Media Contact: Sandra Van, 1-800-396-1002 (Phone number is not for publication), [email protected]
HIGHLIGHTS: Teen Line, a unique help line at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is staffed by teens, for teens, and provides callers with a sympathetic listening ear when they need it most. One of my first Teen Line calls was from someone who wanted to commit suicide, says Veronica Foster. ìThe caller was overwhelmed with grief -- I think his family had died. I remember him cocking the gun on the phone. . .î
AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS: Dr. Elaine Leader, Executive Director of Teen Line; Susan Yee, Maziar Yafeh, Laura Rico, and Veronica Foster, Teen Line listeners
CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTERÃS TEEN LINE: TEENS OFFERING A LISTENING EAR TO OTHER TEENS ACROSS THE NATION
LOS ANGELES (December 17, 1998) -- The room is quiet, except for ringing telephones and the quiet murmur of conversation. Almost everyone in the room is under 18 -- and they're discussing things like coping with an eating disorder, a pregnancy, drugs, gangs, growing up gay, or just plain old-fashioned loneliness. This is Teen Line, a help line with a difference. Sponsored by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, this unique program is offered as a free service to the community, and it has been providing a listening ear -- and a variety of other services -- to teens across the nation since 1981.
While most help lines are staffed by adult volunteers, Teen Line's telephones are answered by high school students like Susan Yee, Maziar Yafeh, Laura Rico, and Veronica Foster. The four youths have certain things in common: they are all intelligent, communicate well, heard about Teen Line at school, have some interest in psychology, and plan on attending college after graduation. Most important, they all care enough about other teens to listen to them constructively. The Teen Line credo is, "Listening helps." Volunteers are "listeners," not "counselors." They are trained to listen, to ask questions, and to help the caller work through troubling situations and find his or her own solutions. The volunteers' role is not to give advice, but to lend an ear, Laura Rico, 17, explains. "In the training they tell us not to be overly judgmental, not to give advice. We're supposed to talk to the person, let them disclose their feelings."
ìThat doesnÃt mean having all the answers,î says Maziar Yafeh, 17. ìA lot of times I get calls from people I canÃt help ñ if only we could solve all the worldÃs problems with a phone call. If I can just help the caller get through the night, sometimes thatÃs enough.î
Veronica Foster, 18, a Teen Line listener from 1995-1998, and currently a psychology major at Santa Monica College, gives an example: "On either my first or second night at Teen Line I got a suicide call. I had been trained to handle it, but it was overwhelming to have it be one of my first calls. We stayed on the line until about midnight. The caller was overwhelmed with grief -- I think his family had died. I remember him cocking the gun on the phone. The supervisor took the call at that point. They came to an agreement that he wouldn't kill himself that night . He never called back, so I don't know what happened to him. I thought, "Wow, there are really people out there that need my help. It made me want to come back. I knew I was helping to make a difference, even if it was only for one night."
Teen Line grew out of the practice of Elaine Leader, Ph.D., the program's Executive Director and a therapist specializing in adolescent psychology. "One day I realized that clinically we're only reaching a small number of the young people who need help," says Dr. Leader. "Most don't want to go to their parents or other adults for help. The one thing that they seem willing to do is talk to another teen." Working with Cedars-Sinai, she developed the Teen Line program -- a current rotating staff of 90 trained volunteer teens to answer the telephones, and adult mental health professionals who volunteer to provide backup on each shift. Funding is provided by individual donations, corporate and foundation grants, and an annual fundraising luncheon. Cedars-Sinai provides the facilities for Teen Line, including the hotline phone center.
Teen Line has been phenomenally successful on two levels. First, it meets a need for callers. "The calls are fascinating," says Dr. Leader. "For instance, one of the teen magazines ran an article on suicide pacts. We got calls from all over the country after that issue hit the newsstands, including calls from teens involved in five separate pacts."
The second way the program succeeds is in the lives of the volunteers themselves. "Lots of the young people who started with us have gone on to give service to their community," says Leader. "Also, colleges look very favorably on a resume that includes volunteering here. It shows that the teens contribute to their community, and that they can communicate. It's good to know that the teens who work here are not only helping others, they're helping themselves, too." Rico agrees: "I feel privileged to be a part of Teen Line; the listener benefits as much as the callers do. People know when they call it's confidential; they tell you things they haven't told anyone else."
In addition to offering the helpline, Teen Line has developed videos on eating disorders, teen pregnancy, and homosexuality. It produces a "Youth Yellow Pages" of help resources for teens, which is distributed through schools and health fairs, and Los Angeles Police Department offices. Teen Line also offers presentations, workshops and consultation to the community, and trains the Los Angeles Police Department on teen suicide prevention. In addition, Teen Line volunteers participate on various panels exploring the issues teens face.
Teen Line is currently developing a teen panel to discuss "boundaries" -- the invisible walls that divide ethnic groups, genders, and income groups. The panel will explore ways to address discrimination, interracial dating and related issues. "One of the things we're interested in exploring is getting young people to cross those boundaries," says Leader. "We will be addressing this topic at our annual 'Food for Thought' luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel on April 28, 1999. Presenting the Teen Line 1999 Humanitarian Award will be Terence Roberts, Ph.D., who 'crossed the boundaries' as one of the first students to integrate the Little Rock schools."
The Teen Line listeners say that at school teens tend to hang out together in terms of race at lunchtime. Working at Teen Line, where listeners come from virtually every ethnic group, changes that, says Dr. Leader. "They form friendships here that they would normally never form, friendships that cross socio-economic and ethnic boundaries that are not crossed at school. Maybe that's a third way that Teen Line succeeds -- we help break down these boundaries.î Teen Line's helpline is open every night from 6 - 10 p.m. Pacific Time. Teens seeking a sympathetic listening ear should call 1-800-TLC-TEEN (852-8336), or 310-855-HOPE (4673). Those interested in volunteering should call either of the hotlines, or the Teen Line office at 310-855-3401."
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For media information and to arrange an interview, please call 1-800-396-1002.
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