Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services celebrated World Teen Mental Wellness Day on March 2, joining a global effort to raise awareness about the youth mental health crisis, destigmatize mental health and spotlight life-saving resources and information.

Didi Hirsch’s Teen Line program is the nation’s leading crisis and support hotline that connects youth with professionally trained “teen listeners” who provide peer support and mental health resources to teens across the United States. In 2022, teen listeners responded to more than 6,500 calls, texts and emails from their peers. Relationships, anxiety and stress, depression, suicide and mental health concerns were the primary challenges facing young people who reached out to Teen Line in 2022.

“I want people to know that they deserve to be listened to, receive support and that they are not alone, regardless of how big or small they perceive their issue to be when reaching out to Teen Line,” said teen listener Remi, 17.

Teen Listeners offer an empathetic ear and help young people find new ways to cope, identify people in their support system and suggest helpful resources in their communities.

“My biggest tip for teens is to take self-care seriously because your mental health is so important,” said Eva, 17.

“It’s also important to remember that we are all different people, so try and find things that work for you. Be really honest with yourself about how what you tried made you feel and whether it did or didn’t help you,” said Max, 18.

Prioritizing mental health from an early age and practicing self-care is an effective way to build resiliency. Teen Listeners have identified tips that can be effective for addressing mental health concerns and the daily stressors of teen life, such as building a support system of people you trust, trying to look at situations from different perspectives, giving yourself permission to step away from problems and spending time doing things you love.

“While I completely understand how difficult it can be to reach out for help, I truly wish that more people know how many resources like Teen Line are out there – we are ready to listen and support you,” said Alex, 17.

Teen listeners complete more than 100 hours of training on topics such as depression, abuse, self-harm, active listening, crisis and suicide assessments. Since its inception in 1981, Teen Line has trained more than 2,200 teen listeners, centering the role of teens in meaningfully addressing the mental health needs facing their generation.

“The peer-to-peer model is grounded in an understanding that teens can more readily relate with and connect with their peers. This focus on connection, empathy and shared experience are at the root of how this model works, but the incredible teen listeners are at the heart of why it works. I am in constant awe of their compassion, humility and commitment to destigmatizing youth mental health,” said Teen Line senior director Cheryl Eskin.

To contact Teen Line, call (800)852-8336 between 6-10 p.m. or email teenline.org/email-us. People can also text TEEN to 839863 from 6-9 p.m. to be connected.