Emergency Hotline as a Communication Tool in Times of Crisis

Abstract

For a couple of decades telephone crisis services called hotlines or helplines have been an important instrument in the process of providing help and assistance to people in distress. The idea of providing psychological help and support over the telephone was born of sincere kindness and sympathy of human heart but with time it evolved towards a standardized scientific discipline based on rules and procedures. The paper outlines the history of telephone crisis services and points to their most important functions in contemporary, globalized world.