“Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person they are almost indistinguishable.”
David W Agusburger
Listening deeply to others requires skill. It entails focus, commitment, time, patience and a real desire to listen. No-one fakes listening well; most of us detect very quickly a superficial listener. Yet for those being listened to, being heard and understood can bring about deep and profound healing.
It is difficult to overestimate the central importance of the place listening has in society. According to one authoritative source, we spend 70 percent of our waking time communicating, with listening accounting for approximately 85 percent of any conversation.
At St Andrew Holborn, one of the many ways we seek to serve those who live or work around Holborn Circus is simply by taking people seriously as human beings and listening to their concerns attentively and respectfully and with empathy. The listening service is staffed by skilled and trained volunteer listeners, to whom we offer continuing professional development and supervision by qualified psychotherapists; thus we offer a robust and resourced service.
Where people need more help than can be provided by the Listening Service, we are able not only to refer to specialist organisations, but also to Analytica Consultancy (Eamonn Marshall and Alison Kings) who are offering a comprehensive psychological assessment service here at St Andrew Holborn. There will be a charge for this service; grants are available for those who can’t afford the full cost.
This assessment lasts an hour and a half and aims to help people decide on the best course of action depending on their particular circumstances.
What we offer:
• We can provide you with space
to be and to be heard
• We can listen to you in that
space
• We can offer you our undivided
attention, empathy and respect
• We can refer you to other
helping organisations and have
a list of these available for you
• We offer a confidential service
What we cannot offer:
• We cannot offer counselling
• We cannot offer spiritual
direction
• We cannot be held responsible
for the other organisations to
which you may be referred
