COVID-19: Whatever you’re feeling, YouthLine is here for you.

Support Resources

YouthLine

YouthLine is a free and confidential 24-hour teen-to-teen crisis, counseling, and referral line for youth.

Let's talk.Call: 877.968.8491Text teen2teen to 839863

About

We are teens helping teens.

During the COVID19 pandemic, our teens are still here to support YOU from 4-10PM PST! 

A free 24-hour crisis, support, and helpline for youth.
YouthLine is a teen-to-teen youth crisis and support service provided by Lines for Life—a non-profit dedicated to preventing substance abuse and suicide. YouthLine operates a national helpline that provides crisis support and referrals via call, text, and chat. The YouthLine is answered by teen volunteers daily from 4pm-10pm PST (and by adults at all other times!). Translation services are available upon request. 

YouthLine also operates a peer-supported outreach program to destigmatize mental health challenges, increase awareness for mental health and wellness, and encourage youth to reach out for help. YouthLine’s helpline and outreach programs are supported by our youth development program, which builds skills and confidence around mental health and wellness.

Land Acknowledgement

YouthLine would like to acknowledge that the land where our work occurs is the occupied ancestral homelands of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, and Molalla tribes.

YouthLine Work Study Program 

Work Study positions are available for youth 15-20 years old who may face social or financial barriers to participating in volunteer work with YouthLine. Eligible youth who are accepted into the Work Study program receive a stipend of $250 per month for one year. 

Lines for Life seeks to reflect the demographics of the communities we serve, and we hope that the Work Study program will increase opportunities for passionate and dedicated youth from a variety of backgrounds to join our YouthLine volunteer team. 

Work Study participants will develop the following skills through the program: 

  • Mental Health Awareness & Ambassadorship 
  • Behavioral Health Training 
  • Community Collaboration 
  • Professional & Personal Development 

Learn More HereApply Now

Frequently Asked Questions

Teens reach out for support on a variety of topics and are able to talk with a trained peer crisis intervention specialist who can listen, relate, and empathize while discussing healthy coping skills and encouraging help seeking behavior. The phone lines are open 24 hours a day. The helpline is answered by youth daily from 4-10pm. Outside of these hours, the phone lines are answered by adult volunteers from Lines for Life who also answer the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Youth contact us with anything that may be bothering them. No problem is too big or too small for the YouthLine! Some of the things we talk with youth about are:
  • Relationship challenges and family issues
  • Feeling depressed or high stress/anxiety
  • Engaging in self-harm, thinking of suicide, or actively suicidal
  • Sexual identity
  • Abuse
  • Bullying
  • Eating disorders
YouthLine is confidential to a point. While YouthLine will never share conversations had on the lines, we are mandatory reporters. If a young person is unable to agree to safety for themselves or another person, or if abuse is occurring, YouthLine contacts other agencies to ensure the best support and safety for the young person in crisis. Only supervisors make calls to Child Protective Services and Emergency Medical Services.
While we do get information from caller ID, teens who reach out to the YouthLine are not required to give any identifying information. Teen volunteers on the lines are anonymous and use aliases.
Volunteers use aliases while on the line to ensure anonymity from potential classmates or peers. The volunteers on YouthLine attend school in the Portland Metro Area and it is important that they can focus on being teens when not in the office.
Volunteers on the YouthLine offer to have another volunteer check in with their contact the next day to offer ongoing support, ensure the teen followed through with any self-care and safety plans, and to check in about reaching out to their own safety network.
YouthLine receives over 27,000 contacts per year. Youth volunteers answer calls, texts, chats, and emails daily from 4pm-10pm PST and have an average of 70-90 contacts per day. Outside the hours of 4pm-10pm, Lines for Life's adult crisis line volunteers answer around 20% of YouthLine contacts.
YouthLine is a service of Lines for Life, a 501c(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to prevent suicide and substance abuse. YouthLine is primarily supported by the Oregon Health Authority, private foundations, Multnomah County, and donations to Lines for Life.

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