Our mission
Lean On Me strengthens communities by providing peer-to-peer text lines that allow for easy access to confidential non-crisis support. We envision a world where anyone can seek and receive emotional support.
Our chapter
Lean On Me at Misericordia University is a chapter of Lean On Me, which was founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2015. To learn more about their impact or inquire about establishing a new chapter, visit their website here.
How our hotline works
Lean On Me allows students to talk to trained peer Supporters in a convenient and anonymous setting. To learn more about our training process, please click here.
1. Text our hotline
Text MU’s hotline number whatever you’d like to talk about! This can range from brief messages such as “All of my friends are busy and I want someone to talk to” to a longer, more serious message. Our Supporters are here to listen and be there for you - the topic is your choice!
3. Receive a reply
The expected wait time is just under 5 minutes. While the service is available at any time, please remember that Supporters are your peers, who lead their own busy lives and occasionally remember to sleep. So the wait time for a conversation sent in at 4:30 AM may be longer, and we thank you for understanding that!
5. End the conversation
Conversations last for as long as you would like them to, and you can end a conversation with a Supporter at any time by texting “/bye” to the hotline. If you text again you will be matched with a new Supporter and they will not see what you wrote before.
2. Match with a Supporter
Once a text is received, all active Supporters will be informed that a request has come in, and within a few minutes you will be matched with one!
4. Have a conversation
You can now have a conversation with the Supporter! Feel free to text for as long as you like. If you ever feel uncomfortable with a Supporter text “/flag”, and we’ll match you with another! For a full list of commands, text “/help” to the hotline. Supporters never see your slash commands.
6. Provide feedback
Once a conversation ends, you will be asked to provide feedback, helping make the service better for future users. By no means is this mandatory, but we would really appreciate it. Your input will have a very real effect on the future of Lean On Me, and on changes we make to the service!
Meet our team
Hi! I am Riley, an early childhood and special education major at MU. I am a mental health advocate and enjoy talking about and sharing my experiences.
Riley Coon
Chapter Coordinator
Hey, I'm Tia Rittenbaugh
and I'm a junior Occupational
Therapy student at Misericordia.
I've seen and endured the struggles of mental health and want to be an outlet for others!
Tia Rittenbaugh
Marketing Coordinator
Hi my name is Kamryn Stine and I am a speech-language pathology major. I chose to be a part of Lean on Me because I think it would be super beneficial for students to have on our campus!
Kamryn Stine
Recruitment Coordinator
Hi! I am Alexandra, and I am an early childhood-special education major at MU. I feel passionate about helping people. Showing that mental health is an important topic because everyone should feel supported and safe to share!
Alexandra Gordon
Training Coordinator
Enter a short description about each board member here! You can aim to fill up this entire text box. If your description is shorter, please make sure to center the text.
Stephanie Maines
Support Coordinator
