So what if you’d phoned them up to discuss something that had been bothering you, spilled your guts only to then realize that you actually know the person, quite well, and they’re from the same area as you and you will no doubt bump into them in a non Samaritan context.

all hypothetically of course…

how would that make you feel?

I believe that under their code of ethics they would have to declare such a possibility at the earliest stage.
(Not same but I have a mate who works for Childline and they tend not to serve their own locality for just the above reason).

Samaritan volunteers tend to have a code of absolute secrecy. To such an extent you may know more people involved but they are likely to keep it low key in case it stops friends or family from contacting the services provided.
So don’t worry, they are not there to judge. They listen

blu tone/all

correct – as soon as they recognised you they’d stop the conversation.
It’s a tricky one as out of context it can be hard to recognise a voice.

Other than that there’s the confidentiality thingy as wot’s been mentioned.

TM

they wont say a word to anyone about it hence it is confidential so your secrets are safe

What did you tell them ?

Hypothetically I guess I’d feel really bad.
Perhaps I’d want to call a helpline where I could talk to a complete stranger about how I was feeling.

Of course the logical alternative is to create an online persona and open your emotional arteries to the empathetic, all knowing, massed wisdom that is STW.

Whereupon, you will be:
informed that your bike “are sarcin”
criticised for the unkempt state of your lawn/kitchen/radiator
berated for the lack of protective creosote on your shed
mocked for the pitiful dust hiding in the crevices of your rear wall that masquerades for mortar
derided because your valves & tyre logos were not aligned using a digital micrometer (from a select list approved manufacturers and provided by a mystical online supplier for considerably less than the manufacturers cost price)(however you will automatically fail in this endeavour as the most wistful of “The Sages” will capriciously elect not to post until some seconds after you announce that you have made an irrevocable purchase from an “approved” but mainstream source)

Then (if the haughty horde can possibly wander back close to topic) you can anticipate being advised to:
install firefox
pwn the f***er with yer “Bombers”
wee in their shoes
MTFU
just “kick her/his/the seal/goat/chimps back door in”
post a picture of her/you/the seal/goat/chimp in a compromising situation
pop it on a conveyor belt and watch it evolve into a rigid singlespeed

If they ever talked about it you could complain, but the folk that do it are very well motivated (IME, I volunteered briefly) and it would be beyond belief for any volunteer to do so.

Yeah, you don’t need the Samaritans, you’ve got the STWitans.