The help service Teen Line trains adolescents to be counselors for their peers. (photo courtesy of Teen Line)

Teens supporting teens. That’s the purpose of Teen Line. Senior director Cheryl Karp Eskin said the program’s premise was founded on the idea that teens understand one another better than adults.

“We’re set up for hope, and to encourage people that there is support out there,” Eskin said.

Eskin described a girl who reached out to Teen Line recently via text. She was struggling and contemplating taking her own life.

“We were able to de-escalate and convince her to talk to her mother about it. And we did a follow-up contact the next day in which she had talked to her mother. Not only did it go well, but the mother had also set up an appointment with a counselor,” Eskin said. “It felt like we really had made an impact, and she was so happy she had reached out.”

To be accepted as a counselor in the program, which is a part of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, teens participate in a thorough application and interview process. If accepted, teens undergo a 65-hour in-person training program in West Los Angeles.

“We aim to be that resource for people who feel like there’s nobody out there who gets them,” Eskin said. “Imagine you’re a 12-year-old who has a panic attack for the first time and thinks that they’re the only one who feels this way. Or the 16-year-old who feels like nobody cares about her.”

Elijah Rygh, 19, said that he has called Teen Line multiple times, once after a friend of five years had unfriended him.

“I told them about what happened, and they were really helpful with resources,” Rygh said. “They encouraged me.”

Rygh also has a YouTube channel called Blended Mozart, where he covers songs on the piano, including many interpretations of Imagine Dragons tunes. Imagine Dragons lead singer Dan Reynolds is a mental health advocate who has battled with depression and serves as an inspiration to Rygh. According to Rygh, Reynolds said,

The help service Teen Line trains adolescents to be counselors for their peers. “Your life is always worth living.”

Dominic Brown, who is a former volunteer for Teen Line, is a sophomore at the University of California Santa Cruz. He said that even in 2024 there are many spaces where youth are not encouraged to share their struggles. But Brown said therapy saved his life.

“I did seek therapy before Teen Line, and that’s what helped me get to the stage in my life where I was ready to [become a] volunteer at Teen Line,” Brown said. “I would encourage my younger self to seek resources, but I would also forgive them for not doing so sooner because I understand why they didn’t.”

Brown said the most important skill he learned from Teen Line was active listening.

“I feel like a lot of times, it’s almost human instinct to just assume that someone wants advice when they’re opening up to you, but in many cases, they honestly just want someone to listen to them,” Brown said.

Rygh said being able to speak your truth is a strength.

“Reaching out does not make you weak,” Rygh said. “It actually makes you strong.”

Teen Line is currently accepting applications for counselors. Applications must be submitted by Jan. 26 at 5 p.m. Visit teenline.org for information or call (800)852-8336.