Caritas launches English and Portuguese helpline for expats

Caritas Macau headquarters are located at Casa Ricci

Caritas Macau and the Life Hope team are launching a suicide prevention and emotional aid hotline providing services in both English and Portuguese this coming Sunday (June 21).
The helpline will initially operate between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, Silvia Mohr, Life Hope hotline counselor told the Times.
“We believe that there is a great need in Macau for such a service. Stress and depression knock at everyone’s doors nowadays. For the Chinese community to seek professional help or counseling is easier than for an expat,” she recalled in an email interview, adding that for expats there’s often a language barrier and therefore they tend to look for help in neighboring Hong Kong.
The hotline is intended to provide confidential emotional support to those facing general distress or those who are having thoughts about harming themselves or contemplating suicide.
Although a 24-hour hotline is already available in Chinese, there was a lack of an emotional aid service targeting expats specifically.
“We understand that for an expat there are many factors contributing to stress, not to mention the stress of ordinary daily life. Expats usually have to face challenges such as dealing with a different language, culture, food and sometimes having few or no friends. That can lead to cultural shock, isolation, and in many cases to different levels of depression,” she stressed.
The project was envisioned by Caritas Macau secretary-general, Mr Paul Pun, and officer manager of Life Hope Ms Teresa Lai. “They had talked about it, dreamed about it but they did not have enough human resources to make it happen. At least not until March this year, when they found a person that suited the position,” Silvia Mohr said.
The helpline will begin operating with one staff member and four volunteers. Ms Mohr, who holds a degree in Psychology and a masters in Counseling and Psychotherapy, will be in charge of answering calls, training volunteers, and of supervisory work.
She stated that, “people may call us because they have reached a point in their lives when they feel they can’t cope alone anymore.”
“They may feel depressed and alone, perhaps they’ve lost someone close to them and are going through intense grief, they feel isolated and lonely and may have suicidal thoughts, leading them to wonder if life’s worth living; or people that might be worried about someone close to them,” she recalled.
She added that, “we care to listen no matter how distressing or ordinary the problem may seem, there is no need to go through it alone.”
Ms Mohr recalled that there are about 170,000 expats in Macau. People often need someone to talk to when they’re placed in situations out of their comfort zones, and talking about their problems can help someone going through a rough time.
“Having someone to listen to them, devoting time and attention to them, respecting and not judging their feelings might mean the world to someone who’s going through a tough time. We can’t offer a solution but we can be there for them” she assured.
Ms Mohr, who’s an expat herself from Brazil and speaks Portuguese, English and Mandarin, clarified that both the Chinese and the new hotline will work side-by-side, operating under the same supervisor and in the same office, although targeting different communities.
“As for the service provided for the expats, our aim is to become a 24h hotline like the service provided in Chinese,” she said.
After operating for a certain period of time, Caritas and the Life Hope team are hoping to first extend the hotline’s service schedule from four to eight hours per day, bearing in mind the 24h ultimate goal.
The Chinese hotline has been operating for over three decades and according to Lusa news agency it received 10,259 calls last year, 67 percent of which were made by women. Only three percent of the calls were related to suicidal tendencies.
Ms Mohr recalled that for now the expat hotline project needs to be developed step by step: “It involves several steps like recruiting volunteers in the community and providing them with the skills to listen and be there for those who are calling. Therefore, building up a team to provide a full service is our challenge.”
Life Hope said that it pays great attention to confidentiality and therefore the identities of callers and of volunteers will not be revealed.
Caritas and Life Hope conducted a one-month trial period for the new hotline last month, but did not receive any calls.
The Life Hope hotline is available at +853 28525777.

Wanted: hotline volunteers

Candidates looking to volunteer with the new suicide prevention helpline launched by Caritas and Life Hope do not need to hold any professional qualifications, but need to meet a certain set of requirements.
Silvia Mohr told the Times that volunteers should be dedicated and committed to being a good listener. They must be at least 21 years old; hold Macau ID or a blue card with two years or more of work experience; have completed a full training and internship; and pledge a one-year commitment to remain in the helpline as a volunteer after training.
Volunteers will be expected to understand the confidential nature of the work, and about calls received on duty. They’re also expected to participate in workshops and training programs provided by the organization.
The volunteers’ training program comprises of three parts: lectures; supervised practice; and monthly supervision and training.