Health · Mental Health · 2 hrs ago
Yokohama hotline offers emotional support in Spanish and Portuguese
LAL offers emotional support in Spanish and Portuguese to people in Japan who may find it hard to discuss personal concerns in Japanese.
The hotline is run by Yokohama Lifeline, a suicide-prevention organization, and was established in Yokohama in 1993.
About 40 trained counselors handle 40 to 50 calls a month, with volunteers from eight countries working in shifts.
The service began after an incident involving a Cambodian refugee highlighted the need for mental health support for foreign residents, and immigration changes in the 1990s brought more foreign workers to Japan.
Callers increasingly raise emotional concerns, including loneliness among people whose ties to their countries of origin have weakened.
Counselors listen without judging and may suggest professional counseling or other support; the service welcomes calls about everyday experiences as well as serious problems.
A Yokohama hotline offers emotional support in Spanish and Portuguese to people who may struggle to express their concerns in Japanese.
Known as LAL, the service is run by the social welfare corporation Yokohama Inochinodenwa, or Yokohama Lifeline.
Its roughly 40 counselors handle about 40 to 50 calls a month.
LAL says loneliness has become a more noticeable concern, particularly among middle-aged people whose ties to their countries of origin have weakened.
The service’s approach is to listen without criticizing or judging callers.
- Who
- LAL, a foreign-language counseling service run by Yokohama Lifeline, and its callers.
- What
- The hotline provides emotional support in Spanish and Portuguese.
- When
- It was established in 1993 and has operated for more than three decades.
- Where
- Yokohama, Japan.
- Why
- It was created to provide mental health support for foreign residents who may have difficulty expressing concerns in Japanese.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
An incident in Kanagawa Prefecture involving a Cambodian refugee affected by war trauma highlighted the need for mental health support for foreign residents.
LAL was established to take calls in Spanish and Portuguese.
Changes to immigration rules made it easier for people, including people of Japanese descent, to come to Japan for work.
Psychological and emotional concerns came to account for a large share of LAL consultations.
- Location
- Yokohama, Japan
- Languages
- Spanish and Portuguese
- Established
- 1993
- Counselors
- Roughly 40 from eight countries
- Monthly calls
- About 40 to 50
- Organization
- Yokohama Inochinodenwa, or Yokohama Lifeline
What people are saying
When it comes to emotional problems, it's best to be able to talk in your native language.
Things can build up day after day until they become much bigger and more serious.
We'd be happy if people felt they could call us casually about anything -- something unpleasant that happened that day, or sometimes even something enjoyable.