What People Are Saying
“They gave me some helpful advice and really made me feel like I wasn’t alone.”
“[...] I ended up discovering a loving and supportive community that I’m so happy to be a part of!”
The Science Behind hEARt Listens
Student Support
A study by Healthy Minds revealed 61% of students who met the criteria for a mental disorder were not receiving any counseling or treatment1. They are falling through the cracks, and the impact can be devastating. According to the National Council of Disability, mental health problems in the college population can have negative effects on “academic performance, retention, and graduation rates”2. In fact, 64% of students who dropped out of college did so as a result of mental health related reasons, and 45% of those students did not receive services3.
Peer Support
Peer support is an evidence-based practice proven to engage difficult-to-reach individuals4, and text support services have been reported to help “those who find face-to-face discussions about difficult issues daunting” and people who were only able to “find the words with their thumbs”5. Peer support is also a practice that students are particularly receptive to: 76% of young adults turn to a peer first for support in a crisis6.
Our Solution
Given this, hEARt Listens has developed a platform to enable students to access kind, anonymous support from peers on their campus: the hEARt Line is a peer-to-peer text line that connects a student user with another student, a hEARt Supporter. When students feel stressed out, overwhelmed, or unable to cope with a life challenge, they can text in and tell the Line what they’d like to talk about. Within 24 hours, hEARt Listens anonymously connects them with a Supporter. Ultimately, hEARt Listens aims to harness the power of peer support and improve the college experience by offering an empathetic ear for students everywhere.
1. National Alliance on Mental Illness. “Mental Health By the Numbers.” NAMI, Sept. 2019, www.nami.org/mhstats.
2. “Mental Health on College Campuses: Investments, Accommodations Needed to Address Student Needs.” National Council of Disability report, https://ncd.gov/sites/default/files/NCD_Mental_Health_Report_0.docx.
3. Schulz, J., 2019. Studies Reveal Mental Illness Increase In Students. [online] The Advance-Titan. Available at: https://advancetitan.com/news/2019/11/07/studies-reveal-mental-illness-increase-in-students.
4. Mental Health America, and Center for Peer Support. Peer Support in Behavioral Health. www.mhanational.org/sites/default/files/Evidence%20for%20Peer%20Support.pdf.
5. Booth, Robert. “Mental Health Text Support Service Shout Launched by Royals.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 9 May 2019, www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/may/10/mental-health-text-support-service-shout-launched-by-duke-duchess-of-cambridge.
6. https://www.jedfoundation.org/first-year-college-experience-release/