When was the last time that you have completely felt at ease?
Just shortly about who I am and why I encourage you to come and talk to us: I am Nathalie from Germany (21) and studying Psychology in Maastricht in my third year. I joined the @ease team last year but it feels like I have been part of the @ease family a lot longer than this. I worked for Wellbeing Movement UM the first two years of my study. Furthermore, I have also volunteered at our @ease location in Amsterdam.
I can imagine that it might be scary to open up to random people and that this might feel uncomfortable at first, but we do our best to make you feel safe and heard! It is human to be worried about the upcoming exam, to feel helpless at some point in live, to be mad about situations one has been in, to be nervous or feel anxious. Talking about it can have a relieving effect or a great impact and if you want to hear a professional’s point of view we always have a psychologist at the location (also online) who we can consult or who can directly talk to you. You stay anonymous by visiting us at our location or contacting us via chat without needing to wait for an appointment and furthermore it does not cost anything.
From the very beginning, I felt welcomed at @ease and appreciated the professional setting. The base of @ease is built on volunteers who receive a sufficient training in order to be able to listen well to people’s problems and know how to (re)act in various situations. @ease makes sure that the volunteers always feel comfortable and ‘@ease’ at all times. For me, a nice working climate is very important. During every shift we have at the location, we also get the opportunity to learn more about the other volunteers and professionals, exchange our experiences, learn more about our own feelings, the life story of our fellow volunteers and have a cup of tea together.
I am impressed by the Netherlands for establishing a place for people to come to and talk about their problems without telling who they are, without needing to wait for an appointment and without needing to worry about payment. No matter which problem you have, you can come and talk to us because “We love to listen” and try to look at it from a non-biased way to help you the best we can. The basic procedure is that you will sit in a room with two volunteers who will listen to you and want to help you with whatever is on your mind. But we also offer online help: every Monday to Thursday from 15:30-18:00 you can chat with us. In addition there is also the option to call us.
You are free to share any information but you are certainly free to keep to yourself whatever you do not want to share. Most of the volunteers are in your age range as most of us are students. This might also be nice for you, as it can sometimes be helpful to talk to people, who are roughly the same age as you. And of course you are always welcome to come back. You can choose to make an appointment so we can make sure you get the same volunteers again if you thought that they (or one of them) was able to help you in a way that was useful for you. Also, if you do not want to tell your story again, being able to talk to the same person can be of benefit. Of course you are also free to ask for different volunteers during your next talk with @ease.
You are valuable! You are important! Your problems have the right to be heard! You do not have to do this alone!
