When you call 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), a trained crisis counselor talks with you one-on-one, listens without judgment, helps you work through what you’re feeling, and connects you with resources to stay safe. The service is free, available 24/7, and you can reach it by phone call, text, or online chat.
Here’s what actually happens during and after that contact, so you know what to expect.
What Happens When You Dial 988
After dialing, you’ll hear a short greeting followed by a menu. The menu gives you the option to connect with counselors who specialize in helping veterans, service members, and their families, or to speak with someone in Spanish. If neither applies, you simply wait (or press zero to skip the menu), and the system routes you to a local crisis center based on your area code or approximate location.
You’ll hear hold music until a counselor picks up. Once connected, the counselor introduces themselves, asks about your safety, and then listens. Their job is to understand how your situation is affecting you and to provide support that’s personal and nonjudgmental. There’s no script you need to follow and no “right” way to start the conversation.
What the Counselor Actually Does
Crisis counselors are trained in safety assessment, working with people at imminent risk, and handling calls from third parties (friends or family calling on someone’s behalf). They’re not random volunteers answering phones. Every counselor goes through a training program that covers these core skills before they ever take a live call, and only trained staff are allowed to assist callers.
A big part of what counselors do is help you build what’s called a safety plan. This is a collaborative process, not something imposed on you. Together, you and the counselor identify:
- Warning signs that tell you a crisis might be building
- Internal coping strategies you can use on your own, like specific activities that help distract or calm you
- People and places that can provide social support or a change of environment
- Trusted contacts you could reach out to for help
- Emergency resources like a therapist’s number, the 988 line itself, or your nearest emergency room
- Steps to make your environment safer by reducing access to anything you might use to harm yourself
These steps are arranged in order of intensity. The idea is that you start with the lighter strategies first and escalate only if needed. The plan becomes something concrete you can reference after the call ends.
Text and Chat Work Differently
If calling feels too difficult, you can text 988 or use the online chat at 988lifeline.org. You’ll connect with a counselor either way, but the experience differs in a few important respects.
Text-based conversations take longer. Counselors report that gathering information through text is more time-consuming, and reading someone’s emotional state without hearing their voice is harder. As a result, chat and text sessions tend to focus more on building rapport, listening to your story, and making you feel heard. Phone calls, by contrast, often move more quickly into problem-solving and action planning. Neither approach is better or worse; they just fit different comfort levels. Many people, especially younger users, find it easier to open up in writing.
What They Know About You
You do not have to share your name, location, or any personal details to get help. The service is confidential, though not fully anonymous. Here’s the distinction: the system typically receives the phone number you call or text from, or the IP address of the device you use for chat. An IP address doesn’t reveal your precise location, and the Lifeline does not receive pinpoint location data with each call.
Your counselor will take notes during the conversation, so anything you share voluntarily may be documented along with the counselor’s impressions and the steps they took to help. The Lifeline will not share identifiable information about you outside its network without your verbal or written consent, with a few narrow exceptions: imminent risk of harm to you or someone else, a valid court order or warrant, quality improvement purposes, or communication with emergency services when necessary.
Some local crisis centers may share information to coordinate care or process insurance and Medicaid payments, but you can specifically request that this not happen.
Follow-Up After the Call
If you confirm that you’ve been experiencing suicidal thoughts during the call or within the past 24 hours, the counselor is required to offer you follow-up services. Enrollment is completely voluntary. If you consent, here’s what it looks like:
A counselor will reach out to you by phone within 24 to 72 hours of your original contact. You’ll receive at least two follow-up contacts, and if they can’t reach you on the first try, they’ll make at least three attempts. During each follow-up, the counselor checks on your current well-being, reviews and updates your safety plan, offers to coordinate care with other providers, and connects you with additional resources if needed.
Right now, follow-up is only available by phone. Even if your original contact was through text or chat, you’d need to agree to a phone call for follow-up.
Specialized Support Lines
The 988 system includes dedicated sub-networks for specific populations. When you call, the menu offers a direct connection to the Veterans Crisis Line, which is staffed by counselors specifically trained to work with veterans, active-duty service members, and their families. There’s also an option to connect with a Spanish-speaking counselor.
A pilot program previously offered a “Press 3” option for LGB+ youth, but as of July 2025, that dedicated sub-network has been discontinued. The main 988 counselors are expected to serve all callers, including those who would have previously used that option.
When Emergency Services Get Involved
In the vast majority of calls, the counselor works with you directly and no one else gets involved. Emergency dispatch (sending police, paramedics, or a mobile crisis team to your location) happens only in rare situations where there’s imminent danger to your life or someone else’s. This is sometimes called an “active rescue.” Counselors are trained to de-escalate crises collaboratively, and the goal is always to help you develop your own plan for staying safe rather than to override your autonomy.
If emergency services do need to be contacted, the counselor will typically try to involve you in that decision and let you know what’s happening. The threshold is genuine, immediate danger, not simply having suicidal thoughts or feeling distressed.