Lifeline Shanghai

FAQs

When was LifeLine Shanghai established?

LifeLine Shanghai was established in March of 2004.

Who founded LifeLine Shanghai?

A group of expat professionals concerned about the lack of access to mental health resources founded LifeLine Shanghai and formed the original Board of Directors. This project was led by Susan Hine, the Medical Attache for the American Consulate, and her daughter, Victoria Hine.

Are you affiliated with any other organizations?

LifeLine Shanghai is affiliated with and fully accredited by LifeLine International (http://www.lifeline-international.org/). LifeLine Shanghai also works with other organizations globally such as the International Association of Suicide Prevention, the Samaritans, Befrienders Worldwide, and the Shanghai International Mental Health Association.

How are you supported?

Because we are a non-profit organization, we rely entirely on corporate sponsorship, individual donations, fund raising events, and proceeds from various projects to support our work and allow us to continue and expand in the future.

Is the service only for English speakers?

We operate primarily in English, but are also able to offer support in fourteen other languages. Many of our volunteers are bi-, tri-, or multilingual. Everyone on the helpline must speak English fluently. We do not, however, offer support in Mandarin. If someone calls and they are obliged to speak to someone in Chinese, we refer them to the Chinese Mental Health Hotline.

What percentage of your callers is Chinese?

Although the statistics vary slightly from month to month, on average, one fifth of our callers are Chinese.

What percentage of your callers is male?

Again, although the statistics vary slightly from month to month, on average, about 40% of our callers are male.

What percentage of your calls is for counseling?

Although the statistics vary slightly from month to month, on average, about one third of the calls we receive are for counseling. Approximately 60% of calls that start off as an information call lead into a counseling call.

How many people are a part of the organization?

Within the entire organization, Life Line Shanghai consists of approximately seventy people.

This includes Board members, staff, trainers, as well as telephone and administrative volunteers.

When do you receive the greatest volume of calls? Is there a particular time of day or time of year when you receive more calls?

Our monthly call volume doesn't fluctuate much. Many people ask us if we receive fewer calls in the summer months because many people are traveling, but we don't. Oftentimes, the people who aren't traveling have lost some of their support network and are looking to reach out during this time by calling LifeLine.

As far as the call volume relating to a particular time of day, sometimes that does vary. We tend to get most of our information calls in the morning during the week, but we still receive both information and support calls every day of the week and during every shift.

What sort of topics do people ring in to talk about?

People ring in to talk about topics that fall into three broad categories.

Relationship issues
- This topic includes everything from infidelity, to break-ups, to fights, to miscommunications. It also includes domestic abuse and drug and alcohol addiction.
Work/Life Balance
- We get calls from people on both sides of this situation- the employee who is struggling with increased travel, relating to colleagues, conveying information to headquarters based in another country, meeting targets and deadlines, etc; and from the accompanying spouse who is dealing with his/her partner's work schedule.
Isolation/Settling In
- In this category, we generally receive calls from people who have been living here for less than six months and are looking to for help settling in, and from people who have been here for more than two years already. The later category has usually settled and created a support network, but is currently struggling because friends are repatriating or moving on and he/she is feeling left behind.

Can you give a hypothetical example of a typical caller?

A hypothetical caller might be someone who is ringing to talk to someone who will listen. He/she might have tried discussing the situation with his/her friends and family but has gotten frustrated because everyone is giving conflicting advice. He/she may feel like everyone is trying so hard to solve the problem that they're not actually listening to what the caller has to say. This caller would be ringing us to get a different perspective.

Many times, people in our lives don't actually listen when we talk to them about our problems. They may focus too much on giving advice and trying to solve our problems for us, or may be judgmental. Sometimes people just want to talk to someone anonymously who will give them their full attention and offer them an outside perspective, without giving advice.

Do you find people more often need emotional support or information or a mixture of the two?

We currently receive more information than support calls, but oftentimes, someone who initially calls in for information may then access support, either during that same call or at a different time. The most important thing is that callers get a warm, empathetic volunteer on the other end of line whenever they call, no matter if it's for the name of an English-speaking veterinarian or for support through a divorce.

Do children and young adults use your service? What is the balance among the people who use your service between children/young people and adults?

Children and young adults do use our service as well, although they do so in a much smaller number than adults. The number of calls we receive from teenagers has been increasing due to the implementation of our YouthLink program, starting in the fall of 2006.

What can businesses do to ease the transition for their employees when they move to Shanghai?

It's important for businesses to provide three basic types of support:

1) Language training
- Knowing the language helps people better understand the context they're living in, both on a superficial and on a more in-depth level. It also helps the person connect better with the host culture, decreasing feelings of isolation and alienation.
2)Day-to-day help
- This is important for managing stress levels and includes a range of practical help, including translation and access to information and resources, including people.
3)Cross-cultural training
- aLiving and working abroad is very different from living and working at home. These differences need to be addressed in a way that equips the employee with a new set of skills they can draw upon in order to be successful in their new environment.
- bFurthermore, the cultural training should focus less on the details of getting oriented in the new city, and more on the development of cross-cultural skills, both in a universal sense and as a practical application in the host country.
- Finally, the family of the employee must not be ignored. This can't be emphasized enough, as one of the main reasons why expat postings don't succeed is because a member of the employee's family, either a child or spouse, fails to adjust to the new environment. The fact that success in a domestic operation is not a guarantee of success in an expat posting should not be overlooked, either.

What can individuals do to help themselves and others adjust when they move to a foreign country/city?

It's important for individuals to know a bit about culture shock- what it is, what the symptoms are, what ways they can effectively deal with it, and what the warning signs are of when they should seek assistance. This better prepares them for the stages, although it doesn't prevent culture shock.

Culture shock can also be eased through learning more about the host culture. If learning Mandarin isn't for you, try taking Chinese cooking classes, learning how to do acupuncture, or reading about Chinese history. There's 5000 years of it, so there's plenty to keep you busy!

Additionally, it helps if people can put down “roots” in some way and connect with the community, even if it's only for a short time. Many people put their life on hold if they don't think they're going to be here for a long time and end up missing out on a lot of really great experiences. Volunteering is a great way to get connected with the community and to feel good about the contribution you're making while you're here. Making a list of things you want to do and experience while you're here also helps. Keep adding to your list as you go along and you'll find that at the end, your list reflects the varied interests you've had during your time here.

Part of connecting with the community is finding the right people. Don't be afraid to approach people. Ask people for their contact details if you don't think you'll see them again otherwise. It may be easier to make friends by joining a group with a common interest, for example, mahjong or knitting. This takes the emphasis off of making friends and instead draws people together who already share something in common. Smile and be friendly and open to meeting all kinds of people. You may find that some of the best friends you make here are people you never would've been friends with for whatever reason back at home!