170. What to Expect When Texting Crisis Text Line & What Teens Today Are Struggling With feat. Crisis Counselor Ana Tueme

 
 

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Today's guest is Ana Tueme, a senior psychology and Spanish double major at Simmons University and volunteer Crisis Counselor at Crisis Text Line with over 200 hours of experience helping those in crisis. In this episode, we discuss how she got started volunteering with Crisis Text Line, what to expect when first reaching out to Crisis Text Line, skills she’s learned as a volunteer that have helped her be a better support system to people struggling, what most teens who reach out to Crisis Text Line are struggling with, advice for teens struggling with depression and anxiety, and how you can become a volunteer for Crisis Text Line.

Crisis Text Line's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crisistextline/

Mentioned In The Episode…

+ Crisis Text Line's Website

+ Text with Crisis Text Line

+ Web chat with Crisis Text Line

+ Message Crisis Text Line on WhatsApp

+ Volunteer with Crisis Text Line

+ She Persisted Ep. 169

+ SI Coping Skills TikTok

SHOP GUEST RECOMMENDATIONS: https://amzn.to/3A69GOC


About She Persisted (formerly Nevertheless, She Persisted)

After a year and a half of intensive treatment for severe depression and anxiety, 18-year-old Sadie recounts her journey by interviewing family members, professionals, and fellow teens to offer self-improvement tips, DBT education, and personal experiences. She Persisted is the reminder that someone else has been there too and your inspiration to live your life worth living.



a note: this is an automated transcription so please ignore any accidental misspellings!

[00:00:00] Sadie: Welcome to She Persisted. I'm your host, Sadie Sutton, a 19 year old from the Bay Area studying psychology at the University of Penn. She Persisted is the Teen Mental Health Podcast made for teenagers by a teen. In each episode, I'll bring you authentic, accessible, and relatable conversations about every aspect of mental wellness.

[00:00:19] You can expect evidence-based, teen approved resources, coping skills, including lots of D B T insights and education in. Each piece of content you consume, she persisted, Offers you a safe space to feel validated and understood in your struggle, while encouraging you to take ownership of your journey and build your life worth living.

[00:00:37] So let's dive in this week on She persisted.

[00:00:42] I think back to when I was struggling and all the times I didn't ask for help and how long I was on that path of like, avoiding and pretending I was okay and not putting words to what I was experiencing. So, for the first time, or even for the... millions time to express those [00:01:00] emotions and go to someone else and say, I'm not okay.

[00:01:02] And I need support really, really challenging. And like you said, it is so brave and takes a lot of courage 

[00:01:09] hello. Hello and welcome back to she persisted. I am so excited. You're here today because we are doing part two of our crisis text line Series, so if you didn't listen to last week's episode, we had dr Shirey turner who is the chief health officer for crisis text line and if you're like, what is crisis text line?

[00:01:25] It is a 24 7 resource where you text HOME to 741 741 and are able to get text support from a trained crisis counselor. So whether you're struggling with a grade you got on a test, maybe it's conflict with parents, friendship drama, anxiety, depression, all of the things, they are there to offer support and it just is one of the most incredible resources out there for mental health.

[00:01:49] Last week we talked with Dr. Turner about the teen mental health crisis. the trends they are seeing on Crisis Text Line with what teens are struggling with, what are the stressors that they're currently dealing [00:02:00] with, and also Crisis Text Line current advocacy and initiatives and how you can support those, which Dr.

[00:02:06] Turner mentioned, you can volunteer and get involved. today we have Anna Twemy on the podcast. She has been a volunteer for Crisis Text Science since September 2022, and she has logged over 200 hours of experience. She became a volunteer because she wanted to get a more hands on experience in providing support to individuals in need.

[00:02:23] She's currently 21 and a rising senior at Simmons University in Boston, and she's double majoring in psychology and Spanish while minoring. in philosophy. She's hoping to get her master's in social work after she graduates. And it was so incredible to have a fellow young adult on the podcast and talk about her experience using crisis text line, becoming a volunteer and now offering support to other individuals.

