?
Of course not. Niteline volunteers are here to listen to anything you want to talk about. From feelings of stress, relationship issues, college worries, problems with your family, Niteline volunteers have been trained and will listen to any problem, big or small. You don’t even need to have a problem to call, you may just want to chat, have a rant, or tell someone about something good that happened to you that day. Some callers don’t talk at all, and that is okay.
How much does it cost to ring?
Niteline is completely free to call. Even from mobiles.
What happens if I recognize the volunteer or they recognize me?
As Niteline is completely anonymous and confidential, we do not ask for your name or for any specific details, and encourage you the caller not to give us any identifying information. However, if you feel you recognize the caller or the volunteer feels they recognize the caller, the call must be ended. But you can call back again and a different volunteer will answer the phone.
What happens exactly when you ring?
Once you hear the words “Hello Niteline”, the call is completely in your control. You can say as much or as little as you want about whatever topic you want. The volunteer will listen to whatever you want to say.
How many calls do you receive?
Due to the confidential nature of Niteline, we cannot give out call statistics. However we can say that as expected, call volume does increase around times of academic stress, like during the exam period.
What sort of person rings Niteline?
There is no ‘average’ caller who rings Niteline. Any type of student can ring, from postgraduate, to undergraduate and exchange students. And any student can call with any reason.
Who are the Niteline Volunteers?
The Niteline volunteers are all students of DCU, NCAD, RCSI and TCD, but there is no typical volunteer, and all of them come from a wide range of backgrounds. They are extensively trained and screened before being allowed take a call and receive continuous training throughout the year. As Niteline is an anonymous and confidential service, all volunteers keep their identity a secret and do not tell anyone that they are involved in Niteline.
What if I want to talk to a specific volunteer or specifically to a boy/girl?
All Niteline volunteers are trained equally, and as it is an anonymous service, you cannot request a specific volunteer. However if you wish to speak specifically to a boy or girl, when you hang up, if you call again, another volunteer will answer the phone but we cannot guarantee it will be gender you wish to speak to.
Will the volunteer give me advice?
Niteline does not give advice and the volunteer will not tell you what to do. The volunteer will help you discuss your situation and come to your own conclusions.
Who really runs Niteline?
Niteline is run entirely by the Niteline Volunteers and is based on the Samaritans model. Funding is received from the Students Union of each college, and we receive support from the College’s Counselling Services.
How do I become a volunteer?
Recruitment for volunteering occurs at the beginning of each term during the academic year. Check our ‘volunteer’ section for more details
Links:
The Samaritans:
http://www.samaritans.org/talk_to_someone/find_my_local_branch/ireland.aspx
UCD Counselling Service:
http://www.ucd.ie/stuhealth/Counselling.html
Trinity Counselling Service:
http://www.tcd.ie/Student_Counselling/
Royal College of Surgeons Counselling Service:
http://www.rcsi.ie/index.jsp?nID=563&pID=115
NCAD Counselling Service:
counsellor@ncad.ie
http://www.ncad.ie/admissions/pdf_leaflets/stsudenthandbook0607.pdf
DCU Counselling Service:
http://www.dcu.ie/students/counselling/appointment.shtml
Maynooth Counselling Service:
http://:studentservices.nuim.ie/counselling