Life Link Samaritans Tasmania: Louise McSharry on the importance of talking

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Samaritans launch e-mail campaign

The Samaritans are encouraging young people to e-mail them The Samaritans are launching a campaign which encourages youngsters in the province to e-mail them rather than telephone if they prefer.

The emotional support charity wants 16 to 25-year-olds to know that the e-mail service is available to them.

Paul O'Hare from the Samaritans in Belfast said e-mail can make it easier for young people to express their feelings.

"It's a chance for people to express how they really want to say things as opposed to want comes out when they speak on the phone," Mr O'Hare said.
'Extremely distressed'

The e-mail service is confidential, can be completely anonymous and is usually speedy, with replies in less than 24 hours.

Mr O'Hare said that e-mail also has the advantage that a young person can go back and edit their message so that they phrase it exactly how they would like.

He said: "We find that people can be extremely distressed on e-mail where perhaps on the telephone they feel they need to be slightly more reserved.

"Many of the people who contact us on e-mail would prefer to tell us about suicidal thoughts and feelings that they have, whereas on the telephone there is still the voice barrier to getting over the right words."

The e-mail service can be accessed at` jo@samaritans.org

Life Link Samaritans Tasmania

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Louise McSharry on the importance of talking

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