[00:02:46] This was such a fun conversation and I hope this is helpful. We talk all about what to expect when you text in. What a crisis text line will say. What a crisis text line counselor will say in case you're like, I don't know what to expect. I don't know what to say, et [00:03:00] cetera. We go through all of that. We also talk about some common challenges that teens are experiencing, give some advice and coping skills there.

[00:03:09] And then lastly, we talk about how to get involved if you want to become a crisis counselor with crisis text lines. So let's dive in and I'll see you next week. 

[00:03:17] Well, thank you so much, Anna, for joining me today on She Persisted. I'm so excited to talk about your experience with Crisis Text Line because I feel like that is one of the biggest, almost like points of resistance that people feel when utilizing a resource is they don't know what the outcome is going to be.

[00:03:33] It's like that social anxiety or that like mental hump of being able to be like, yes, I'm going to text and reach out and ask for help. And I remember that in my own experience, whether it was calling a therapist for coaching or Calling a a helpline or texting and looking for support. It was the anxiety of like, well, how is this gonna work and what is the other person gonna say that prevented me from doing that unless it was like an absolute emergency last resort?

[00:03:58] So I'm really excited [00:04:00] to get your perspective here so that we can kind of share with listeners what exactly to expect and just have complete transparencies. They can use Crisis Text Line as a resource. So thank you so much for joining me today. Of course. 

[00:04:12] Anna: I'm so excited to type it in. 

[00:04:13] Sadie: Yeah. So, I want to start by hearing a little bit about your background. Listeners know, obviously, that you are a volunteer, but how did you get involved? Had you used it as a resource? And talk to me about how you, started working with them and how you got to the point that you're at now. Yeah, so when 

[00:04:30] Anna: I was in high school, I struggled a lot with an eating disorder, and I had a lot of suicide thoughts.

[00:04:35] And, you know, I was going in and out of hospital care, and it was kind of hard to find someone to talk to. So, I reached out to the Crisis Text Line, and I, you know, I loved how private it was, and I could say anything. They and I felt supported so I relied on it heavily. It was kind of my lifeline for a while I even had like crisis text line as a contact.[00:05:00] 

[00:05:00] Sadie: I used to it too That is such a good recommendation where it's like any of those numbers whether it's 988 or your local support number Add it to your phone because you want to reduce like any of those barriers to be able to utilize it as a resource. I love 

[00:05:13] Anna: that.

[00:05:13] yeah, so the contact on my phone was literally text me if you're feeling suicidal and I would text the Christ text line like two times a week. It was so frequent. and eventually I started feeling better and you know, I'm in college now and I'm studying psychology so I thought it was a good time to start giving back and you know, be on the other side of the conversation.

[00:05:36] Sadie: I love that so much. And I think that's so cool to have that full circle experience and be able to speak from the perspective of having utilized that as a resource. I'm sure for people on the other side of it, it's so reassuring that you know, like, okay, you're probably nervous about this. And here's what to expect.

[00:05:51] And I've been exactly where you've been before. And this is what we're going to do. And it's going to be okay. I think When asking for help, [00:06:00] there was always that anxiety of, like, does the other person truly understand what I'm going through? Like, no one really gets how challenging things are, or they don't know how sad I am, or they don't know how much I'm struggling.

[00:06:10] And I think knowing that a therapist or a friend or a, a resource, that the person on the other side has truly been in the same position just gives you a lot of peace and a lot of trust in the fact that they're going to be able to support you through that situation. Yeah, it's been 

[00:06:29] Anna: quite a privilege. I feel like I am able to support these texts in a way people that don't have my experience could and it really shows throughout a conversation.

[00:06:38] A lot of them will be like, thank you so much, like I'm feeling so much better. I have next steps. I, I will text again if I need you and it's pretty rewarding. 

