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Tom Ryan, a retired high school principal rides his bike along the Charles River from his home in Brookline to Samaritan's office in Boston every Tuesday to start his shift at 7am. Back in the spring and summer of 1974, Tom trained with Monica Dickens, founder of Samaritans Boston as one of the first 100 Befrienders. We
sat down with Tom to hear his perspective of his volunteer work back then and his experience today. Below is a summary of our conversation.
What made you want to volunteer in 1974?
I was working as a counselor and it was a new opportunity to work in the community.
Was there a particular highlight of your work at that time that you recall?
I recall meeting a young woman at McLean's Hospital who had attempted to take her life. She reached out to Samaritans for support and asked if someone could visit her. I had the opportunity to meet her parents and her psychiatrist. Back then, if Monica or another supervisor gave you permission, you could visit with people who called.
With so many volunteer options out there - what brings you back to Samaritans?
The familiarity with the work, feeling of purpose - adding value. Volunteers have equal value here. The expectations are clear and the hours are fluid for my schedule. If I go back to work, I can still volunteer. I also volunteer at a food pantry in my town.
From your experience, are the callers any different from the 1970s to now?
The callers were more at risk back then. If they were calling a suicide prevention line, they were intent on getting the support they needed because of how they were feeling. They were feeling suicidal, they were hospitalized or lonely. In some ways this is similar to today. It was harder to reach the Helpline since access was limited. There were no cell phones, no internet. If someone needed the number, they had to look it up in the phone book, or they may have seen it in the newspaper, or crossing the Bourne or Sagamore bridge. Another difference was that callers could ask to speak with a specific volunteer. It's not like that today. Befriending is the same approach.
What do you think about suicide prevention work today?
There is greater awareness and accessibility today. Samaritans is on the "cutting edge". Back in the 70's suicide prevention was new. There was no outreach, no education; dealing with the stigma of suicide was tough.
It's just been a few months since you have returned, has there been a particular highlight since you've been back?
The core of what Samaritans was set up to do is still being done today. Befriending is the same. What's changed is that volunteers have more support in place with staff and homeleaders, which was not in place before and it's been very helpful.
I had a recent call where the woman was in her car and she told me she was going to take her life. She disconnected the call rather quickly. Back in the 70's there was nothing we could have done. Today, because of technology and the support of staff and homeleaders, we were able to intervene and reach back out to her.
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