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 UC Berkeley 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 UC Berkeley'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
Daniella Ivanir (she/her) is a fourth year studying Psychology and Public Policy. She loves cooking elaborate meals for her friends, stopping to say hi to any dog or baby she sees, and trying new resturaunts.
Daniella Ivanir
Chapter Coordinator
Robbie (he/him) is a sophomore at UC Berkeley and studies psychology. He likes to meet new people and has a lot of fun working with Lean On Me.
Robert Brown
Recruitment Coordinator
Sophia (she/her) is a second-year molecular and cell biology major, concentrating in immunology and molecular medicine. She enjoys going on hikes, running, drinking boba, and hanging out with her dogs in her free time.
Sophia Siopack
Supporter Coordinator
Leah is a senior studying Data Science & Psychology. She is originally from Los Angeles and enjoys good food, friendly dogs, and long naps. Outside of that, she is also an academic caseworker in the Student Advocate's Office and a research assistant for a Berkeley psychology lab.
Leah Totsubo
Training Coordinator
Madeline is a third year from Sacramento, CA studying Nutritional Science. She loves the outdoors, soccer, baking, yoga, and hiking and is excited to study abroad in the Netherlands in the spring.
Madeline Burns
Marketing Coordinator
Our impact
