Hey Sam FAQ
Textline FAQ
Hey Sam is a peer-to-peer mental health support textline for young people, by young people. When you text Hey Sam, you will be connected with a trained young person 15-24 years old who is there to provide nonjudgmental, compassionate listening and support. Hey Sam is a program of Samaritans, an organization providing lifesaving services including a 24/7 Helpline, grief support, and suicide prevention education.
Hey Sam is designed for and staffed by young people ages 15-24 years old. Everyone is welcome to text Hey Sam regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, economic status, immigration status, and other diverse backgrounds.
If you are older than 24 and would like to talk to someone, call or text 988 to get support.
All Hey Sam text takers are trained staff and volunteers who provide supportive, nonjudgmental listening. We do not use AI to answer texts. When you call, you will get an automatic bounceback message. Then, you will get connected to a trained individual who will provide compassionate support and understanding.
- Text Hey Sam at 439-726 when you want to talk.
- You will get an automated response right away while we connect you with one of our trained team members.
- We will ask for your name and why you are reaching out, but only share what you are comfortable sharing.
- Our team member will listen to you. We will not give advice or try to “fix” anything. We simply want to support you in whatever you are experiencing.
When you tell a Hey Sam team member that you’re having thoughts of suicide, we will work with you to understand your situation and keep you safe. We will ask questions to better understand your current mental and physical state, such as whether you are feeling suicidal today or the past few days, if you have a plan, access to means, or a timeframe. We will also ask if you have taken any action to harm yourself, with or without suicidal intent. This helps us determine the best way to support you.
For anyone experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, we will offer to create a safety plan with you. This is a collaborative process that may include exploring coping strategies that have worked for you in the past, identifying safe environments and people, and discussing ways to limit access to lethal means. We can also offer a follow-up call to check in on your wellbeing.
At Hey Sam, we will try every possible intervention, including offering to create a safety plan with a caller prior to calling 911. It is rare (less than 10% of our calls and texts) that we engage 911. A call to 911 is only used for callers who are deemed to be at imminent risk of ending their life. Police will be sent with Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
Hey Sam and Samaritans, Inc. value the confidentiality of all who use our services.
As of February 16, 2025, calls and texts to our crisis services, including Hey Sam, may be recorded for quality assurance and training purposes. Recordings and transcripts will not be shared with outside parties unless required by law.
All information relating to a person who reaches out for help is confidential. In certain cases, we may share information if one of the following occurs:
- We have informed consent from the person to pass on information;
- A person appears to be at imminent risk of death, and we have exhausted all efforts to collaboratively secure their safety;
- We receive a court order requiring us to divulge information;
- We are told information about acts of terrorism or bomb threat;
- A person attacks or threatens volunteers or others; or
- A person deliberately prevents the service from being delivered to other callers.
While Hey Sam maintains confidentiality, even after the death of a caller, our contact information may appear on the invoice provided by your mobile service provider. We collect phone numbers for texts coming in to Hey Sam and our legacy text line.
If you are looking for clinical help in Massachusetts, we can connect you with the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line. They can provide free and confidential guidance with no health insurance required. You can also call them directly at 833-773-2445.
If you are located outside Massachusetts, we will connect you with your local 988 center, which can provide local resources.
Yes. You can text us for any reason. Whether you are feeling down, worried about someone else, or suicidal, we’re here to listen. Many folks contact us because they need someone to talk to or feel they have nowhere else to turn.
Yes. If you’re concerned that someone you care about may be suicidal, the Hey Sam team can help you think through strategies for how to best support them. We have additional resources on our website about suicide risk factors, warning signs, and how to support someone who is struggling.
You can also offer to call 988 together to figure out a safety plan.
The Hey Sam phone number (439-726) is only accessible from the US. If you are located outside the U.S., there are multiple ways to get support:
- Search Befrienders Worldwide to find a call center near you.
- Individuals located outside the U.S. can call our legacy phone line (1-877-870-4673) at the rate of your regular phone provider. However, we may not be able to provide you with resources local to you.