[00:06:48] Sadie: Yeah, I would love to understand what the process is when a teen or whoever is texting Crisis Text Line texts and literally [00:07:00] they just text the initial number to connect them with a resource and they just are like, hi.

[00:07:04] Because if I was texting and I was like, what if I get the number wrong? I'd just be like, hi, is anyone there? So, someone texts, they want to initiate this conversation. What is the first thing they can expect? 

[00:07:15] Anna: Yeah, so a lot of people actually start out by just saying hi, and then I'll just kind of do the same thing.

[00:07:20] I'll be like, hi, my name is Anna. I'm here to support you. Is there anything going on? And from there, it kind of lets the texters, you know, start the conversation off the way they want to. And throughout that, I will just listen and be there for support and, you know, validate them as they talk about it.

[00:07:38] Sadie: Mm hmm. For listeners that are... Not familiar with being that vulnerable, or not consistently asking for help, and this is like one of the first times that they're really looking for support. I think it would be helpful to kind of understand what the spectrum of asking for help looks like, with Crisis Text Line.

[00:07:56] Can you just say like, I'm feeling sad or [00:08:00] obviously you can be like super transparent with everything it is that you're going through. What do you hear from people using this resource with regard to how much they're sharing and how they're asking for help? 

[00:08:10] Anna: So some people will share a lot. They'll send you a big paragraph.

[00:08:14] And then there's a lot of other people who are just like, I'm, I'm feeling overwhelmed. I don't know why I'm feeling this way. I just want someone to talk to. So it goes both ways. It takes a lot of courage to start out explaining everything that's going on. So it's completely understandable when texters don't want to be so open at the beginning 

[00:08:34] Sadie: Do you find that people are using Crisis Text Line, and you can obviously speak from your own experience here as well, as like a one time resource, or are you finding that this is something that's now in their toolkit and they're consistently using this as a resource , to help them navigate these situations?

[00:08:50] Yeah, so the crisis 

[00:08:51] Anna: text line is definitely a resource that people do put in their toolkit. I like to, at the end of the conversations, ask the texters, you know, how did you feel about the [00:09:00] crisis text line? Is this something that you would text again if you're feeling down or anxious? And a lot of the people do say yes.

[00:09:07] I, I do see that people really enjoy using the resource. 

[00:09:12] Sadie: Yeah, I love that.

[00:09:13] I think it would be really cool if we gave listeners some skills and tips that you have learned, when training to be a Crisis Text Line volunteer to use in their own lives and also with friends or family members to not only self validate but be a good listener to others because somehow we're not taught these skills and it can be an incredible thing to know how to validate your own emotions, to create space for those emotions, and be able to have that conversation with yourself in those less intense scenarios.

[00:09:43] And then also be able to offer the same to someone else when they're struggling, and be a good listener, offer that support, and create space for what they're experiencing. So what are some of the like tactics and skills that you have learned? to help people feel seen and also empowered to overcome [00:10:00] these mental health challenges.

[00:10:01] Anna: So one of the best skills I learned from crisis text line was to not ask question after question. Sometimes when people are in distress, they just want to listen, not necessarily problem solve. And when talking to a texter, it's really helpful to remind them that They're strong for texting in.

[00:10:20] It's really, really hard to open up to a stranger and it takes a lot of courage to be vulnerable. So I, I like to remind them of that strength that they have. And then I also really like to remind texters that I'm here to listen no matter what. Our conversations have no time frame. I'm there for a short conversation, a longer conversation, and it's important to let the texters know that our conversations are equally important.

[00:10:44] To the volunteer. 

[00:10:47] Sadie: Do you have certain phrases or, almost mantras that you use with people that just are really helpful in creating space for those emotions and kind of just sending the message that it's okay that you're feeling this way and you're allowed to feel this [00:11:00] way and it's not bad that this is what you're experiencing?

[00:11:03] Are those like sentences that you find yourself utilizing frequently that would be helpful for listeners to be aware of and then use when speaking to themselves internally and also to peers or family members or a loved one. So 

[00:11:16] Anna: the biggest one I use would definitely be, you know, it takes courage to open up about this.

