Call 534-202-5438 to reach Uplift WI
About Uplift WI
Launching Monday 7/31/23!
This line is for Wisconsin residents and is staffed by certified peer specialists – people with lived experiences of mental health, substance use and other related life experiences. Call this line if you need someone to talk to for support when things are difficult, or when you just need a peer to connect with. You do not need to be in crisis to call this line. This line is fully anonymous and confidential and is not directly connected to crisis linkage services. We will not call emergency services on you unless you specifically request this from us, and that process will be led by you.
Line Hours
The warmline is available to call 12pm-12am CST daily. 24/7 launch TBD
Guarantees
Peer Ethics
Our line is staffed by peer support specialists, not therapists or counselors. A peer is a person who has lived experience navigating their own mental health or substance use. Peers work by providing judgment-free support. The person answering the phone may or may not have the same lived experience as you, but they are trained to let you lead on what you want to talk about and what support looks like for you. Unlike therapists, peers are able to speak from their personal experiences and may be more or less comfortable with various conversation topics depending on their own boundaries.
Operators on this line are beholden to peer support best practices as defined by the Wisconsin Certified Peer Specialist Scope of Practice, which include:
- Encouraging you to plan what you need yourself to pursue your own goals of wellness, including in crisis situations
- Supporting you in exploring the options and resources that work for you
- Providing culturally sensitive and age-appropriate support
- Self-determination: you determine what you need and want
- Advocacy: you are free to seek support advocating for yourself in navigating systems
- Respect for lived experience: we trust that you know your own life best
FAQs
Who will pick up the phone?
Our operators are all peer support specialists, people living in Wisconsin who have lived experience navigating mental health and/or substance use. We are not therapists or clinicians and are not here to provide professional advice or counseling.
What if I can’t get through? What if the call drops?
Please try calling back again. Calls will be responded to as they are received, and UpliftWI will not place outgoing calls, other than as requested for caller referrals to community resources.
Will my call be recorded?
No. If you would feel more comfortable calling a line that records calls, please feel free to send us that feedback.
What does “fully confidential” mean?
What’s said on the line, stays on the line. Your conversation stays between you and the operator who took your call, unless the operator needs additional support from a manager or you would like us to review your call.
What does “fully anonymous” mean?
Operators do not know anything about you, including your name, phone number, location or any other information, unless you relay it. Similarly, you do not have any information about the peer who picks up the phone unless they relay it.
Why does it ask for my zipcode when I call?
You are not required to provide your zipcode. We ask because we are required by our funders to measure call volume and geographic reach of the line. The peer operators will not know your zipcode unless you relay it to them.
Do you have a text or chat service?
Not yet, but we are working on it!
Do you provide callbacks?
Not at this time.
Will you connect or call emergency services or police?
Only if: 1) you ask us to, 2) you are informed on what it could entail, and 3) you are making the request on your own behalf, not for someone else.
Even if I’m feeling suicidal?
We still are not able to call anyone on you unless you ask us to, and we will support you in whatever way feels best for you.
What if I’m calling for someone else?
Conversations on this line are private and should only be about getting support for yourself. If someone else needs support, you can encourage them to call. We will not provide peer support to someone through a third party. The exception to this rule is if someone is calling with an interpreter’s assistance.
How and when does a call end?
Calls typically last 20 minutes to an hour, but we don’t have hard maximums for our calls. Reasons a call may go shorter include operator capacity, call volume and your own needs. If an operator needs to end a call, they will tell you. If you need to end a call, you may do so at any time.
Can I give feedback about my experience calling UpliftWI?
Yes, you can fill out this form here to give us feedback. There is an option to leave your contact information if you want a follow up conversation about your experience.