In our Kōrero Pumau series, ‘conversations from the heart’, we go behind the scene of 0800 What’s Up. We meet with counsellor Theeba* who shares how our helpline helps young people and why she is so passionate.

It’s late at night. The majority of Aotearoa is home or even asleep, while some people are making the most of their night out. But somewhere in an office in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, the lights are still on and the phone is ringing.

A calm and reassuring voice picks up the phone.

“Kia ora, you’ve reached What’s Up. My name is Theeba*,” says the peaceful voice.

“Have you called us before?”

Behind the gentle voice, one that immediately makes you feel like you have reached the right place, is 0800 What’s Up counsellor, Theeba. She’s on an evening shift and her job to is support young people who are struggling tonight, wherever they are in Aotearoa.

“Would you like me to tell you what we do?”

“Basically, we are a place you can call and talk about anything and everything, and it can be little or it can very big. And we won’t tell anyone and we won’t judge you. You can tell me if you just want me to listen, or if you want me to talk back.”

Empowering tamariki and rangatahi

Theeba is one of the 20 trained counsellors behind the free Barnardos 0800 What’s Up helpline and online chat service. She is available to talk or chat to young people about what matters to them.

She explains:

“The key issues raised by young people are family, peer and partner relationships, bullying, loneliness, depression, anxiety and self-harm.”

“We’re there to listen to their issues. A lot of young people want advice, but our model is around empowering them to make their own choices – how we can help them find out what their resources are and how we can help them figure out how to access those resources. Then, hopefully, leave them feeling empowered to put all of that into action.”

For Theeba, this way of interacting with youth resonates deeply with her personal values – growing up, she’s always felt it was important to have the voices of vulnerable people to be heard. As the second youngest child in a large family, Theeba was raised with many people around and being listened to seriously wasn’t always the case.

“When I was young, I was very aware how children were treated differently or misunderstood. I remember thinking “I want to be someone who sees and hears children and who makes sure they are heard,” says Theeba.

“I felt like the organisation [Barnardos] did that. One of the big things for me is that we sincerely engage with kids here, we sincerely want to see them for who they are, not through the lens of pre-determined expectations, stereotypes or judgements.”

Tamariki and rangatahi can call or chat online with a counsellor like Theeba for free, every day, anytime from 11am-11pm, from anywhere in Aotearoa. If they reach out multiple times, they can talk to the same counsellor, one they feel comfortable opening up to.

“We encourage them to talk to different counsellors and find someone they click with, so they don’t need to repeat their story. Once they do that, we check if the person is available when they call,” shares Theeba.

“I think children and young people are naturally resilient, but without the right help, we actually lose that overtime. What’s Up is an accessible service for them to have that kind of support.”

About 0800 What's Up

Barnardos is here for all children and teenagers in Aotearoa. 0800 What's Up is a mental health helpline and online chat service. It’s a free, confidential, nationally available and answered by counsellors. Find out more about 0800 What's Up.

If you know any tamariki and rangatahi between the ages of 5 and 19 who need someone to talk to, they can phone or e-chat from 11am to 11pm, seven days a week on 0800 942 8787 or visit www.whatsup.co.nz.

*Names have been changed to maintain confidentiality.

Behind the scene of 0800 What’s Up