[00:11:22] You are so strong for being here, for wanting to get help, trying. I like to use things like that because I feel like when texters or, or anyone who's in distress, like shares things, they don't realize how hard it is to do that in general. It's so hard to talk about feelings. 

[00:11:40] Sadie: Yeah, I, I think back to when I was struggling and all the times I didn't ask for help and how long I was on that path of like, avoiding and pretending I was okay and not putting words to what I was experiencing. So, for the first time, or even for the... millions time to express those emotions and go to someone else [00:12:00] and say, I'm not okay.

[00:12:01] And I need support really, really challenging. And like you said, it is so brave and, and takes a lot of courage to do. I think that has been one of the biggest things that I've shared on the podcast is that the most challenging part of my journey was was truly asking for help because it is such a daunting experience.

[00:12:17] You don't know how someone's going to respond. You don't know what the path forward is going to look like. It's truly almost accepting that things aren't okay and you can't continue to avoid anymore. And so I definitely echo that, that it is a really, really brave thing, to do and it's not easy by any means.

[00:12:33] Anna: I also think it's really hard to talk about these types of things about mental health because there's so much stigma and a lot of people, you know, don't know how to offer help and that's why, , the crisis text line is so amazing because we have trained volunteers who are, you know, there and understand the 

[00:12:51] Sadie: struggle.

[00:12:52] Yeah, 100%. I also want to kind of jump off of those like specific skills for listening. There skills that you've learned from volunteering at [00:13:00] Crisis Text Line that you've been able to take into school or friendships or other parts of life and implement that have really just helped you along your journey? 

[00:13:08] Anna: So, in my relationships, I have found it really, really helpful to be an active listener because before Crisis Text Line and, you know, their training, I would listen, but I was, like, kind of waiting to talk instead of actively listening. So now that I have this skill, I am, you know, better able to offer support and the people who are speaking to me also feel more comfortable and feel more heard.

[00:13:34] Sadie: Mm hmm. What exactly does it mean to be an active listener? I feel like most people have heard that term and you, like, hear it in a classroom, you hear it in some conversation, but what specifically differentiates just listening, maybe passively versus truly being an active listener? 

[00:13:49] Anna: Well, when you're passively listening, it's almost as if you're not putting your all into it.

[00:13:54] When you're actively listening, it's the most important thing. You are there just to listen to what that person [00:14:00] is saying to you. Mm 

[00:14:01] Sadie: hmm. Obviously staying vague to protect individuals privacy, but I wanted to ask you about what most people are struggling with, because I think we see a lot of these common themes, and this is something that comes up when I'm talking to therapists or psychiatrists or individuals that are working, with a clinical population.

[00:14:19] with what these common themes are, whether it's feeling alone, feeling overwhelmed, stress, low energy, like these things are really universal even though they feel so isolating. What do you find that most people are texting in to talk about? And I assume like most things are like, oh, I had this specific argument with this specific person in my life.

[00:14:38] But what are like the overarching feelings or belief systems or even just dynamics that you're seeing pop up a lot? 

[00:14:45] Anna: So a lot of young adults these days are struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. So we get a lot of texters who are, you know, talking about feeling down, hopeless, like alone, they need someone to talk to.

[00:14:58] And then I, I also see a lot [00:15:00] about anxiety. So it can be, I'm anxious about school, I'm anxious about, you know, this relationship I have, it's, it's, I've been really struggling with it. And then because I'm also A Spanish speaking volunteer, I do see quite a lot about, you know, immigration and things like that.

[00:15:17] Sadie: Mm hmm. I thought it could be cool to kind of go back and forth and offer some advice and even just tips for people that were struggling with those specific challenges because, again, they are things that come up a lot and people listening, ourselves included, are dealing with feeling alone or stressed or have anxiety about certain things in life.

[00:15:37] So starting with feeling, , depressed and in a low state or people are struggling with suicidal ideation, what advice do you consistently offer? 

