24-hour crisis text line for students launched at the University of Guelph

Students at the University of Guelph will now be able to access mental health support by text message through a new “crisis text line” powered by Kids Help Phone.

The free, 24-hour service has already been launched and offers immediate support to all students from a volunteer crisis responder.

“University can create a lot of pressure for students and we’re delighted to offer another source of support to them,” said Alison Burnett, director of student wellness at the university.

“We want our students to know that it’s OK to not be OK and it’s OK to ask for help.”

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To access the service, students just need to text “UofG” to 686868. The university said the service does not require a data plan or internet connection.

BELOW: University of Guelph steps up mental health support for students

1:55 University of Guelph steps up mental health support for students

Burnett said offering text message support just makes sense with the technology that is now available.

Research done by Kids Help Phone showed 42 per cent of youth prefer to write about their problems rather than speak.

“We’re well aware of what we visually see in terms of how students engage and texting is definitely one of the options,” Burnett said.