About us
The mission of SOS Help is to help prevent suicide and alleviate anxiety. Our telephone service is confidential and anonymous. Our listeners offer active non-judgmental listening to those going through a difficult period.
SOS Help was founded in 1974 by a group of American and British health and mental health professionals with the help of Chad Varah (founder of the Samaritans) with the support of Paris-based English-speaking organisations such as the English and American churches and the American Hospital.
SOS Help is a non-profit organisation recognised under the French law of 1901. SOS Help is a branch of France’s SOS Amitié Federation and is linked to the Samaritans.
The listening team at SOS Help is made up entirely of volunteers. We are trained by mental health professionals, who provide continued training and support, but who do not work on the line. We’re trained to listen to you, and not to judge, label or diagnose you. We represent a diverse range of nationalities, ethnicities, orientations, political and religious views, but we are not a religious or political organisation, and will never impose any personal attitudes or beliefs on you.