Hotlines reach out to help students in need

With four student hotline services at their fingertips, Yalies plagued by any type of concern can always find a fellow student to talk to. Although the hotline coordinators won't reveal how many calls they receive per week, they strongly believe that their position as peer counselors makes them an important asset to the Yale community.

All the hotlines are completely student-run and operate as one-time counseling and referral services to point students to long-term solutions. Consent handles problems of sexual harassment and assault; Walden deals with general concerns; Eating Concerns Hotline and Outreach (E.C.H.O.) addresses eating disorders; and Pathways focuses on gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues.

"There's a difference between talking to a peer and talking to a professional. As students, we're all in this together, and we need to support each other," Consent Coordinator Naomi Walcott, SY '99, explained. "But at the same time, there are some things your friends aren't equipped to deal with." Accordingly, peer counselors undergo specialized training to ensure that their staffers are well-equipped to deal with the difficult situations they face.

To select their counselors, Walden conducts a rigorous selection process consisting of an application and two rounds of interviews. Counselors are selected for their "empathy, maturity, and sense of awareness of the Yale community and the issues faced," coordinator Amy Schefler, BK '98, stated. Schefler reported that Walden doesn't "look for experience, just potential." After they are chosen, the counselors are trained by professional therapists from Yale's mental hygiene department.

The Walden hotline addresses problems ranging from substance abuse to ethnic issues, as well as "non-crisis situations," According to Schefler, "You can call if you just need someone to talk to." Schefler noted that Walden serves all members of the Yale community, including graduate students. "We probably get more freshmen calling about an issue like academic stress, because they haven't developed the skills to deal with it yet, but in general it's pretty balanced," she commented.

Consent now trains its own counselors using a manual and community speakers. Unlike Walden, Consent trains all potential counselors before selecting about 20 applicants. In fact, Walcott said that despite a 30-hour training program and a 20-page take-home exam, "many people train that don't plan on becoming counselors. They just do it for their own information."

Consent was originally founded in 1992 as a branch of New Haven Rape Crisis Services, but the organization was eventually taken over by students. The program also does campus outreach using table tents and posters. This year the organization also conducted sexual assault information sessions for all freshmen.

E.C.H.O. coordinator Lisa Kinney, ES '00, said that her hotline seeks applicants who have prior counseling or peer mediation experience. Though E.C.H.O. counselors must be "warm, supportive, and helpful," Kinney noted that they cannot be overly empathetic. "We don't accept [counselors] who have had eating disorders, not only because we don't want [E.C.H.O.] to become a support group, but also because talking to someone who needs help with an eating concern can trigger memories for someone who has had a problem and inhibit their ability to help."

Kinney emphasized that E.C.H.O. is very important for a community like Yale. "Yale students are so driven and motivated, so intense, and they put themselves under a lot of pressure," she said. " They tend to be perfectionists, which is a characteristic of people with eating disorders."

E.C.H.O. does outreach work as well. Next semester, the group will lead classes in elementary schools on nutrition and body image. The members also organize panels on topics such as "Body Image and Sexuality."

Pathways is supposed to be open on Sunday and Tuesday nights. The hotline was not running this Tuesday, however, and Pathways could not be reached for comment. The Pathways website states, "We offer information about campus and non-campus groups, referrals to agencies and queer-friendly therapists, and a chance to talk things out."

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