Dealing with the gaps: The experience of telephone counselors serving in a Greek depression helpline: A mixed methods research

Abstract

Although helpline services represent an important means via which individuals access help, the perspective of telephone counselors has received little attention. The purpose of the present study was to explore the experience of helpline counselors serving in a Greek Depression Helpline. To this end a mixed methods research using a partially mixed concurrent equal status design was conducted, involving a quantitative strand derived from the call documentation forms kept in the institutional archives, and a qualitative strand whereby helpline counselors’ experience of service provision was openly explored. Results from the two strands converged in describing helpline services as demanding ability to respond to a wide range of callers’ concerns and to the difficulty inherent in dealing with the suicidal patient. Qualitative themes helped gain insight into the peculiarities inherent in the nature of helpline services, and their effect on counselors’ emotional responses and their ability to derive satisfaction from providing services. Counselors’ supervisory needs were also identified. Based on the results, implications and recommendations for the facilitation and empowerment of helpline counselors are offered.