Suzanne Repetto says that talking to a Room 13 counselor is like talking to a friend. "You hope they really understand where you're coming from." At the same time, she says, students know that they're not talking up a friend's time; they have complete confidentiality and anonymity, and they don't have to worry about their problems changing their friends' images of them.

Cohen emphasizes that it's important that a person talk to another student, not just a "disembodied listener."

1 p.m. The night is half over, and there are only six more hours to go. Outside, the campus is quiet. By this time on most nights, Room 13 has received, on the average, one drop-in and two phone calls.

Cohen says that there is no logical pattern to the number of people who use Room 13. "It can be a constant stream, or it can be very little." Contrary to what might be expected, the number of calls and drop-ins don't increase during midterms or finals. "Sometimes, you're up until 5 a.m., and sometimes, you don't get a call until 5 a.m.," says counselor Stephanie R. Dickerson '86-'87.

Cohen comments that sometimes the night can be very long, and sometimes very fast. "It really varies. Each individual [visitor] can be a long, whole experience by himself, but all of a sudden, there's another [person to talk to]."

Each of the 30 counselors is on duty twice a month. New counselors are chosen in the spring, and each applicant is interviewed by four counselors. "There's a lot of interest," Cohen says. Approximately 130 to 160 students apply for 10-15 positions annually. Once a person becomes a counselor, he usually stays on until he graduates.

"I think people are reasonably self-conscious at Harvard, and they're interested in opportunities to help other people," says George Postolos. "They think about how they relate to others and how they can help them.

"I like being down at Room 13 because it's a unique environment, where I'm taking people seriously and where I'm being taken seriously. That's unique, where you can go somewhere, and there are people interested in how you feel about your life."

6 a.m. Only one more hour to go. Twelve hours is a long time. Is it worth it?

Room 13 counselors have 11 two-hour training sessions during Freshman Week every year, and groups of six to seven meet weekly for further training and support.

"When you listen to other people's concerns, it can be very emotionally draining," says Suzanne Repetto. She says that wanting to help but not being able to and being reminded of similar personal experiences can be difficult, but adds that counseling can also be "very growth-producing."

"Sometimes counseling is very draining because someone is trusting you to a great degree and making themselves vulnerable," says Postolos. "You have to listen to them and work hard at understanding and not judging. That takes a lot of emotional energy. Sometimes, it's very difficult." He adds, however, "It's absolutely worth it."

Eighth-year supervisor Nadja B. Gould agrees that counseling can take an emotional toll, but says, "It teaches [counselors] how to listen in new ways." Gould is a clinical social worker for the Mental Health Services.

"Whenever you're doing peer counseling, just by definition you're learning more about yourself," says Postolos. "When I go down there, I put my life aside. I focus on other people and listen to them. It's helped me see beyond differences in people." When you listen to someone very different from you, from a different socio-economic group, race, or country perhaps, Postolos says, "you can really accept and, in a very limited sense, begin to understand what part of that person's life is like."

Read comments, "Counselors grow in their own understanding of the variability of how people make sense of life experiences and people's incredible fortitude, going on when they're in pain."

How successful is Room 13?

"The fact of its longevity suggests it serves a very important need," says Read. Cohen agrees. "I think it's very important. It's a source of support that doesn't take much to get to and that's open when a lot of other services aren't open."

"We provide a valuable service to a fairly large number of people," says Postolos. "I know we touch a lot of people who drop down or call or participate or interview to be on the staff. I feel like we have a significant impact on at least how some of those people interact with other people."

"We try to do very little. That's why we're so successful. All we try and do is listen to somebody. There's some value in that. It's a lot easier to figure out where you are when you can talk to someone who really listens to you."

7 a.m. The sun has risen and the sky is blue. The day is just beginning for most people. For two Room 13 counselors, however, it has just ended.