A warmline is a phone number you call to have a conversation with someone who can provide support during hard times. A warm line is an alternative to a crisis line that is run by “peers,” generally those who have had their own experiences of trauma that they are willing to speak of and acknowledge.
Unlike a crisis line, a warm line operator is unlikely to call the police or have someone locked up if they talk about suicidal or self-harming thoughts or behaviors.
Most warm line operators have been through extreme challenges themselves and are there primarily to listen. A warm line has the purpose of reducing hospitalization and forced treatment, being a cost effective and non-intrusive, voluntary intervention.
Whether you’re in crisis or just need someone to talk to, a warmline can help. Warmlines are staffed by peers who have been through their own life struggles and know what it’s like to need to talk. Warmlines are free and confidential.
They’re different from crisis lines or hotlines like the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which are more focused on keeping you safe in the moment and getting you connected to crisis resources as quickly as possible. That doesn’t mean you can’t call a warmline when you’re in crisis.
A warmline may even be able to help you find the best place to go for crisis resources, or help you prepare to seek out more formal advise.