Just the other day I was feeling unusually upset and made up my mind that I needed to call someone for help. Since this was the first time I was reaching out like this, I was being extremely cautious and decided to go with Trevor. On being connected to the counsellor, maybe due to the accent or bad-clarity i couldn't initially make out what he was trying to say and went on for about 10minutes explaining my situation in detail. One of the first things I mentioned is that I was calling from India. After 10 minutes of talking, I felt like I had truly opened my heart out to someone for the first time and was looking forward to some useful advice and support. But instead the counsellor just said "Your situation is very different from the U.S and I should try reaching out to local hotlines." He then abruptly said he had other callers to attend to and asked if he could hang-up. I mean, it's a suicide-prevention hotline. Is that how you would talk to someone feeling suicidal? Obviously I had done my research in advance and found/trusted Trevor to be the safest place to call for help… I ended up feeling like nobody really cares about anyone in this world
Welcome to EC! I'm sorry to hear that the Trevor counselor wasn't helpful. I've read on this forum a few times that some people have had issues when they called the Trevor hotline. Are there any local hotlines that you can reach out to? Don't let this negative experience stop you from getting the support you deserve. There is someone out there that would love to listen and help you. The hard part is finding them
I've heard from other people on here that Trevor is mostly intended to be a resource to US citizens, but I don't understand why anyone would ever turn away someone feeling suicidal. My guess is he probably was having a hard time understanding your accent and felt it would be more helpful to have you contact someone where there would be less of a communication barrier.
Nope.. I know for a fact that he could understand and relate to whatever I said and reconfirmed this a couple of times in conversation. Plus I've had American friends before who I've had no problem conversing with.
I'm not a big fan of Trevor for a variety of reasons, one of which is that the training of their volunteers is very haphazard. Some are good, some are bad, and it's pretty much luck of the draw in that respect.
I work in a Free Clinic - as more people have come in, things have become haphazard. So with Trevor, it has become "popular." (which is sad. It shouldn't even be around. We don't want people feeling like this.) I think it's really sad that they can't help. I could never do that job. We are always here to help!!!
I have called a couple of hotlines. Once, the volunteer was wonderful. She was natural, kind, sounded like she was genuinely concerned, and I felt better for talking to her (it was not a GLBT specific hotline, and I can't remember which one it was) The other time, the guy just practiced active listening techniques... kind of poorly. He echoed back everything I said, but that was it. When calling a hotline, I guess you have to keep in mind the people on the other side are typically volunteers that mean well but may not have the appropriate training or natural ability to be good counselors. Even if they do not provide everything you want and need, I think the chance to talk about your problems and cool down is good. I am sorry your experience was not positive :/
I'm also sorry to hear you had a bad experience with Trevor, but on the other hand, being able to open up to someone else - anybody - about your feelings and your struggles is a positive sign, and one that you should congratulate yourself for. If you like, please feel free to talk about your situation here on EC - we're all here to listen, both staff and members. Discussing the feelings you're having with someone else will almost certainly be good for you.
Thanks guys, surprisingly enough I don't feel dis-heartened by this. Just wish there were at least one hotline that functioned internationally but from the U.S, since I have always imagined it to be the most advanced country when it comes to the LGBT-lifestyle and hope to be able to make it there someday
