Problems of adolescents increased by CoronaCorona – SWR Aktuell

The child and youth telephone is always available for callers from Monday to Saturday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. It has hardly stood still since the pandemic. There are many inquiries from children and young people – by phone or email. “We have had 30 percent more emails since Corona than in the previous year,” says Vanessa Lang, head of the child and youth telephone at the Kinderschutzbund in Landau. You can see that the demand has increased significantly. The hotline received 10,000 calls last year. Of these, 2,000 calls were made to children and young people with serious problems.

Corona: Young people talk about loneliness and isolation

The inquiries from children and adolescents have changed since Corona. “It’s about loneliness, isolation or boredom,” says Lang. “That sounds banal, but it can also be a big topic if you can’t meet up with friends”. During the pandemic, schools were temporarily closed and the young people could not meet with their friends.

Problems with parents and school

On the phone, many of the young callers also tell the volunteers about problems with their parents and at school. Many would be plagued by fears about the future. “For example, you ask yourself: How should things go on? Will my mother get a job again?” In addition, the young people would of course also be afraid of contracting the corona virus themselves.

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Many also sought help because of violence and abuse. The violence in families has increased due to Corona, says Lang. The families huddled close together every day and the children didn’t go to school. That made the situation worse.

In addition to the loneliness, callers also had psychological problems, and due to the social isolation they were in a difficult situation. Because there were so many calls, the hotline was last available in the morning. And in Landau we also offer advice in an extra offer deliberately adolescents from 18 years of age the calling children and adolescents.

Consultations are often stressful for employees

Ultimately, the counseling sessions are also often stressful for the employees: “We can look for solutions and approaches together with the child. But then the conversation is over and we have to hope that the child has the strength to take further steps to go, “says Lang. The callers would be referred to therapists or other counseling services. “It’s stupid for us when we have to say that you may have to wait several weeks or maybe months.” The counseling services for children and young people are much too small anyway.

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New employees can be trained again

So that the workload does not become too high for the volunteers, they are only assigned to around three afternoons a month. That is why the “number for grief” is again looking for new employees who can now be trained in telephone counseling in the fall.

This includes several weekends and evenings. Later you will also be accompanied by supervision, i.e. discussions with experienced psychologists who support and advise the volunteers during the telephone consultation.
Participation is open to people aged 16 and over. You should be fit, tolerant, flexible and open, also for topics related to sexuality, which adolescents are very preoccupied with.

The child protection association in Landau has switched the telephone contact point “number against sorrow”. It has been a free and anonymous advisory service since 1983.

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