Vanessa Showalter

For more than four years, the Foundation for California Community Colleges has partnered with Crisis Text Line to help spread mental health awareness and to support students in their time of need. Crisis Text Line is a nonprofit organization that provides free, 24/7, confidential text-based mental health support in both English and Spanish. Anyone—students, faculty, and staff— seeking support can text COURAGE to 741741 to reach a live, volunteer Crisis Counselor. 

Crisis Text Line data shows that school-related stress or anxiety is quite common, as 30% of texters (among the ages 18 through 24) discussed this issue. When discussing school-related stress, texters talked specifically about financial stress, having to find a job, failing, as well as specific mental health diagnoses. Every year, these conversations surge when school is in session.

“Partnering with Crisis Text Line has been a vital step in advancing our mission to provide equitable and holistic support for California Community College students, including 24/7 mental health care,” said Iris Aguilar, Vice President of Equity and Community Impact at the Foundation for California Community Colleges. “In just the past academic year, Crisis Text Line supported over 700 students through more than 1,100 conversations and safely de-escalated 13 serious mental health crises. This year alone accounts for nearly 17 percent of all crisis de-escalations since 2018, with 67 percent being first-time texters, underscoring the growing demand for timely, confidential support. That’s why this partnership matters: it ensures students don’t face mental health challenges alone. We are meeting them where they are, when they need us most.”

Since launching the partnership in July 2021, Crisis Text Line has handled more than 16,000 conversations with members of the California Community Colleges community. Nearly half of the conversations (46%) were about anxiety and stress, and one-third of the conversations (33%) mentioned depression or sadness. 

More than half of our conversations (59%) were with students aged 18-24, while about a fifth (19%) were with students aged 25-34. These numbers reflect a growing demand for accessible, 24/7 mental health care, especially around issues like anxiety, academic stress, and isolation.

“Crisis Text Line is ready to support students with whatever the semester brings,” said Jana French, Community Partnerships Director at Crisis Text Line. “We’ve trained more than 85,000 volunteer Crisis Counselors—many of them college students themselves—who bring texters from a hot moment to a cool calm through empathy, active listening, and by empowering each texter to use their own strengths and coping strategies.”

Crisis Text Line’s text-based service supports people of all ages but was specifically created for young people, allowing for on-demand support through text message – a medium most people use and trust. The nonprofit organization uses a triage algorithm to identify texters at high risk of imminent harm. It moves them to the front of the queue, just like a mental health emergency room.

Those seeking free, 24/7 confidential mental health support through Crisis Text Line can connect via text, web chat and WhatsApp in English and Spanish. To reach a live, trained volunteer Crisis Counselor, text COURAGE to 741741, or 443-SUPPORT in WhatsApp, or to  442-AYUDAME in WhatsApp for Spanish, or connect with us via web chat. 

About the Foundation for California Community Colleges

The Foundation for California Community Colleges works to benefit students, colleges, and communities by accelerating paths to economic and social mobility, strengthening communities, and reducing barriers to opportunities for all Californians. FoundationCCC is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1998. It serves as the official statewide nonprofit organization supporting the California Community Colleges, the largest system of higher education in the nation. For more information, visit www.foundationccc.org.  

About Crisis Text Line

Crisis Text Line is a leading nonprofit organization that provides free, 24/7, confidential text-based mental health support in English and Spanish. Since its launch in 2013, we have supported over 11 million conversations in the United States and more than 15 million globally together with our affiliates in Canada, the UK and Ireland. Crisis Text Line’s more than 85,000 live, trained volunteer Crisis Counselors bring texters from a hot moment to a cool calm through nonjudgmental support and empowers each texter to use their own strengths and coping strategies. We are committed to creating an empathetic world where nobody feels alone. Individuals seeking confidential support can connect with us via text, web chat and WhatsApp. To be connected to a live, trained nonjudgmental volunteer Crisis Counselor, text HELLO or HOLA to 741741 or 443-SUPPORT in WhatsApp or text HOLA to 741741 or 442-AYUDAME in WhatsApp for Spanish or connect with us via web chat. Visit Crisis Text Line on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Additional information, including how to become a volunteer or how to support Crisis Text Line through donations or partnerships, is available at www.crisistextline.org.