Talking to friends or family

Deciding who you want to talk to

Will they give me a hard time?

Talking to someone you trust about your concerns may be helpful in managing them. It may help you get a different perspective about what is troubling you or help to release some of the tension you may be feeling. For more info about the Benefits of talking to someone, check out the fact sheets on the left hand side of the page.

Deciding who you can talk with may be hard. It is important that you talk to someone who will take you seriously and who you trust. Sometimes a family member may be helpful to talk too. The following list of questions may help you to work out who to talk too.

Think of a particular friend or family member and then decide:

• Can I trust them?
• Will they give me a hard time?
• Will they make me more upset?
• Will they tell other people if I ask them not to?
• Can they offer me the help I need?
• Do I want to talk to someone who is not involved in the situation?

After considering these questions you may decide that you are not comforatable talking to a family member or friend. That is OK too, sometimes, speaking to someone anonymously is easier and more helpful for you.

Kids Helpline - 1800 55 1800 or Lifeline 131 114 have counsellors that are available 24 hours. Kids Helpline is free and doesn't show up on your bill. Lifeline costs the amount of a local call so still not much. Remember, this is from a landline - mobile calls may cost more money.