UK. Lifelink Samaritans is the oldest telephone befriending service in Tasmania and the fourth oldest in Australia and receives at least 5,000 calls a year. In December 2018 Lifelink Samaritans celebrated 50 years of service. Telephone counseling Telephone emotional support and crisis hotlines provide a similar telephone support service, and both usually accept crisis and non-crisis calls. In the United States, many college campuses have established telephone counseling lines serviced by volunteers. These hotlines serve callers in crisis, but also serve to provide a listening ear for people who "just need to talk". Typically, hotlines are staffed by trained professionals, and are not intended to replace professional, long-term counseling services. They are rather intended to carry callers through an immediate situation. Such hotlines exist at the University of Maryland, the University of Minnesota, Tufts University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Drexel University, Caldwell University, and Texas A&M University. The term "emotional support helpline" is sometimes used – which does not imply crisis or counseling, and can include email and text messaging. Such services have allowed for the wider dissemination of resources for people facing mental health crises. With developments in mobile telephony, the use of text or SMS (short message service) has been utilized by counseling services. Youthline, a youth-oriented crisis helpline in New Zealand, began providing a text messaging counseling support line in 2004. Contact details The Volunteer Emotional Support Helplines (VESH) represents 1200 member centres in 61 countries. It has been formed by: Befrienders Worldwide (maintained by the Samaritans UK) IFOTES – International Federation of Telephone Emergency Services Lifeline International See also Hotline List of counseling topics Telephone counseling Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 (2013 documentary film) Harry Marsh Warren#Save-a-Life League References Telephone numbers Suicide prevention Telecommunications-related introductions in 1953