To learn more about how to get involved with Exhale, visit their website or call (510) 446-7900. If you are seeking counseling, call the talkline at 1-866-4EXHALE.

Hear from a Volunteer

When Ragnar Anderson moved to San Francisco in the fall of 2004, her first involvement with Exhale was as a marketing and communications volunteer. A year later she decided she wanted to volunteer for the talkline as well.

Anderson went through 48 hours of training before becoming a counselor. At one training session, a panel of women from various backgrounds spoke about their experiences with abortion. It was an encounter that touched Anderson deeply. "Seeing someone who looks like me, [who] I could've gone to school with, [who] was my age… To hear her emotional story really struck me," she says.

With abortion being such a hot-button topic, Anderson finds strength in the fact that Exhale does not jump to either side of the abortion debate.

“They’re not pro-choice and they’re not pro-life. They’re pro-voice.” Anderson explains. “It’s not like you have to sacrifice your political [or] personal beliefs about abortion, [but] you need to come to a place where you can let go of your prejudices. You must understand that there’s this huge need out there for women to speak about a difficult and emotional experience.”

A big part of the job is developing a rapport with the callers. Since many women don’t tell anyone else about their experience, a significant bond is formed through the retelling of the experience.

“There are certainly times when I’m on call where [once] I’ve finished a session, I feel really drained and exhausted,” Anderson says. “[But it’s also] the most gratifying and important part of my week in a lot of ways. I feel more useful to society. It structures my time and how I take care of myself. All of the people in my life know that I do this. This is a higher priority than anything else.”