Contact:	Arlene Klemow	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
	908/301-1899	January 27, 2009

 

Scotch Plains Woman Solves the World’s Problems
by Volunteering Locally

For Anne Goetz of Scotch Plains, the answer to the world’s problems lies in three simple words — people helping people. “Sometimes you are the helper, and sometimes you are the one being helped — at any given moment it can change,” said the 55 year-old school psychologist and behavior analyst for the Westfield school district.

So with that philosophy in mind, Goetz spends eight hours a month volunteering to answer calls to CONTACT We Care’s 24-hour caring and crisis hotline. By helping callers who are lonely, depressed, stressed or suicidal Goetz says she personally benefits. “Walking with someone on their journey while they face challenges benefits both people. As a volunteer I gain perspective and a greater understanding of the human condition. This volunteer experience has been amazing — everything I could have wanted and more!”

A wife and mother of two college students, Goetz originally signed up to be a CONTACT hotline volunteer because she wanted additional training on suicide intervention. “As a psychologist dealing with special needs children and their families I encounter individuals who are very stressed or depressed. I wanted additional skills to deal with crisis situations. The active listening skills I learned through CONTACT’s training program have given me a second-nature approach to dealing with people in crisis. Listening in this way is like wrapping a warm blanket around someone’s shoulder.”

Now, after CONTACT’s 50-hour training program and two years on the hotline, Goetz says that she has the confidence and ability to help others simply by being there and listening actively. “It’s a rare and special thing for someone to give 100 percent to a person who is speaking. Most of us are often thinking of other things or how we will respond.”

Born in Costa Rica, Goetz moved to the United States at age five and grew up in Maryland. A native Spanish-speaker who wanted to pursue a career as a teacher of foreign languages, Goetz earned a degree in French and Psychology. She continued her foreign language studies in Switzerland, and earned an MA in French from the University of North Carolina. After working towards her Ph.D. in Psycholinguistics at Cornell University, Goetz spent twenty-two years teaching Spanish and French. She spent ten years at Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child in Summit.

A life-long learner, Goetz returned to school ten years ago and eventually earned a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from Kean University. “I wanted to stay in education, but was more interested in why the kids couldn’t learn,” she said. Issues such as learning disabilities, emotional problems and physical disabilities were foremost in her mind. After participating in special training at Rutgers University, Goetz also became a certified behavior analyst specializing in the autistic spectrum.

As someone who loves to learn and grow — she’s currently studying Chinese — Goetz raves about CONTACT’s focus on service quality. “With on-going volunteer supervision and trainings, you are constantly able to improve your skills on the hotline,” she said. “It’s an amazing organization!”

“Sometimes I leave a shift happy — when the caller feels good at the end of the call. A few times I’ve heard horrific things that chill me to the bone. But mostly, I am just grateful that we have this organization where people help one another.”

For more information about volunteering for CONTACT We Care, or to register for the new training class that begins February 23, please call 908/301-1899 or visit the CONTACT website, www.contactwecare.org.