我的秘密工作午夜心灵之约

Its easy to feel paranoid1） walking home alone from a club at 2 am—especially in a new city. Your ears are ringing as you walk back to your halls. The unfamiliar streets seem especially dark and eerily2） quiet. Right now youd give anything just to hear a friendly voice.

Whether its freshers week3） or exams week， a university nightline service can be a life-saver， sometimes literally4）. Nightlines are student listening services that open in the small hours5）， relying on student volunteers to run and publicize the service. Nightline currently provides emotional support to over 1.5 million students， with 36 branches based at over 90 universities and colleges across the UK and Ireland.

As a former volunteer for Voice， the University of Exeters student nightline， I know first-hand6） how rewarding—and challenging—the role can be.

On a typical shift， Id arrive just before 8 pm， ready for the 12-hour shift ahead. There were usually two or three volunteers a night， depending on whether it was a busy time of the year， such as the exam period. Someone would put the kettle on and bring out the snacks， and wed all chat， watch a movie or get on with coursework.

I would meet new people on most nights， but there was always a sense of camaraderie7）. At around 11 or 12 pm， wed climb into makeshift8） beds and sleeping bags， always with one person next to the phone. The ringtone was loud so there was never any worry about sleeping through.

The number of callers varied every night， which kept us on our toes9）. Sometimes no one would call， and on other nights the phone would ring minutes after I stepped through the door.

Some calls left me feeling very tired. During one of my earliest sessions there was a distressed caller at three in the morning， and the call lasted almost two hours. But it always feels good to know a conversation is genuinely making a difference to someone.

The majority of calls I answered were from students who were either homesick or just wanting reassurance walking home alone， but I was trained for anything： from prank10） calls to people on the verge of suicide.

The anonymous11） part of this job can be upsetting.

Tessa， 19， has done night shifts totaling 250 hours for Exeters Voice nightline， and finds the work can take its toll12）. "Very distressed calls from students can be emotionally taxing13），" she says. Her most memorable call was with a final-year student with declining grades and appalling14） issues at home that no one knew about.

"They had obviously been holding on to all of this emotion for a while without talking about it，" says Tessa. "Its then that the anonymity part of this job can be upsetting； I have no idea what happened to that caller. On calls like that， you form a relationship. You become emotionally invested in their story."

The peer-to-peer element of student nightlines helps callers to feel more comfortable than they might talking to staff counsellors. Steven Mills， who set up a nightline service at Robert Gordon University in 2013， says： "In my own experience of the universitys counselling service， I felt that the older counsellors didnt quite get me." He says， "I think peer-to-peer [services] can be more relatable； callers can talk more freely and informally."

Interactions over Facebook and Twitter allow students to reach out at any time of the day， and publicity for nightlines also often relies on social media. Will Vasey， 22， general coordinator of Exeters Voice nightline， says his branch now posts on YikYak15）. "We always post when were open and seem to get a cracking16） response with plenty of upvotes. Its always really heartwarming to see comments from people on Yaks saying we helped them out，" he says.

University wellbeing17） services can often be over-subscribed， with month-long waiting lists. For students with mental health issues who are waiting to speak to professionals， nightlines provide anonymous help and comfort in the interim18）. The times of day that nightlines operate are also when students can feel most vulnerable.

Since nightlines rely on their confidentiality19）， volunteers must remain anonymous， telling as few friends as possible about their role. As such， it can sometimes feel like thankless work. But Tessa best sums up why we do it： "When callers end the conversation saying they feel a little better， it makes the shifts when we dont have any calls， the waking up in the middle of the night， the missing out on social plans with friends， all seem worthwhile."

