988 is one of the most far-reaching mental health resources ever built. It’s free, confidential, and available 24/7 by phone, text, or chat.
The evidence is clear: 988 is a critical, life-saving service. A study published in JAMA this year found an 11% reduction in suicide deaths among 15- to 34-year-olds in the two and a half years after 988 launched, compared to what researchers had projected, with even larger reductions in states where call volume grew the most. That's the macro picture of what happens when accessible, well-run crisis support scales nationally.
We wanted to understand more about the operational side of what makes it work. Recently, we published research with Volunteers of America Western Washington, one of the most innovative crisis centers in the country, and found that counselors who practiced more consistently performed measurably better on real crisis calls, including suicide risk screening. People who feel ready for a hard conversation are more willing to start one.
The value of 988 is that it's there in the moment, whether that moment comes before a crisis or during one, and whether you're reaching out for yourself or for someone you're worried about. That's what makes this year's 988 Day theme feel so fitting: "988 Reasons: your reason is reason enough." It's aimed at the people calling, texting, and chatting into 988: whatever you're facing is reason enough to reach out.
In honor of 988 Day, we wanted to spotlight the people responsible for making sure 988 is there when someone needs it. We're privileged to work with dozens of crisis centers across the country, and their perspective on this work inspires us every day. So this year, we asked them directly the same question the theme is asking callers: what's your reason?
The 988 network includes hundreds of centers and thousands of people working roles that rarely get named individually: quality assurance staff, trainers, clinical supervisors, IT teams keeping the line up. None of that happens without a lot of people deciding, individually, that this was reason enough to build a career around. Below are some of their responses.
Reasons for the work
"My Why has always been the community. Being able to provide a space for people in crisis and being able to develop staff to support people in the community is a wonderful part of my work that inspires me."
- Abiola Adebayo, Transition Manager, FirstLink
"What inspires me most is knowing that, in someone's most difficult moment, there is a place they can reach where someone will answer and listen without judgement, and help them find a path forward. The work of 988 is deeply human."
- Amee Ivie, CEO, Crisis Support Services of Nevada
"Seeing the year-to-year growth of 988 since its inception four years ago inspires me to make sure we are constantly hiring new trained clinicians to meet the increasing need. We are determined to always be available for our state's callers."
- Greg Borders, LCSW, Chief Clinical Officer, Lines for Life
"What inspires me most is the opportunity to be there for people during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Every day, I witness the compassion, dedication, and resilience of crisis counselors who provide hope and support when it is needed most. Knowing that a single conversation can help someone feel heard, connected, and safe is a powerful reminder of why this work matters."
- Poto Tuigamala, Crisis Hotline Clinical Supervisor, Northwest Human Services
"I am inspired by the progress we've made and the potential 988 still has. To have considered a national service like this even a decade ago was revolutionary, and now to think of it as a standard practice shows how a vision can come to be."
- Susie Reece, Director of Lived Experience Initiatives, Suicide Prevention Resource Center
"The idea that there is a hope that connecting with another human being during a crisis will bring some relief really hits me. It is not easy to reach out, but that hope for support drives the effort. That strength inspires me."
- Lorraine Peragallo, Associate Executive Director, Response Crisis Center
"What inspires me is knowing that sometimes a conversation is exactly what someone needs in that moment. When someone is having a hard time, there's a real person on the other end who is willing to listen and help them through that moment."
- Kelly Bombardiere, VP, Crisis Services, Centerstone
"Knowing that 988 may be the singular support a vulnerable person in our community has is what inspires me to do the work. I think it is an honor, privilege, and duty to serve these people to the best of our ability."
- Lindsay P. Deputy Division Director, Emergency Services, Johnson County Mental Health Center
"Meeting people in crisis is an incredible privilege. The vulnerability and trust involved in reaching out to an unknown crisis counselor through 988 informs our crisis intervention philosophy."
- Erica M. Dennehy, MSW, LICSW, SUDP, Clinical Director, Olympic Health and Recovery Services
"The callers are the most inspiring part of 988. It is courageous to share with someone that you are going through a hard time and to ask for help. Witnessing people make those calls for themselves or on someone's behalf is amazing."
- Marielena R. McWhirter Boisen, PhD, Assistant Director of Staff Training & Development, Lines for Life
"How connection and lived experience inform and shape the interactions on 988. So many people come to this work because of their own strength and resilience. Hearing that meet the hope and resilience of a caller is complete magic."
