What should I say when I call ChildLine?

Edrych ar hyn yn Gymraeg

It can be hard to talk if you are upset or feeling hurt and you might not know what to say. Your ChildLine counsellor will try and help you as much as possible to talk about what's wrong so that we can help you.

There are a few things that you can do before you call, to make sure we can help you as much as possible.

• If possible make the call somewhere you are safe and where you won't be interrupted.
• If you do have to use a public phone or make the call outside, try and stay somewhere quiet without too much traffic noise. This will help your counsellor hear you properly.
• Think about what you want to say before you call. You can call at any time, but it might help you to have thought about what you want to say first.

What kind of person/people will I speak to?

In many ways ChildLine counsellors are very ordinary people. In other ways they are special because they give their time to ChildLine so that every day of the year, 24/7, you have someone to talk to if you need help. A ChildLine counsellor is someone:

• Who will listen to you and knows it takes courage to call
• Who you can trust
• Who won't judge you or put you down
• Who is not easily shocked
• Who understands the sorts of problems you might be worried about
• Who is trained to help
• Who is supervised when they answer calls by a ChildLine counselling supervisor

What do I have to tell ChildLine when I call?

• When you call us you don't have to give your name or any details about yourself if you don't want to.
• You can talk to us about anything, so think about how you feel and tell us about it. The more you talk about what is happening and how it makes you feel, the more we can understand and help you.
• We might ask you some questions to try and understand how you are feeling or to help you talk about it. You don't have to answer them if you don't want to.
• Tell us if you are finding it difficult to talk about what's wrong.
• You can call back at anytime, even if you didn't talk the first time you called.

Can I end the call to ChildLine if I want to?

• When you call us, you are in control. You can end the call at any time.
• If you want to call back later, that's fine, we are here 24 hours a day.

Find out what happens when you call ChildLine