[00:15:46] Anna: Overall, in general, just to anyone who's sharing these things with me, I always recommend the Crisis Text Line. You know, we're a non profit organization, and we offer free mental health support.

[00:15:57] Something that's really special about us is that we [00:16:00] have multiple ways of you to access us. We have, you can text us, use WhatsApp. We also have a web browser page where you go to crisistextline. org, and you can... Text us from your laptop. So it's, it's definitely the resource I recommend to people because like I said, we're available 24 7.

[00:16:20] Sadie: For people that have already texted in and they're saying, this is what I'm struggling with. Where do you go from there in regards to advice or next steps or things that they can take after the conversation and implement? 

[00:16:32] Anna: So I kind of like to find strength in the texter themselves.

[00:16:35] So once like they've shared their feelings and we've talked about it a bit, I'll ask them questions like, what do you like to do in your free time? What helps you feel strong? And from there, we'll kind of just talk about that and make a plan of actually, you know, executing and doing those things, so the texters on their own actually find their own strength.

[00:16:57] Sadie: I love that. I think that's really cool, and I think that's something [00:17:00] that speaks to how important it is to talk to someone else, because when you are in that really low headspace, I would never ask myself, like, what do I like doing in my free time? Like, that's just not an internal monologue that you have, so to have someone else bring that out of you and be like, I do really like watching that show, where I do like going on walks, I do like listening to music, whatever those skills are, I think it's a really incredible benefit of talking it out with someone else, and then actually putting those steps in place for next steps.

[00:17:25] I want to give some additional tips that people can implement , if they are struggling with depression or suicidal ideation, I, because when we were recording this, it is Suicide Prevention Month, I thought it would be fun to put together, like, a master list of, Just quick little, , coping skills that you can use when you're struggling with suicidal ideation.

[00:17:43] I think, like you mentioned, a lot of people struggle with it, but the skills that you can use when you're truly in crisis aren't ones that are universally known. So doing a lot of rapid fire, really quick ones. I also post this as TikTok if you want it in words. But giving a ton. We have fully experiencing the emotions, talking [00:18:00] it out, like you mentioned, even if it's to yourself, that can be really beneficial.

[00:18:03] Counting backwards from a thousand. Submerging your face in ice water, riding the wave of the urge and emotion, labeling the emotions and thoughts you're experiencing, drinking really cold water, doing a high intensity exercise, sleeping it off, pushing against a wall, and then relaxing, writing about your life worth living.

[00:18:19] Listening to really loud music, doing a plank or a wall sit, repeating a mantra, doing a DBT pros and cons, doing paced breathing, calling 988 or texting Crisis Text Line, surrounding yourself with other people, watching a scary movie, dancing, squeezing ice, asking an adult for help, taking a hot or cold shower, watching something funny, sucking on an ice cube, screaming into a pillow, deep cleaning something, or draw a painting and writing.

[00:18:45] So, like, a ton right there. And if there's a couple that you're like, oh, that would be really helpful, or I've tried that before and it works. Those are ones that I pulled from consistently when I was struggling with suicidal ideation. And at that point that I think a lot of people utilizing Crisis Text [00:19:00] Line can relate to when you're like, I just need help.

[00:19:02] Like, I'm really, really struggling with this right now. You're in crisis mode and you don't know what to do. It's not like, how do I decrease this long term? Like, how can I not have these urges six months from now? You're like, right now I need something to do. And a lot of those really take you out, of your head and force you to focus on other things.

[00:19:20] They shift the emotion by invoking other emotions or are such an engaging and are like overwhelming experience, whether it's listening to really loud music or doing sprints. Like, it's really hard to maintain that mental thought process. of that ideation or of that negative thought spiral while doing these other things.

[00:19:39] So those are really important. I think the other thing that we can mention for depression is shifting your behaviors and your thoughts to then shift the emotions. It's really, you can't really change your emotions. You can try and avoid them. You can try and like push them away as much as possible, but it's really challenging to will your emotions out of [00:20:00] existence?

