Strong365 Lab + HearMe join forces to support teen & young adult mental health
April 4, 2024
We’re excited to share our new partnership with peer listening app HearMe to offer young people a platform for real-time, empathetic support. This partnership enables Strong365 Lab to offer youth across the country free access to peer support whenever they need it, addressing a critical need. In the past decade, high school students have experienced a 40% increase in feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and suicide has become the second-leading cause of death among youth aged 15 to 24 in the U.S.
"Our partnership with Strong365 Lab amplifies our commitment to providing a space where youth can feel understood and supported instantly. It's all about connection and validation in the moments they need it most." - Adam Lippin, Founder, HearMe
Today, a large proportion of youth in the United States are seeking emotional support. Research has found that young people with stress, anxiety, or depression, for example, benefit from peer support and experience improved outcomes, including greater happiness, improved self-esteem & coping, and reduced depression, loneliness, and anxiety. Furthermore, given that psychology and psychiatry services can be difficult to access in the U.S. due to stigma, cost, geography and more, peer support plays an important role in promoting wellness through an accessible, affordable channel.
“By making peer support broadly and freely available through our partnership with HearMe, we hope to lower the barriers surrounding help-seeking for mental health concerns faced by youth today, including stigma, cost concerns, and confidentiality & privacy concerns, among others – particularly among the most vulnerable communities where these concerns are most prevalent.” – Mili Mehta, Co-founder, Strong365 Lab
This partnership embeds peer support services into Strong365 Community, a free online mental health education resource for youth. In addition, HearMe will be a crucial part of upcoming Strong365 Lab research projects. On the heels of a recent research study funded by the National Institute of Health exploring the efficacy of digital strategies to accelerate help-seeking in youth with mental health concerns in New York state, Strong365 Lab is preparing to launch a similar digital campaign in Pennsylvania in partnership with Northwell Health, HeadsUp (based at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and funded through the Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services).
The digital campaign, called PAWell, aims to further examine how online educational resources and care navigation services can accelerate access to appropriate mental health care among teens and young adults facing mental health concerns statewide. HearMe will play a key role in this project, serving as the primary support channel and initial touchpoint for youth who may benefit from peer support services.
About Strong365 Lab Strong365 Lab LLC a social enterprise that aims to improve equitable mental health outcomes for youth through public health strategy consulting, intervention research and design, and advocacy.
We bring together cross-functional teams to co-design, implement, and evaluate programs that address the complex needs and interests of young people. Through project-based collaborations with youth-serving institutions, including OnTrackNY, UCSF Path Program for Early Psychosis, UCLA Health, Stanford Medicine, HeadsUp, and more, our goal is to raise the bar for quality and equitable access to mental health care for Gen Z and those that follow.
About HearMe The HearMe app connects people with shared lived experiences for emotional and mental well-being or simply to get things off their chest. HearMe is available 24 hours a day and members get connected in under 3 minutes with a peer support listener.
Members are matched with trained Listeners for one-on-one text-based emotional support that is centered on empathy and understanding. These types of conversations have been proven to increase mood, foster a sense of connection, combat loneliness, stress, and burnout, and allow for an immediate outlet during times of stress, which can prevent more serious health issues.
The strength to persist and thrive through mental health struggles exists in all of us. 🫶🏽
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