About Us
We are a non-denominational, non-profit volunteer organization; our mission is to listen attentively, offering consolation and hope. Negative feelings can escalate into despair, that in turn can lead to suicide; our purpose is to prevent that.
How? Volunteers befriend individuals by staffing crisis phone lines and listen to those who are lonely or in crisis.
Through crisis phone lines, volunteers "befriend" callers - that is, they listen with empathy and compassion to those who need to be heard, and who need to hear a consoling human voice.
Community education is an important part of suicide prevention. Samaritans serve the community through speaking engagements, educating various groups about effective prevention strategies. We are committed to all groups, particularly those at high risk: young people aged 15 to 24, and the older population.
The Education and Outreach programs provided by the Samaritans are available to all Cape-wide and Island schools, hospitals, social service agencies, civic and religious groups.
Speaking engagements are tailored to different groups; the presentations address listening skills, all aspects of depression and suicide, including warning signs, and ways to provide help and possibly avert tragedies.
History
The organization was founded in London in 1953 by an Anglican clergyman, Chad Varah. He sought to counsel troubled parishioners, concerned that negative feelings could escalate into thoughts of suicide. He asked some of the women in his congregation to talk with people waiting to see him, to offer tea and listen to them. When he found that many left before their appointments, he asked his helpers why. They responded by telling him that many people felt so much better after being heard out that they no longer felt the need to see Chad. Thus was The Samaritans born.
Monica Dickens, great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens, was a journalist who wished to write about The Samaritans. Chad Varah told her that in order to understand and write clearly about the group, she would have to join and become a Samaritan herself.
She did so, and was convinced of the importance of the Samaritan mission. After marrying an American, she came to the United States and established the first Samaritan Center in this country: in Boston, in 1974.
The Cape Cod branch was started in 1977, and has been in operation ever since.
At present, there are Samaritan centers throughout the world, with eight in the United States.