During the period of limited social contact children and youths can turn for help to TOM helpline at 116 111, while the confidential helpline Samarijan in Sopotnik at 116 123 is there for all who find themselves in emotional distress

Both helplines have been made possible by Telekom Slovenije as a donor, and in the past few weeks the counsellors have put special attention to helping both youths and others who find themselves in emotional distress as they face the changes that have been brought on by the measures for preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

​The advantage of telephone help is that it is available to everyone, while anonymity provides callers with a sense of security that makes it easier for them to speak out about their deepest emotions, distress and doubt. Distress does discriminate by age, and everyone – children, youths and adults face it.

Counsellors at the confidential helpline talk to more than 100 people every day
Slovenian Helpline Association brings together five organizations: Call of hope from Celje, Your telephone from Postojna, Association of counsellors “Čriček” from Ormož, and Confidential call “Zate” from Ljubljana and “Samaritan”. Their counsellors take calls 24/7 at the single number 116 123, which is also the European emotional support helpline number. There are about 300 volunteers across all the organizations working three telephone lines.

"We most often receive calls from people with mental health issues, so our volunteer work significantly reduces psychiatric problems in Slovenia. We unconditionally accept every caller and listen to their problems, and we are especially focused on any unspoken woes and fears. Anonymity is an important factor – many would not turn to us, if they were not certain that their identity would not be disclosed. This is how we help more than 100 people per day on average," Samo Babuder, the president of the Slovenian Helpline Association, commented on the importance of telephone assistance. In a year they receive around 40,000 calls. Besides people with mental health issues, they also receive calls from people who feel lonely and who do not have enough social contact, and from people with unhappy relationships with their partners or at home, or with problems related to intimacy. There are a lot of calls from people who find themselves in an acute life situation because of a loss of a loved one, income or sudden illness, and about one percent of callers have suicidal tendencies.

The Slovenian Association of Friends of Youth has been operating TOM children helpline for 30 years
Young people can call the 116 111 helpline every day, including Sundays and holidays between 12 and 8 PM, and can also find daily information and advice about coronavirus in the online chatroom (https://www.e-tom.si/stopi-v-stik/), on the website https://www.e-tom.si/kaj-naj-pocnem-ostanimodoma/ and TOM telephone's Facebook page, and in the Idea Well. TOM telephone brings together a national network of about 200 qualified counsellors, who work in 9 teams in Ljubljana, Maribor, Murska Sobota, Slovenske Konjice, Velenje, Krško, Idrija, Ajdovščina and Tolmin.

"By providing anonymous counselling, guidance and information over the phone and social networks we encourage young people to resolve their problems, conflicts and dilemmas independently and in a constructive manner. During the recent period we have not noticed any increase in the number of calls, as children are currently mainly exploring the new method of schooling and spending their free time together with their families. We expect that any potential issues will crop up over time, when they become tired of the new regime and isolation, and the consequences of intense or problematic interpersonal relationships become even more apparent. Over the years we have been able to build a platform for helping and counselling young people, which is not just a crisis hotline, but also has a preventive and therapeutic role in social welfare," Darja Groznik the president of the Slovenian Association of Friends of Youth said about the work of the TOM helpline.