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.”
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.”
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.
