Samaritans of Edinburgh and the Lothians SCIO

About

Samaritans of Edinburgh & the Lothians (SCIO) is an affliated branch of the central Samaritans charity whose vision is that fewer people die by suicide. All our volunteers are recruited and trained in the branch to standards set down by the national organisation. We listen to callers who ring the national free phone number, email or use online chat, to seek a safe space to talk through their concerns and provide them with emotional support. We listen to people in a non-judgemental way, empowering them to make their own decisions.  We also help train prisoners to be listeners in HMP Edinburgh and Addiewell. In support our listening service, we have a charity shop in the centre of Edinburgh which provides our branch with a regular income and offer another way for people to volunteer with Samaritans within Edinburgh.

Where we work