TELL Opens Telephone Counseling Facility in Kobe

March 30, 2015 – TELL, a not-for-profit organization that has provided mental health support and counseling services to Japan’s international community and the community at large for over 40 years, has opened a telephone counseling facility in Kobe to accommodate Kansai-resident volunteer telephone counselors. The
expansion to Kansai represents a big step toward achieving TELL’s goal of providing 24/7 English-language Lifeline support service throughout Japan.

“The Lifeline relies on dozens of well-trained volunteer telephone counselors, and by opening a call center in Kobe, we are making it much easier for Kansai residents to volunteer in support of TELL and the community,” said Vickie Skorji, Director of TELL Lifeline. “We started receiving calls at the Kansai call center on March 28, and we are currently training a new class of volunteer counselors, around 25 percent of whom
are based in Kansai.”

“The expansion of our volunteer telephone counseling facilities is a critical waypoint on the road to providing 24/7 support to the community,” said Craig Saphin, Chairman of the Board of TELL. “We owe a great debt of thanks to the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan for their support in setting up the Kobe call center, and we plan a number of additional activities that will expand our presence into the Kansai region this year.”

TELL Lifeline provides free, anonymous and confidential counseling and emotional support in times of crisis, and connects people with other mental health resources. TELL Lifeline receives approximately 7,000 calls a year from all over Japan, of which roughly 60 percent come from Japanese citizens and 40 percent from Japan-resident foreigners.

TELL offers its Telephone Counselor Training Program twice a year. The next training program will start in September.