Warm Line
Call or Text (855) 845-7415 to speak with a counselor 24/7
The MHASF Warm Line is here for you 24/7.
The Warm Line provides accessible mental health support by using the wisdom of lived experience to connect, inspire hope, and empower our community toward unlimited recovery. We have provided assistance via phone and web chat to anyone in need since 2014. Some concerns callers share are challenges with interpersonal relationships, anxiety, pain, depression, finances, alcohol/drug use, etc.
Why a “Warm Line” and not a “Hot Line?”
Imagine a pot left unattended and beginning to boil over—it requires immediate intervention to prevent avoidable damage. Distress left avoided for too long is similar to a boiling pot.
The Warm Line aims to be an accessible mental health resource people can use for support before they’ve reached their boiling point. Our research shows that immediate support will prevent crisis later.
The Warm Line aspires to bring authentic human connection to every conversation. Because our counselors are peers with their own experiences of mental health challenges, MHASF provides support from a place of empathy, understanding, and constant hope for recovery.
Testimonials
“Warm lines are an essential part of mental health care because they help people in a stage where they are still processing. Peer support is so important because it reaches people in ways that clinicians can’t, and you feel like you’re not alone.”
—Warm Line Caller
“Since calling the Warm Line, my life and situation have improved greatly. I feel less lonely, more understood, and it’s easy for me to put things into perspective once I start talking to the people who are answering the phones on theWarm Line.“
—Warm Line Caller
Support Our Cause
Work with us
Apply today to be a California Peer-Run Warm Line counselor, coordinator, or specialized staff!
Help sustain our frontline workers
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, MHASF services have significantly increased. Our Warm Line team has been working non-stop to provide emotional and mental support to the entire state of CA.
If you are able to donate, we can hire more people to meet the demand of our calls. We appreciate your help and support during this difficult time.
FAQ
The California Peer-Run Warm Line is a 24/7 non-crisis emotional support phone and chat line serving residents of California. The California Peer-Run Warm Line is made up entirely of peers, meaning that all Warm Line Counselors have lived experience with mental health challenges. Our goal is to support our callers in emotional distress before they reach a crisis point.
Anyone residing in California can call the California Peer-Run Warm Line. We serve people of all demographics. Anyone who wants to connect with a peer counselor is encouraged to call.
Warm Line Counselors will hold space, listen and support you. The California Peer-Run Warm Line is not an advice line. It is our goal to empower our callers to identify their own path forward, offer support, and increase resiliency and self-advocacy.
You can call the Warm Line three times per day. Your call count will reset at midnight 12 AM. Calls of any length with a peer counselor will count towards the 3-call limit. If your call gets disconnected a few minutes into a call, and you call back immediately, this will count as one call. In the event that you are asked to call back due to high call volume or shift changes, this will not count as a call.
When you call the California Peer-Run Warm Line, you will be routed to the next peer counselor who is available to take your call. We are not able to match callers to specific Peer Counselors. If you do not wish to speak to the Peer Counselor who picks up your call, you may choose to end the call and call back at another time. Please keep in mind that if you do choose to end a call it will still count towards the 3 calls per day limit.
- When you call the California Peer-Run Warm Line, you will be routed to the next peer counselor who is available to take your call. We are not able to match callers to specific Peer Counselors. If you do not wish to speak to the Peer Counselor who picks up your call, you may choose to end the call and call back at another time. Please keep in mind that if you do choose to end a call it will still count towards the 3 calls per day limit.
As peers, we know that suicidal thoughts are part of many people’s experience with mental health and are not always indicative of crisis. We strive to support callers having thoughts of suicide by exploring their resources, holding space, and scheduling follow-up calls for ongoing peer support. In rare instances of crisis, Peer Counselors will collaborate with callers to find support that meets the caller’s needs.
The California Peer Run Warm Line does not practice non-consensual active rescue. We will not call emergency services unless the caller says it’s ok.
As a peer-run warm line, we value mutuality between our staff and callers. Just as we honor the choices and boundaries of our callers, we also want our counselors to feel safe by having their boundaries respected. Callers are required to speak respectfully to peer counselors and honor any boundaries communicated by a counselor. Any of the following behaviors will result in a ban from using the California Peer-Run Warm Line:
Use of hate speech. This includes harassment and discrimination based on race, sexual orientation, gender, national origin, religion, age, ability, and more.
Harassment including sexual harassment.
Failure to respect Warm Line policies.
If you would like to appeal a ban from contacting the California Peer-Run Warm Line, you may do so here.
There are a number of ways to get in touch with us and your feedback is welcome. A feedback voicemail box is available as a call menu option, or you may request to speak to a supervisor. If a supervisor is not available to take your feedback in that moment, you are welcome to leave your phone number and give permission for the supervisor to leave a voicemail if they cannot reach you.