Our Helpline
314-380-7774
Toll-Free: 844-785-7774
Our Hours
Friday - Monday
1 PM - 7 PM
St. Louis Queer+ Support Helplinee
Free, confidential, and identity-affirming emotional support, resources, and referrals. For the St. Louis LGBTQIA+ community, By the community
Disclaimer:
If you are having a medical or mental health emergency, please call someone you trust, 911, or one of these local or national hotlines FIRST. We still welcome your call AFTER you are in the process of receiving the immediate help that you need.We are a short-term volunteer peer-counseling service. While we are guided by our Clinical Supervisors, we are no substitute for long-term, professional mental health care. Please visit MTUG's list of vetted providers or SQSHBook (once it launches in 2020) to contact a mental healthcare provider in the Greater St. Louis area.
VOLUNTEER APPLICATIONS OPEN!
Helpline Volunteers provide confidential and identity-affirming emotional support and resource referrals, taking 3.5-hour shifts weekly between Fridays-Mondays, 1.00PM-7.00PM. Applicants for the Fall Training Class must be available on Saturdays 12.30-5.30PM from Sept. 26, 2020 to Dec. 19, 2020 for the 48-hour peer counselor training. Applicants will go through two interview rounds and must be at least 18 years old before starting to take shifts.
Applications for the Fall Training Class close on August 28 and recur twice every year.
To access mutual aid resources for COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease), visit STL Mutual Aid
We are a free, confidential, identity-affirming, and volunteer-run peer support helpline service in the St. Louis region. Our mission is to serve and strengthen the St. Louis LGBTQIA+ community - by providing an empathetic listening ear, by connecting callers safely and reliably to LGBTQIA-affirming resources, and by increasing the visibility of LGBTQIA+ concerns, needs, and resources in the St. Louis region.
How to Use The Helpline
Step 1:
Call 314-380-7774. You will hear a voice message:
- If you are in a mental health crisis, press "1" to reach Behavioral Health Response (BHR)'s 24/7 crisis hotline.
- If not, press "2" or wait on the line to reach SQSH. Once connected, one of our peer support volunteers will introduce the Helpline and share their name and pronouns.
Step 2:
The volunteer will ask if you are in a safe place to talk.
If you are NOT in a safe place to talk:
- The volunteer will work with you to explore options where you can talk with us most safely and comfortably.
If you ARE in a safe place to talk:
- The volunteer will ask how they can address you. We welcome you to provide them with your name (or a pseudonym), as well as your pronouns if you’d like.
Step 3:
The volunteer will then ask what you would like to talk about today. Go ahead and share as much or as little as you’d like with them. We're here to listen.
Step 4:
At the end of your call, we may ask you to fill out a brief, anonymous online survey about your call experience. We value your feedback and will use it to better serve you and the rest of our community.
Disclaimer:
We are a short-term volunteer peer-counseling service. While we are guided by our Clinical Supervisors, we are no substitute for long-term, professional mental health care. If you need ongoing mental health support, please visit MTUG's list of vetted providers or SQSHBook (once it launches in 2020) to contact a mental healthcare provider in the Greater St. Louis area.
Step 5:
If you can, do something nice to take care of yourself and decompress after the call! We welcome you to call back again anytime between Friday - Monday, 1PM - 7PM.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I don’t identify as LGBTQIA+ or queer, can I still call?
Yes! Anyone of any romantic / sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression can call.
I know someone working on the Helpline and don't want to talk to them. What now?
There will always be two helpline volunteers working at the same time. If you call and know the volunteer who answers, you can always ask to talk to the other volunteer on shift. We prioritize your comfort level and would be happy to make the switch.
What do you mean by peer support?
By peer support, we mean the identity-affirming, relational support that only peers who share similar experiences or identities are able to provide. The source of support is a peer, a person who is similar in fundamental ways to the recipient of the support; their relationship is one of equality. A peer is in a position to offer support by virtue of relevant experience: they have "been there, done that" and can relate to others who are in a similar situation.
How is the Helpline funded?
We started this project using an initial $5,000 Civic Scholars grant from Washington University's Gephardt Institute for Civic & Community Engagement. We hope to sustain this project through local donations and grants. We spend our funds on training, printing resource manuals, food for volunteers, and liability insurance. Going forward, we aim to publish quarterly or biannual expense reports to be fully transparent with how we spend our money.
Disclaimer:
If you are having a medical or mental health emergency, please call someone you trust, 911, or one of these local or national hotlines FIRST. We still welcome your call AFTER you are in the process of receiving the help that you need.For more FAQs, please click here.
Our Helpline
Local | 314-380-SQSH (7774)Toll Free | 844-785-SQSH (7774) Our Hours
Friday - Monday 1 PM-7 PMSupport Us
DonateAbout Us
We connect the LGBTQIA+ community in Greater St. Louis with peer-support services, including a volunteer-run phone helpline, public resource manual, and resources for the queer+ community and their allies.
