The nationwide school psychologist hotline is a fast, free and anonymous way to seek help from experienced school psychologists by phone. Every weekday from 4-8 p.m., calls to the Estonian-language hotline 1226 are answered by certified school psychologists.

According to EKPÜ board member Kristi Feldman, that makes this particular hotline unique.

"The context of budget cuts is part of it, but taking a closer look at the service, you can see that it hasn't been embraced sufficiently to justify maintaining it," explained Jürgen Rakaselg, head of inclusive education at the Ministry of Education and Research. "We look at the average number of calls, which during the summer months has been around ten calls a month."

As a nonprofit organization, the EKPU will be unable to continue operating the Estonian-language hotline without support. Feldman said that approximately €30,000 in sponsor support is needed to keep the hotline running.

Marta Valdmann, a clinical psychologist at the Tartu University Hospital (TÜK) Psychiatric Clinic, Estonia has made progress in supporting youth mental health; among other things, more specialists are available today.

Demand continues to grow, however, and waiting lists remain very long. Moreover, not all schools have a school psychologist on staff.

"If everyone had to turn to private practitioners and pay out of pocket, it would be very expensive, and many simply can't afford it," Valdmann acknowledged, adding that there are waiting lists for private care as well anyway.

"Immediate intervention at the primary level – before things get really bad – is definitely key, especially for those for whom it's difficult to seek any help in the first place," she emphasized.

Until now, a second hotline, 1227, has been available in Russian and, since March 2022, in Ukrainian as well. This service will not continue next year.

"We haven't had too many calls on the Russian-language hotline," Feldman noted. "We can speculate here that Russian-speaking families tend to be more family-oriented. Ukrainian families, meanwhile, are more religiously inclined. There is no strong tradition of turning to a psychologist for help."

Valdmann admitted that access to psychological help in other languages is steadily declining, pointing to the fact there aren't enough new Russian-speaking psychologists. "The need is there, but the workforce isn't," she said.

On December 1, the Estonian Association of School Psychologists (EKPÜ) announced that it is seeking sponsors. Telecommunications company Elisa, for example, supported their efforts by covering the nonprofit's network fees, and according to Feldman, some individuals have donated money as well.

"Currently, our plan is to continue into the new year for as long as we can afford it," she said. "If the money runs out and no major sponsors have come forward, then we won't be able to continue."

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