[00:20:00] Instead, you can shift your behaviors and you can shift your thoughts, and then a lot of the times the emotions will follow. So doing the opposite of what you're feeling when you're depressed. So getting up out of bed, spending time with other people, engaging in something that is high energy that you are interested in, even if you're not feeling motivated to do it at that moment.

[00:20:19] It can be helpful to then shift the emotion itself and same thing for thoughts, like repeating those mantras, repeating positive things to yourself, or if you're having a negative thought spiral and you're like, I don't have anything I'm looking forward to, and I hate all these different things, being like, Well, I do have this thing coming up, and even though I'm not, like, loving myself right now, these are three things that I don't hate.

[00:20:41] And so, changing those thoughts and behaviors can be really powerful to then see that emotion shift as well. Going back to the other thing you mentioned, people writing in a lot about anxiety and stress. What is the advice there, that you're consistently offering people? Definitely 

[00:20:58] Anna: the coping skills.

[00:20:58] If you can get [00:21:00] your mind to go to another place. It, you get distracted and then the feelings kind of submerge a little bit. And the coping skills are so perfect because once you do them every day and become a habit, it's kind of like a superpower that you have in the back of your pocket. So, recommend that for anxiety.

[00:21:17] Sometimes the textures on while we're having a conversation, they'll cool down and they'll feel less 

[00:21:23] Sadie: like, yeah, it's almost like the distraction of having the conversation allows the anxiety to go away. I also think you have anxiety, but having the anxiety, like the thoughts are so overwhelming that you don't even want to like fully sit with that emotion or that thought.

[00:21:37] And I found that yeah. If you're anxious about something, especially if it's something that's coming up, whether it's a test, or, a social interaction, like these worries about future things. If you truly go down the rabbit hole and you're like, okay, I'm really worried about this test. really, what's the worst thing that could happen?

[00:21:53] you're worried about the social aspect. Like, I have to go into the classroom and it's in this giant lecture hall, and what if I drop all [00:22:00] my stuff on the ground, and then what if for whatever reason, like, I spill my water in the middle of the test, or , that's what you're worried about. And you truly go down that thought pattern.

[00:22:08] You're like, okay, let me imagine that this actually happens, and you'll be like, okay, yes, this is going to be really embarrassing, and I'm going to feel shame. But I'm gonna walk out of the test, and I'm still gonna be alive, and I'm gonna be fine, and life will go on. And I think the same thing is true for if you were worried about, your performance on the test.

[00:22:25] It's like, okay, you failed. You literally got zero points out of a hundred, and your grade maybe goes down, what, five percent? Ten percent? Like, you're not gonna drop out of university or college. You're not gonna have no career prospects because of that. It's not going to dramatically impact the path that your life is on.

[00:22:42] And so... Even though it feels so counterintuitive to truly sit with an anxiety and a worry and the thoughts, it can be really helpful to kind of follow that train of thought and be like, okay, wait, I fully understand what the full anxiety is. It doesn't have as much power anymore. And like you mentioned, the coping skills are huge.

[00:22:59] When you [00:23:00] have those Physiological symptoms of anxiety, those are another thing that you can't will away. You can't will away the emotion of anxiety, and you also can't, be like, Okay, body, please stop having such a high heart rate. Please stop making my hands shake. So that's where the coping skills can be really helpful, in doing behaviors that then shift those, like submerging your face in ice water.

[00:23:20] Every single time, it will decrease your heart rate and your breathing rate. Doing a high intensity exercise increases your heart rate and breathing rate, so then it has to come down. And like you mentioned, distracting yourself When that anxiety is so intense that you're not even able to create a plan of like, how do I cope with this?

[00:23:36] How do I continue on? Just getting through a moment with distraction can be really powerful and that can be taking a shower, listening to music, watching a TV show, talking to someone. There are so many skills out there and I think like you mentioned one of the hardest Parts of using coping skills is just remembering what skills you have in your toolkit.

