Befrienders centers work to reduce suicide worldwide with 31,000 volunteers in almost 40 countries
Need to talk?
Many people find that talking about their feelings can alleviate their distress. If you're feeling in distress or suicidal now and need to talk to someone, we're here to listen.
You can:
Find a crisis hotline near you, or get support via email
Learn more about suicidal feelings
More about befriending centers
- The main aim of the centers is to give emotional support to people when they are suicidal. The centers also alleviate misery, loneliness, despair and depression by listening to anyone who feels they have nowhere else to turn.
- The people who run the centers - befrienders - are volunteers who have all been specially trained. The work is non-political and non-religious, and volunteers do not try to impose their convictions on anyone. They simply listen.
- The fact that someone has been in contact with a center - whether by telephone, letter, email or in a face-to-face meeting - is strictly confidential. So too is everything that the person tells a befriender. Some callers prefer to remain anonymous - and that's fine.