Quote:
Originally Posted by Soldier Boy
I fully appreciate your point of view on this Redway and I think we do fundamentally disagree, my only counter is that it's unlike sharing information with just any other person, the information is as closely guarded as if it was just one and is functionally no different. I also don't think you entirely know what is or isn't shared. I'm only telling you here because it's a brutally honest and anonymous space. In the real world, no one (no one at all) has any idea what me and my wife do or don't share with each other in the most absolute of strict confidence and I imagine that's the same for most similar relationships. Just offering some insight into that.
I can also see that you have a huge amount of respect for and belief in the work that Samaritans do and I can appreciate that maybe there's some skin in the game there either personally or professionally so I'm not going to slam that too hard -- but I would caution to remember that they are people, not angels-on-earth, and not all reports on Samaritans contact are positive. Don't get me wrong they aren't as bad as the situation with some of the official MH Crisis lines, but they're not infallible in their treatment of or communication with callers, and it would be slightly remiss to suggest otherwise.
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Some Samaritans are crap. That goes without saying. But one thing they all are is trained very extensively on confidentiality and that’s a constant regardless of the extent and intimacy of their relationships. People like you unfortunately likely do exist within the franchise but not everyone goes home to tell their husbands/wives everything, even if they’ve been married for 60 years and are both Samaritans. Like I said, some people really are capable of leaving their work in-house. In that position the only person I’d ever talk to about an individual call is another Samaritan and only with good reason. I’m not the only one, either. That’s how the service is supposed to operate. You’re not supposed to go home and tell your partner just-because you’ve known them for 20 years, and in honesty I wouldn’t expect the intimate details within a close friendship communicated to a partner on such a basis either. In the grand scheme of things 20 years is small-fry compared to how long some Samaritans volunteers have been with their partners for and I still have every confidence that they don’t bring anything home out of respect for the policy, extensive training and callers. Husband and wife (or whoever and whoever, in today’s world) have better things to discuss than the intimate details divulged by Samaritans callers. I find your attitude appalling, tbh.
You’re still a relatively young man. Don’t go forgetting that just now. Like I say, 20 years is small fry compared to many long-term partnerships. Relationship-wise (I’m not talking about exact details or requirements), a lot of people have been there a trillion times but they still don’t budge on information that’s best left in the office and just has absolutely nothing to do with their other halves period. Maybe it’s not always, granted, but you can’t assume everyone to be just like you. I think you need to go and have a think about certain things.