Listeningplace Reviews 3

The Listening Place has changed from its early beginnings. I don't find the Samaritans helpful and was singposted by another charity to TLP. Had to go there a few times at the start of their service in Pimlico as I felt v. suicidal. They now have three branches.

Tried again recently as I feel there is nothing to life anymore after a row of extremely traumatic events in my life.

The communucation is flippingly now, for lack of a better word. TLP had a CEO from the get go and changed CEOs now. I always wonder why a small charity (now with three branches, but even at the start in 2016) need a CEO, which in charities pay them about £150K to £200K per annum. Roughly the same or more that UK Prime Minister is paid. Plus in charities there are bonuss like in businesses. Something is fundamentally wrong!

Yet, as someone with trauma and suicidal thoughts always at the back of my mind, I am weary of all the charities who start off well, but then too much money gets involved. The executives cash in while the frontline work is done by unpaid volunteers, and the service user feels taken the mick of.

Something really needs to change regarding the financial aspect of charities. And volunteers should get paid dealing with intense mental health problems like suicidal ideation. This should be dealt with by paid professionals, not volunteers who flippingly communicate while the CEO is on a juicy pay package.

I used to find TLP helpful maybe because they were new and fresh, and they communicated with care and dignity. Now it's different. But I am not dissappointed, as charities just have a ton of unpaid people working frontline while the execs make the money.

That is unethical but so wide-spread now.

I will not be seeking help from TLP anymore and don't have a good outlook anymore.

These guys have a strict interview style process for volunteers and only select a few from many applicants. My application was not accepted and felt this was very unfair. People are committing suicide and young people more so and these guys have the audacity to not select people who are perfectly able to help. Often as in my case I was more qualified to than the interviewers and recruiters. There is a lot of arrogance in their approach, they put their own judgements above the people that need help and most of them are just normal people without extensive training in suicide prevention. They could adapt more to the current times by allowing volunteers to work, remotely through video and phone after all the aim is to prevent suicide. Instead they demand people come into the office and pay travel/ Ulez all themselves. It seems like they need to restructure what they think is right and put the victims first

Unfortunately they don't seem to cater to well for people with disabilities and felt horrible afterwards. Can't recommend going since it made me feel worse than staying. To protect my identity I'll be using a dummy account. Can't recommend.