Support for Journalists Grappling With Mental Health Problems

If you’re a journalist in exile or a foreign reporter based in Germany and you’re grappling with mental problems, reach out to the Helpline. Just send us an e-mail and ask for a call. A specially trained fellow journalist will listen to you and provide coping strategies. The Helpline service is free of charge and open to any journalist based in Germany. It’s provided by Netzwerk Recherche e.V. – the German association of investigative journalists.

Since not all peer supporters are fluent in Englisch, please avoid calling our hotline. Instead, send us an e-mail. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

Instead of professional psychologists or therapists, fellow journalists with a special training in psychological first aid answer calls from their peers who are dealing with the impact of stress, trauma, anxiety and other work-related mental health issues. This peer support approach does not include diagnostics and is no substitute for therapy, however, it is a valuable opportunity for those affected to talk to someone who a) listens, b) has coping strategies on hand, and c) can relate to what they are going through.

Peer support is well established in other occupational groups (e.g. first responders) and functions as a driver of resilience. Setting up peer support structures in journalism could be an easy, low-level, low-cost way to address the mental health crisis our industry is facing.