Helpline Features

Friday - Sunday 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

We set our Helpline Hours on weekends because, outside of regular business hours, many folx lack access to mental health care and social support in school or work. If you had a bad week, or are just looking for someone in the LGBTQIA+ community to talk to over the weekend, call in!

Before taking calls, all Peer Support Helpline Volunteers undergo 50+ hours of intense training and evaluations on an extensive range of issues that LGBTQIA+ callers may face. Active volunteers continue to train and refresh their skills throughout the year. Learn more about the volunteer curriculum here.

Volunteers will not disclose any information about a caller’s identity or situation. However, in situations where a caller is in immediate and severe danger, confidentiality may not be maintained. Read our Confidentiality & Privacy Policy here.

Each call will be treated as a single session (i.e. not a continuing service with a case plan). Although volunteers undergo extensive, continual training, they are not qualified to provide ongoing counseling, and will thus provide referrals to outside resources if a caller requires ongoing mental health support. However, callers are welcome to use the Helpline more than once.

SQSH will be a generally open service with no referrals required for access. Callers self-identify their need for service and are welcome to call with a variety of issues and situations. The Helpline is a resource for all LGBTQIA+ callers in St. Louis (and their family, friends, and allies), but we will not turn away any caller for not fitting this description. Other St. Louis service providers are also welcome to call on behalf of their LGBTQIA+ client(s).

When making referrals and deciding which resources to include in our Resource Manual, we prioritize resources that are LGBTQIA-affirming, such as those that have been vetted by MTUG, Trans Education Service, PrideSTL, TransParent or PROMO, or that have been recommended to us by community members.

We will continuously update our online Resource Manual (link here), and welcome related pamphlets and brochures to assist in making referrals for callers when needed.

To continuously improve our service to the St. Louis LGBTQIA+ community, we always welcome feedback from Helpline users, and will regularly check our Feedback Forms to review input from Helpline users and community members.

We foster a tight-knit, supportive volunteer community to honor the principles of peer support within the SQSH community itself, reduce compassion fatigue, and minimize burnout. For every shift, at least two volunteers will be on call so that one can debrief, support, and switch roles with the other after a call. Volunteers may also earn practicum hours or academic credit.