A qualitative study exploring the experience and motivations of UK Samaritan volunteers: “Why do we do it?”

ABSTRACT

Telephone helplines offer a valued service for those in distress. However, little research has explored the experience of helpline volunteers. Through semi-structured interviews, we explore the volunteering experiences of nine long-term UK Samaritan volunteers. Interviews were analysed using Interpretive Interactionism. The analysis highlighted that volunteering impacted participants’ experience of their sense of self. The decision to volunteer was framed as part of a search for personal meaning, tied to experiences of loss and reparation. Participants reflected positively on their volunteer identity, but highlighted tensions between a sense of vocation and the experience of care burden. The Samaritan Community also offered a sense of belonging and social support. They experienced involvement as personally meaningful, enabling the construction of a positive self-identity.

KEYWORDS:

• Telephone counselling
• Samaritans
• helplines
• volunteers
• Interpretive Interactionism

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge The Samaritans, who allowed us to complete the study in their organisation, and the individual listeners who shared their stories so generously.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors .

Notes on contributors

Lucy Smith is a counsellor and was a senior student at the University of Northampton, UK. She has a particular interest in counsellor identities, and in how counsellors are perceived by members of minority groups.

Jane Callaghan is a Professor and Director of the Centre for Child Wellbeing and Protection at The University of Stirling, UK.

Lisa Fellin is a clinical psychologist, a systemic family therapist, and a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of East London, UK.