凌晨两点独自从学校俱乐部步行回家，你很容易感到胆战心惊，特别是你还身处一个陌生的城市。在返回宿舍的路上，你的耳朵嗡嗡直响。陌生的街道显得格外黑暗，安静得诡异。此时此刻，你愿倾己所有，只为听到一个亲切友好的声音。

无论是在新生周还是考试周，大学生夜间热线服务都可能会成为一个“救命”的平台，有时真的会救人一命。夜间热线是在凌晨时段面向学生开放的夜间倾听服务，全凭学生志愿者管理和宣传。夜间热线目前已设置了36个站点，服务范围覆盖英国和爱尔兰的90多所大学和学院，已为150多万学生提供了情感支持。

作为埃克塞特大学学生夜间热线“声音”曾经的一名志愿者，我的亲身经历使我知道这项工作是多么令人受益，又是多么富有挑战性。

一般轮到我值班时，我会在晚上八点前就位，准备好接下来12个小时的值班工作。通常一晚上会安排2～3名志愿者，具体人数取决于是否是一年里比较忙的时间，如考试季。有人会烧上一壶水，拿出零食，然后我们就一起聊天、看电影，或是继续做自己的课程作业。

大多数夜晚，我会见到新的志愿者，但我们彼此间总有一种志同道合的情谊。晚上11或12点左右，我们爬上临时凑合的床，钻进睡袋，这时总有一个人睡在电话旁。电话铃声很响，所以我们从来不用担心睡得太熟错过来电。

每晚的来电数量都不一样，所以我们必须时刻注意着。有的时候一整夜都没有人打来电话，又有的时候我刚踏进门没几分钟电话铃就响了。

有些来电让我感觉十分疲惫。在我刚当志愿者时值班的那些天里，有一天一位难过的求助者凌晨三点打来电话，这通电话持续了将近两个小时。但是，知道一次对话能真正对他人有用，总是让人感觉很好。

我接听的大部分电话都是那些想家的学生或一个人走路回家只想找点心理安慰的学生打来的，但我接受的训练包括了方方面面的情况，无论是恶作剧电话，还是几乎就要自杀的人打来的电话。

这份工作要求匿名，这可能会令人感到郁闷。

19岁的特莎在埃克塞特“声音”夜间热线值夜班已经累计有250小时了，她发现做这项工作会耗损心神。“那些异常痛苦的学生打来的电话可能会让我们在情感上严重内耗。”她说。最让她难忘的一通电话是一位大四学生打来的，这位同学成绩下滑，家里还出了别人都不知道的大事。

“很明显他们这种情绪已经忍了有一段时间了，一直没向他人倾诉过，”特莎说道，“每到这时，这份工作必须匿名的要求就让人很郁闷。我不知道打来电话的那个人发生了什么事，而接听那样的电话，你和来电者之间就会建立一种关系，你会在他们的故事中倾注自己的情感。”

学生夜间热线“同龄对同龄”的服务模式让来电者感觉比同辅导员倾诉更自在。2013年在罗伯特戈登大学设立夜间热线站点的史蒂文·米尔斯说：“从我个人在大学进行咨询服务的经历来看，我感觉那些年长些的辅导员并不是很能理解我。”他说：“我觉得这种同龄对同龄的[服务]更能搭建联系，来电者可以不必拘束、畅所欲言。”

学生们可以通过Facebook和Twitter在一天中的任何时间与志愿者进行互动交流，而夜间热线的宣传也常常依赖社交媒体。22岁的威尔·瓦齐是埃克塞特大学夜间热线“声音”的总协调人，他说目前他所在的站点会在YikYak上发帖子。“我们在夜间热线的开放时间经常发帖，反响似乎很好，有很多人点赞。看到Yak上人们评论说我们帮助他们走出了困境，这总是让人觉得非常暖心。”他说。

大学心理健康服务往往有太多人申请，光等候名单上的人就排满了一个月。对于那些有心理健康问题、等着要与专业人士谈心的学生来说，夜间热线在这段过渡时期里为他们提供了匿名的帮助和安慰。夜间热线开放的时间段也是学生们会感觉最脆弱的时候。

由于夜间热线有赖于其机密性，志愿者必须保持匿名，尽可能不告诉身边的朋友自己在做什么工作。正因为这样，有时会感觉做这个工作没人感激。但是，特莎最好地概括了我们为什么要做这份工作：“当来电者在结束谈话时说他们感觉好些了时，所有那些没有一通来电、半夜被铃声叫醒接电话、错过与好友聚会的值班夜晚都似乎因此而变得很值得。