Depression, loneliness and stress can sometimes lead someone toward feeling hopelessness. In addition to that one may consider his/her life worthless if these negative emotions become overwhelming. As a result, some people even choose the path of suicide without thinking of anything. However, a professional counseling support can help a mentally disturbed person to overcome the situation. Counseling not only saves a life; it can also provide courage to start a new life. Bangladeshi emotional support helpline ‘Kaan Pete Roi’ has been providing counseling services to the people having mental health issues. 

What is Kaan Pete Roi?

Kaan Pete Roi (http://shuni.org/) is the first psychiatric helpline in Bangladesh, where anyone can call and get emergency psychiatric services from their trained volunteers. Anyone struggling with any sort of mental issues can call ‘Kaan Pete Roi’ for help. It is a valuable resource for those who need someone to talk to. With this goal in mind, Kaan Pete Roi listens to people with a completely open mind, privacy, and compassion. There are organizations in 40 countries around the world that are making a significant contribution to the prevention of suicide and the development of mental health care. However, Kaan Pete Roi is the first such organization in Bangladesh.

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Background

A graduate of psychology from Cornell University, Yeshim Iqbal founded Kaan Pete Roi. Yeshim is pursuing her doctorate at New York University. Previously Yeshim had worked for a psychiatric helpline in the United States for almost three years. The helpline was opened on April 28, 2013. Over the years, the organizations have helped more than 19,000 people.

How Kaan Pete Roi Works?

Currently, 42 countries around the world provide mental health support over the phone. These helplines can provide individuals with information on how to find help, advice on how to cope with a mental health condition, and listening ears for those who need someone to talk to.

So how it works is not unknown as the same method has been used around the world. When anyone calls the Kaan Pete Roi helpline, their trained volunteers will pick up the phone and encourage the caller to speak up. So, volunteers at Kaan Pete Roi do this work willingly. But none of them are ordinary volunteers. They are selected after a lot of checking and selection. The volunteers have to go through long training. Those who can successfully go through the whole process can sit for the helpline call.

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The person who calls for help does not have to identify himself; the problem he is talking about is kept completely secret. Volunteers will not comment on the problem. They will just listen to the person passionately. A person listens to the caller’s sorrow with deep compassion, from where the sufferer finds peace. Since the volunteers will never tell anyone about the identity of the help seeker or the problem, no one outside will know about it.

Caller confidentiality

According to the policy, the organization will never ask for any identity details of the caller. Hence, the caller remains anonymous. However, if any caller reveals his/her identity, the volunteers are not allowed to note it down.

When Can you Call Kaan Pete Roi?

Almost all the countries that provide metal support through phone calls operate 24 hours a day and seven days a week. However, ‘Kaan Pete Roi’ could not go to such a stage. It runs at a fixed time five days a week. Anyone can email or call the helpline Friday through Wednesday from 3pm to 9pm, and Thursday from 3pm to 3am.

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Gradually they are trying to increase their time. At the moment the number of their volunteers is more than fifty. The number of volunteers needs to be increased a lot to keep it running 24 hours a day. They are slowly doing that. If they had the financial means, they could have done it faster. Volunteers may not be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week; But when they are supposed to stay, they all stay.

How to Work as a Volunteer?

All the volunteers need to go through a strict training session before they get selected. Usually, training is given for 3 days, including weekends. Every helpline volunteer will be taught through extensive practice how to listen, how to estimate the level of danger, and how to talk to people prone to suicide and trauma. One volunteer will then spend three hours a week shifting time and talking to telephone callers to guide the helpline’s supervisors and colleagues. All the volunteers are required to work at Kaan Pete Roi’s office at Lalmatia, Dhaka. If that is not possible for you, at least you can ask people close to you to call them so that they can try to help more people.

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Final Words

We all know how to give medical care to a person who is physically ill. However, most of us don’t know that a mentally disturbed person also needs care. It can be done by listening carefully to someone’s words. That is what Kaan Pete Roi is exactly doing. The words that people can say to anyone are hurting inside. The Kaan Pete Roi helpline is giving them a chance to speak up, which works as great emotional support.