Text STEVE to 741741, and you’ll get connected with a trained Crisis Counselor. They’ll empathize with you and help you find resources in your area.
The service launched in 2013 with the goal of providing support to teens via a medium they already use and trust. It’s free, confidential, and available 24/7.
Free and confidential
If you or someone you know is struggling, Crisis Text Line can help. The service is free, confidential, and available 24/7. To use the service, simply text BRAVE to 741741. You will be connected with a trained Crisis Counselor who can help you through your crisis moment.
The service is monitored by full-time supervisors who have degrees in counseling, social work, and human services. The volunteers are taught to empathize with texters, and they do not ask prying questions. Instead, they encourage the texter to find solutions by helping them identify options and weigh pros and cons.
Many users identified the ease of access through texting as a key advantage, allowing them to get support in places where it might be uncomfortable or unsafe to talk on the phone. They also noted that the back and forth nature of a conversation allowed them to share at their own pace, and they never had to share anything they didn’t want to.
Anonymous
Using texting, Crisis Text Line connects individuals in need with trained volunteers who are there to listen and support them. The service is free, though standard messaging rates may apply for your carrier.
During a typical conversation, a Crisis Counselor will help the individual sort through their feelings by asking questions and actively listening to them. The goal is to get the individual to a place where they feel safe and calm.
The authors analyzed anonymized data from 85,877 conversations (assigned unique non-identifiable conversation IDs) with Crisis Counselors over a year. They analyzed CCs’ ratings of suicide ideation severity, texters’ reports of race, gender, sexual orientation, recent mental health symptoms and sources of help, and logs of frequency of conversation use. They used latent class analysis to identify distinct classes of texters who reported suicidality on the basis of their presenting psychosocial issues. The three general classes emerged across usage frequency and conversation number subsamples: lower distress, anxious distress, and relational distress.
24/7
While many people may criticize crisis lines, these services are essential in helping individuals who are struggling. Individuals can text BRAVE to 741741 from anywhere in the US and connect with a live, trained counselor. These individuals will help the individual de-escalate their situation and access local resources. They are available 24/7.
Helplines (also known as hotlines or crisis lines) are free and confidential. They offer help and support for people experiencing a variety of situations, including mental health struggles, traumatic events, and relationship problems. These organizations also provide assistance after natural disasters and other community emergencies.
Volunteers on the Crisis Text Line team are trained to use active listening, collaborative problem-solving, and safety planning to create a dialogue with the person in distress. Volunteers work 2 shifts per week, and each shift lasts about two hours. After training, volunteers sign up for shifts on the Crisis Text Line website. They must agree to a background check before they can start volunteering.
Reliable
A text from a distressed person can trigger a trained crisis counselor to step in, and their support is free, confidential and available 24/7. They can help with depression, anxiety, relationship trouble, self-harm and more.
They can also refer the most distressed texters to local services and offer support themselves. This support helps reduce the risk of suicide in nearly half of suicidal people. It’s comparable to the reduction in suicidality reported in studies of psychotherapy.
CTL mines the data from its conversations to identify patterns and improve the service. For example, they know that Tuesday is the most stressful day for people and that 10 p.m. is the time when people are most likely to reach out.
But it’s important to remember that this type of technology can only work if people trust that the service is reliable and has their best interest at heart. Otherwise, they might be reluctant to use it.