NU Listens updated its operating hours for Fall Quarter and extended its service from three days a week to four.

The anonymous peer listening hotline now operates Monday to Thursday from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Service for this academic year resumed Monday, said Weinberg senior Elena Dansky, director of NU Listens. Previously, the service operated Sunday to Tuesday, from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.

“This is a big progression,” Dansky said. “Ideally we hope to provide 24-hour service one day.”

The new change is based on the increased availability of undergraduate active listeners and psychologists from Counseling and Psychological Services, Dansky said.

The new schedule benefits students more, NU Listens events chair Miriam Mikhelson said.

“Service on weekdays should be a better practice, as the students here are usually stressed with academic burden on school days,” the Weinberg senior said. “That’s the time they need help.”

The exact number and profile of callers is kept confidential to avoid discrimination or bias, Dansky said. Every listener undergoes proper training before dealing with callers’ situations, and, if needed, a caller can be referred to counsellors at CAPS, she said.

The relationship between CAPS and the student hotline is strong, said Allyna Mota Melville, the group’s assistant director of logistics. CAPS has helped NU Listens expand by training listeners and providing funding, the Medill sophomore said.

NU Listens hopes to expand both its user and listener base through outreach programs, Mota Melville said. There are plans for a committee to assist the group’s executive board in publicizing the hotline, she added.

“The main thing for us is to heighten awareness, so that we can create larger projects within NU Listens,” Mota Melville said. “This year is up to a really great start with all the enthusiasm and excitement around it.”

The organization will also hold workshops later this fall to discuss active listening and peer-to-peer support, Mikhelson said.

“This year, we are planning to create a larger listener base,” Mota Melville said. “Now we have a huge amount of the people that have emailed us and have signed up to help as listeners. We are really excited about that.”

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Correction: A previous version of this story misstated how listeners are trained. Listeners are trained by Counseling and Psychological Services. The Daily regrets the error.