[00:23:56] When you're in crisis, it's, you're like, I don't even know what to do. Maybe you're like, [00:24:00] okay, I have that hundred coping skills graphics saved on my phone somewhere, but it's really difficult to have those be front of mind, and truly utilize them. So I think that's another thing that can be really helpful, and you can set yourself up for success with by doing that crisis planning.

[00:24:13] And this is a thing that if you've done therapy, you've probably heard it before, but having that crisis plan. And so you kind of plan out like, if I'm in crisis and I'm at like a nine or 10 these are the people that I can call and text and put the help lines on there. Put crisis text line, put 988 because those are resources you have and should be using if you need them in addition to , a family member or a close friend or a therapist, and then you put down like, what are the skills that you can use?

[00:24:39] And you literally write down like your top five, like, I'm going to shower, I'm going to listen to loud music, I'm going to watch the show, I'm going to call this person and talk about something random on the phone. And then you also, are planning out , environments that are conductive to calming down and feeling better.

[00:24:56] So maybe it's getting outside, maybe it's being at the gym, maybe it's going to a coffee shop. [00:25:00] I found that to be really helpful when you're struggling with these things like depression or suicidal ideation or stress. Being around people sometimes can be really helpful. Like, it almost reminds you that you're not alone and everyone else has all these things going on in their life.

[00:25:12] They're probably also overwhelmed. So there's some other things there. The last thing that I wanted to ask you about is for listeners that have used Crisis Text Line before or are feeling really inspired and empowered by this conversation and want to be a volunteer.

[00:25:26] Maybe they're a psychology student like we are and they're like, I want to start getting experience and working with people even though I'm not necessarily graduated college and graduate school yet. So how do people get involved in Crisis Text Line? So all you 

[00:25:39] Anna: have to do is go to crisistextline. org and from there you'll just sign up to be a volunteer.

[00:25:45] From there you will have a 30 hour training course and you'll be followed by a supervisor who will help you throughout the entire way and then from there you can start helping other people. We also have the campus advocate program so if you don't want to be a [00:26:00] volunteer you can sign up to be a campus advocate and spread the word about the crisis text line through mental health resources 

[00:26:07] Sadie: on campus.

[00:26:08] I love that. I think that's huge. And I think it's something that I've heard a lot, while at Penn that people don't feel like they have enough resources on campus as a student. And so if you're also hearing that on your campus, I think this is a really great way to be able to increase awareness about these resources because even though you and I are like, oh, Grace's text line.

[00:26:27] Of course, that's a resource that's out there. A lot of people aren't aware of these things if they haven't gone through treatment or gone to therapy or been in that clinical setting where they're like, here are the things you call and do when you're struggling. And so for people that are struggling for the first time in college and don't have those resources, or don't have a parent that's like around them every day, seeing that things aren't okay, I think increasing awareness, especially on college campuses is really important and an amazing initiative.

[00:26:52] Well, thank you so much, Anna, for sitting down with me. I'm so glad we got to do this. So, to wrap things up, where can people find Crisis Text Line? I [00:27:00] know you mentioned the website, but you guys have social media, all of that. 

[00:27:04] Anna: Yeah, so if you want to reach the Crisis Text Line, you can text hello or hola to 741 741, and then you can also visit our website at crisistextline.

[00:27:13] org, and you can text us through the 

[00:27:15] Sadie: web browser. Amazing. I love it. Thank you so much. I'm so glad we got to do this. Thank you so much for having me. 

[00:27:23] Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of she persisted. If you enjoyed, make sure to share with a friend or family member, it really helps out the podcast. And if you haven't already leave a review on apple podcasts or Spotify, you can also make sure to follow along at actually persisted podcast on both Instagram and Tik TOK, and check out all the bonus resources, content and information on my website.

[00:27:44] She persisted podcast.com. Thanks for supporting. Keep persisting and I'll see you next week.

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