Text-A-Tip

          “Text-A-Tip” is an anonymous text communication system, based in Lake county, that provides users with immediate mental health services. To use the services, members simply download the app on their smart phone, make an ID, and send a message. Responders are all licensed and certified mental health professionals from Barrington Behavioral Health and Wellness and are on call 24/7. While the service is anonymous, emergency responders will be notified in the case of a life-threatening emergency or criminal activity. Text-A-Tip is partnered with several Lake county organizations, including, Lake County Opioid Initiative, Lake County Regional Office of Education, LEAD, a Lake Forest based non-profit, partnered with the Lake County Health Department/Community Health Center, the Child Adolescent and Family Recovery Center, and Barrington Behavioral Health & Wellness.

            I felt that this service was particularly interesting because one of my students uses the service quite regularly and says the app is very helpful. This came as a surprise to me, not because I thought the service wasn’t a good idea, but because I was a bit skeptical of students actually using the service. It turns out that one of my students actually uses Text-A-Tip and finds it very helpful when she is experiencing a crisis. Communal mental health services, such as Text-A-Tip, can provide supplemental mental health support for students beyond the school environment. Since my school’s campus has 3 social workers, we can only provide so much counseling and many students and their families are often reluctant to follow through with our referrals. Text-A-Tip is great supplemental support systems for teens and adolescents, who may be unable to receive traditional mental health services.

A Brief explanation of Text-A-Tip, as well as how the program came to be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=Bk_Aw6EKZI4

Text-A-Tip homepage

http://www.leadingefforts.org/text-a-tip/