Since the anonymous hotline AU Helpline opened on September 3rd last year, two or three students have called in every week for good advice – or just a listening ear. Even more students have used the service since early December, when the exam period started for many. But Eva Poulsen, the medical student who came up with the idea for the AU Helpline, doesn’t think that exam angst is the only explanation for the increase in calls.

“It’s also because our marketing is reaching more students,” she says.

Even though the increase in calls coincided with the exam period, exams were far from the only topic.

“What we see most is related to general well-being, for example about the lack of a network and loneliness. Academically, but also in general. A lot of them also call because they feel stressed out, have performance anxiety, are having problems with their study groups or just don’t feel like they quite belong,” Poulsen says.

There was a major focus on sexually offensive behavior at AU last year, and in November a survey revealed that about 1,200 students at Danish universities had been sexually harassed or abused. But the hotline doesn’t see many calls about that.

“That isn’t what we primarily get calls about, at least not yet. But AU has also set up a unit for that specifically that focusses on sexual harassment and abuse at the university,” Poulsen says, referring to AU’s new website ‘Zero tolerance’.

A new chat line will make getting help easier

To reach even more students, the AU Helpline will be launching a chatline in February, so that students can write instead of calling. Just like the phone hotline, the chat line will be anonymous and confidential.

“We want to make it even more accessible and easier for people who don’t like the idea of calling up strangers,” Poulsen explains.

The chat line will have the same opening hours as the phone hotline, and it will be staffed by the same volunteers.

“We’re setting up the chat together with Livslinjen (‘the lifeline’), who are also going to come out and train our volunteers to help people through chat. It’s a very professional set-up, so all the technical and legal stuff and anonymity are under control,” says Poulsen.

There will be a direct link to the chat line on the AU Helpline website. Before a chat starts, users will need to fill out a short form that will give the volunteers an idea about what issue they want to chat about.

And in future, the volunteers will also consider what can be done to keep the lines open when the need is greatest.

“Some students were disappointed that we were closed over Christmas. We want to find a balance between the volunteers taking their holiday, but also being there when the students need it,” Poulsen says.

We believe it makes a difference

Eva Poulsen has seen how much the students who call in benefit from the hotline.

“At the end of a session, we always ask if they feel better or are calmer. Generally, our experience is that this is the case. And the volunteers feel that they’ve helped, and that it made sense for us to start the hotline. Even though some of the calls can be tough,” she says.

She stresses that the volunteers make every effort to refer callers to other sources of help that offer greater expertise.