About us
What we do
Lean On Me provides students with emotional support through the convenience and confidentiality of texting, with the goal of making mental health support less stigmatized and more accessible.
Since Lean On Me’s establishment at MIT in September of 2016, hotlines have exchanged over 40,000 messages, trained over 400 peer Supporters, and built a support network reaching over 250,000 students.
Why we do it
Too often, students will not seek out the support they need due to existing barriers: be it distance to the office, lack of availability, long wait times, or a general apprehension that other people at school or their parents will find out.
With Lean On Me, students can easily talk to peer Supporters, students who have often shared similar experiences, in a convenient and anonymous setting for non-crisis support.
Our hotline is...
Anonymous
Seeking support can be intimidating, so we don’t ask students for any identifying information, and their phone number is always encrypted when they text in.
Free
A major barrier to getting help is the cost of services. Our Supporters volunteer their time to keep our textline 100% free, making our service as accessible as possible,
Student-run
We strive to make our users feel as comfortable as possible. With a peer-to-peer service, we're able to empathize with students when other services might not be able to.
Our story
What our users are saying
Boston College
My supporter was very nice and open! We had a lot of common experiences, way more than I expected. This was very helpful and I feel less in a funk.
MIT
This supporter helped me so much! I was so impressed with all of the information they knew about resources at MIT and they were so emotionally supportive.
University of Chicago
This supporter was extremely helpful! I liked that the conversation felt personal and I felt that they empathized with me based on their own experience.
Thank you to our sponsors and advisors!
In the press