- Stephen R. Canova, Clinical Training Supervisor, Lines for Life
"Heading down a hiking trail in the Cascades this past week, I happened to glance at the back of a trail sign and notice a sticker bearing the words, 'You Matter, 988 Suicide Prevention.' Knowing that a person might see that at their time of need, and that we help ensure a compassionate, highly trained person is ready to support them, is so inspiring."
- Levi Van Dyke, CBHO, Volunteers of America Western Washington
Community gratitude
"I'm grateful for the crisis staff who answer calls, texts, and chats every day. Our trainers, quality staff, clinical supervisors, follow-up teams, program leaders, and so many others all contribute to making this work possible."
- Valerie Klein, Director, 988 Crisis, Centerstone
"I'm grateful to our dedicated leaders and compassionate responders who show up every day to serve and build healthier lives. I'm excited by the energy, momentum, and resources around 988, mobile crisis response, and stabilization services."
- Jared Auten, Director of Crisis Communications, HealthSource Integrated Solutions
"There are only a certain number of people in the world who can do this job. The ability to manage that and still work with people who are in crisis, meeting them where they're at, is an incredible skill to have, and I am so grateful for the people who choose to use that skill for this purpose."
- Reid Johnson, 988 Program Manager, Volunteers of America Western Washington
“The team of people working hard to deliver 988 services on the EveryMind Hotline cares deeply about making sure community members reaching out to 988 have a helpful and nonjudgmental experience. It's truly amazing to see the skills, compassion, and expertise each person brings, helping make the overall 988 network that much more effective."
- Ariel Gordon, Hotline Director, EveryMind
"This can be incredibly hard work, rewarding, for sure, but the pressures are enormous, and I'm thankful for our team every day."
- Dwight Holton, CEO, Lines for Life
"I'm very grateful for the crisis counselors who work so hard day and night to help foster hope."
- Wendy Martinez Farmer, Vice President, 988 Strategy, Grants & Clinical Standards, Vibrant Emotional Health
"I'm also grateful for all of the administrative support that keeps 988 running. It's invaluable to have that make sure we're caring for the crisis workers who are taking care of the callers."
- Susan Castillo, LMSW, 988 Project Director, Bluebonnet Trails Community Services
If someone is thinking about reaching out
"If you are in crisis, please take that step, make the call. We are ready to listen with no judgement, to meet every caller where they are. You don't have to go through this alone. We are here for you."
- Lisa Tepper Bates, President & CEO, United Way of Connecticut
"We all have times in our lives when the support and understanding of others seems hard to find, and it's for those moments that 988 was created, so that anyone going through any type of crisis can access the help they need when they need it most."
- Meryl Cassidy, ACSW, LMSW, Executive Director, Response Crisis Center
"Reaching out to someone you have never met and trusting them with something deeply personal can feel scary. You do not have to know exactly what to say or have everything figured out before you reach out. Sometimes reaching out is simply the first step toward getting through it."
- Jaime Parker, LPC-S, PhD, Helpline and Crisis Line Practice Manager, Integral Care
"You don't have to wait until things are at their absolute worst. You don't need to know exactly what to say, and you don't need to be sure that what you're going through is 'serious enough.' Just reach out. You can start with, 'I'm having a hard time,' and we can start there together."
- Jennifer Illich, Executive Director, FirstLink
Picking up the phone can be the hardest part. Once you start talking, it can become a little easier. You don't have to have the right words or know exactly what to say. Just reaching out is enough."
- Crysta Catan, Contact Center Manager, Crisis Support Services of Nevada
"You don't have to wait until you're at your breaking point. You don't have to have a plan, a diagnosis, or even know exactly what to say. Reaching out is not a sign of weakness. It's an act of courage."
- Shanta' Frisbee, MA, Transitional Programs Director, Northwest Human Services
"If you are ever feeling alone, or that no one cares, I can promise you there is someone at 988 who is waiting to hear from you. People are drawn to this work because they absolutely do care and they want to help."
- Adrienne Parsons, Clinical Quality Assurance & Compliance Manager, Crisis Connections
At ReflexAI, we're grateful every day for the people who do this work, and for the chance to support it with the tools we build. We're just as grateful for the bravery it takes to be the one reaching out. It's why the research finding I opened with has stayed with me: readiness and reason are connected. Preparation doesn't just build skill, it builds the confidence to actually use it.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to share a reason with us this year, and to the much larger community of people, at 988 and beyond, who show up because their reason is reason enough.