New teen mental health program launching in Arkansas as 988 texts surge among youth
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.- A new mental health program aimed at reaching Arkansas teens before they reach a crisis is set to launch early next year, according to the Arkansas Crisis Center. The program, called AR Teen Connect, is being developed with support from a grant from the Blue and You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas.
Leaders say it is designed as an upstream, prevention-focused effort that gives teens a place to talk before problems escalate to emergencies. The program is being built around what the Arkansas Crisis Center says it is seeing through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, particularly since text-to-chat services launched earlier this year. “So our center is the only crisis line in Arkansas that answers text,” said Joshua Gonzales, president of the board for the Arkansas Crisis Center. “And quickly, when we started answering those and going through, we discovered about 70 percent of our texts in crisis were youth under the age of 18.” While 988 has long been available to Arkansans by phone, the addition of text-to-chat has revealed a shift in how teens seek help.
According to the Arkansas Crisis Center, teens now make up the majority of messages received through the text service. Crisis Center leaders say many of those messages are not about an immediate emergency.
Instead, they often reflect stress, anxiety, and feelings of being unheard that can build quietly over time. “And then you start getting those thoughts of, well, what if I weren’t around?” Gonzales said. Those gradual warning signs are what AR Teen Connect is designed to address.
Gonzales said the program focuses on prevention rather than reaction by stepping in earlier. “And when you start looking upstream, you have to start looking at preventative, like how can we break these loops from happening,” he said. AR Teen Connect will provide structured peer support by connecting teens with trained youth mentors who understand the pressures and challenges facing their generation.
The program will operate alongside the 988 crisis line, not in place of it. Any interaction that rises to the level of a crisis will be immediately escalated to trained 988 professionals. “Like if something gets to a crisis, it gets escalated to the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline instantly,” Gonzales said.
Youth Peer Support Specialists will complete a rigorous training program that includes privacy standards, active listening techniques, self-care, and clear response protocols. The Arkansas Crisis Center says adult supervision and ongoing oversight will be built into the program at all times.
The need for early intervention is significant. According to the Arkansas Crisis Center, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in Arkansas, with an average of one person dying by suicide every 15 hours. “When you actively listen, it actually de-escalates mental health crises or just loneliness, does that person feel hurt and validated?” Gonzales said.
AR Teen Connect is expected to launch in early 2026. The Arkansas Crisis Center says teens interested in participating or families looking for more information can visitARCrisis.org.
For anyone experiencing a mental health crisis or emotional distress, help is available 24 hours a day by calling or texting 988.