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Peer Support Group
A free, confidential listening and referral service for
Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme participants
Available every night from 8 pm - 7 am!
Call us: 050-5534-5566 or Skype: 'AJETPSG'
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Table of Contents
About Confidentiality and Anonymity
Q: Do I need to provide my name or any personal information during the call?
No. All calls to PSG are completely anonymous, and at no point during the call will you be asked for your name, location, or any other personal information unless you are in an emergency situation.
Q: Do you keep records of our calls?
No. In order to protect your anonymity, all call records will be deleted.
Q: Are the calls completely confidential?
Yes. All calls are completely confidential, and in order to remain completely confidential, volunteers will not talk about anything from the call once the call finishes. Confidentiality will only be broken if there is a threat of self-harm or harm to others in accordance with PSG policy.
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Q: Will you provide information from the call to contracting organizations or AJET?
No, PSG will not provide any details of the calls to contracting organizations or AJET. We provide only basic call statistics and an overview of common topics of conversation. Our policy is to deny requests for specific information. PSG is not an information-gathering mechanism for any arm of the JET Programme.
Q: What if I know the volunteer that I am talking to?
If you do happen to know the volunteer that you are talking to, you will be offered two options. The first option is to talk to a different volunteer. If you do wish to speak to another volunteer, you will be asked to call back after about 10 minutes so that the National Coordinator can find a different volunteer to talk to you.
The second option is to continue the call. If you decide to continue the call, you will be assured that all information from the call will remain completely confidential and that none of the call's content will be discussed outside of PSG.
How to use PSG
Q: When can I call?
You can call any time from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. any day of the year.
Q: Do you offer a message-based service?
No. Unfortunately, the volunteers are not trained to offer ongoing text-based service. Please call PSG using either your phone number or your Skype account when you are ready.
Q: Is PSG an ongoing service?
No. Because PSG is a completely anonymous service and the volunteers are not trained professionals, we do not offer ongoing counseling services. However, if you require it, we will gladly provide resources in those situations.
Q: I tried calling, but the line was busy. What should I do?
If you tried calling and the line is busy, that means that our volunteer is on another call. Try and call the line again after around 30 minutes. Unfortunately, because we only have one line available, we can only talk to one person at a time.
About the Content of the Calls
Q: Is there a time limit to the calls?
No, there are no time limits for calls. PSG recognizes the importance of giving you time and space to talk about your problems or concerns so you can talk to the volunteer for as long as you need to.
Q: What can I talk about?
You can talk about any concerns or problems that you are having. Whether you’ve had a bad day at work, need help finding a doctor, or want to speak English with someone, the volunteers at PSG are here for you! Just give us a call whenever you're ready.