Frequently Asked Questions
What is A Call For Change Helpline?
A confidential, anonymous helpline for people who want to stop using abuse and control in their intimate relationships. The Helpline is also for family, friends and professionals who want to help them stop. People who are unsure about their behavior can also call the Helpline.
The Helpline operates from 10am to 10pm EST, 365 days a year. We are a helpline not a hotline: we are not considered an emergency response service.
What kind of help do callers get?
Callers who are concerned about their own behavior will be treated with respect and dignity. They will be helped to gain insight into their actions and to hold themselves accountable, using the framework of abusive values and values of equity and respect. They will get help developing goals and actions steps that center safety and accountability, and will be given referrals to services that can support long-term change. A family member or friend will get help thinking through how they can support safety and change in someone they care about, and can also learn about the values framework for understanding abuse. A professional will get an understanding of how intimate partner violence (IPV) overlaps with, but is distinct from, other issues i.e., substance abuse and mental health, as well as an overview of how to approach treatment with an added lens. Professionals may also be connected with a consultant in their field who has expertise in IPV.
Who answers the phone?
What kind of training do staff get?
Before staff answer their first call, they are trained in IPV, sexual violence within the context of IPV, and the impact of IPV on survivors. They are trained to examine the culture of abusive values and how our social location, including race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation and other identities, impacts our experience and the experience of those who call. They are trained in understanding perpetration and perpetration strategies, the change process in intimate partner violence for people who use abuse and for survivors, abusive values and values of equity and respect, how to have transformative and respectful dialogues, and special considerations for teens and young adults. And they are trained in how to understand context when examining issues of predominant aggression. Additionally, staff receive training on an on-going basis from professionals who have extensive experience working with both survivors and people who use abuse in their relationships, and from professionals with deeper content expertise in the LGBTQIA community, in the disability community and with elders.
Do you help teens?
Yes. The Helpline is available to teens and young adults and staff are trained in the unique developmental aspects and obstacles faced by young people.
What do you mean by confidential and anonymous?
Are you colluding with the abuse by helping the person who abuses?
Will this give false hope to survivors?
Can survivors call?
Can people who abuse really change?
Do you provide services for non-English speaking callers or for Deaf and Hard-of-hearing callers?
How can I learn more?
Email us at help@acallforchangehelpline.org, visit our website at www.acallforchangehelpline.org, or call us at: 877-898-3411.