- You can contact the Crisis Text Line through WhatsApp by messaging 443-SUP-PORT or chat online.
- You can text the THRIVE Lifeline from anywhere. Text “THRIVE” to +1.313.662.8209, 24/7
Hey Sam is for everyone, including young people without legal documents.
- Your conversation is confidential (private).
- If you tell us your immigration status, we will NOT share it with the government.
If you feel afraid of deportation or immigration problems for yourself or your family, we are here to listen. We will give emotional support with kindness and without judgment. You deserve care and compassion, no matter your immigration status.
We rarely call 911 (less than 10% of the time). We only call if there is a life-threatening emergency. Even then, we do not report immigration status.
At the moment, Hey Sam is only available in English.
If you need support in another language, call the Samaritans 24/7 Helpline at 1-877-870-4673. The Helpline is available in more than 240 different languages with the aid of a tele-interpreter services.
Full List of Languages Offered (Audio Only)
Spanish speakers can call 988 and press 2. This will not connect you with Samaritans, but with another call center that takes calls specifically in Spanish.
Hey Sam is here for everyone. We value the safety and confidentiality of all who use our services.
When you reach out to Hey Sam, our team member will ask you questions such as your name, why you are reaching out, and your physical and mental state. You are free to share as much or as little as you want.
Full List of Languages Offered (Audio Only)
If you are not ready to talk or text with someone, you can find more resources on our website.
Volunteer FAQ
Anyone aged 15-24 with permanent residency in the United States can be eligible to volunteer with Hey Sam. Although Hey Sam is based in Massachusetts, all our training and volunteering is done remotely, and volunteers are accepted from anywhere in the US.
Volunteers in high school can take a shift on the textline from 9am-9pm ET and volunteers out of high school can take a shift on the textline from 9am-midnight ET.
Volunteers in high school are not able to schedule their regular shift on the textline past 9pm in their time zone.
Yes, there is an interview process before going to the training.
This interview ensures we are a good match for each other and gives you an opportunity to ask questions.
How busy a shift is varies depending on the time of day that you are shifting and depending on how many other volunteers are on at the same time. Generally, volunteers take 1-3 texts during a typical shift.
You’ll check in and out at the beginning and end of your shift with your Shift Supervisor, and you will be able to contact your Shift Supervisor and other Hey Sam texters on shift if you have any questions as you are volunteering.
No prior experience is needed! You’ll be trained and have the opportunity for plenty of practice before you begin shifting.
If your school accepts Hey Sam volunteering as a fulfillment of the requirement, Hey Sam will be happy to fill out any required forms. Be sure to keep in mind that once you sign up to volunteer with Hey Sam, there is a minimum number of volunteering hours you must complete, unrelated to any volunteering requirements your school may have.
Also, please always confirm with the Hey Sam staff beforehand whether they will be able to verify your volunteer hours, as some schools may require supervision and/or information that we are unable to provide.
Every shift has a Shift Supervisor who is ready to give you needed support. Besides that, we have the Hey Sam staff and fellow volunteers who you can contact as well.
Samaritans staff are on-call 24/7 to support high risk conversations.
Volunteers commit to completing a 40-hour training which consists of online learning modules, live Zoom sessions with a training cohort, and shifts on the textline with an experienced Hey Sam mentor.
Once on the textline, volunteers in high school complete one 3-hour regular shift per week and volunteers out of high school complete one 4-hour regular shift per week.
Volunteers in high school are asked to complete at least 150 hours of volunteer work and volunteers out of high school are asked to complete at least 200 hours of volunteer work. This is approximately a 12-month commitment to volunteering on the Hey Sam textline.
Since Hey Sam is a mental health textline, there are a wide range of topics that can come up in conversations, including loneliness, grief, suicidal ideation, and much more. However, Hey Sam does not tolerate insulting or inappropriate texts, and volunteers are trained how to manage inappropriate text conversations.
It can vary, but usually there are at least a couple of Hey Sam volunteers on the line at once.