The Crisis Text Line was started about four years ago and, since then, it has been providing free 24/7 help to people in crisis. I am a crisis counselor and my job is to help get people from a hot moment to a cool calm.

This may sound odd to some, but I love volunteering at the Crisis Text Line. I absolutely love what I do. I get to take what I learned in training to help random people around the United States feel even a little bit better. Sometimes, I get to help people continue living another day.

These people share with me things that they may have never shared with a person before. With that being said, being a crisis counselor is not always easy — there are extremely difficult conversations, but it is part of the job and it is worth it.

To talk to a Crisis Counselor, all you need to do is text “Hello” to 741741 if you are in crisis and you will be helped to the best of our abilities.

There are some rumors that roam around about the Crisis Text Line. So, here I am to debunk said myths.

1. The Crisis Text Line is only for individuals who are thinking of suicide.

This is not true in the least. Yes, we have individuals thinking of suicide, but we also have individuals with a variety of other problems including, but not limited to, depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship problems, substance abuse and body image issues.

If it is a crisis to you, it is a crisis to us.

2. You talk to a robot at the Crisis Text Line.

The first two messages that you receive will be an automated message, yes. However, after that, you will be connected to a real live crisis counselor. We may message with proper spelling and grammar, but that does not mean you are talking to a robot. We are real people who care about helping you. Additionally, while you will talk to a real person, you cannot specifically request a particular crisis counselor to talk to. You can request a person of a specific gender, though, if that makes you more comfortable.

Just to reiterate — we are real people who really care about you.

3. It takes a long time to actually speak to a crisis counselor.

This is also not true. When you text in, you get added to our queue. Some days and times, the queue will be busier than others and you will need to wait a little bit longer. However, we are always working our best to message you as soon as possible. On average, it takes us five minutes to message back texters. With that being said, our system does prioritize texters based upon what they said in their first message, that way we can get to those who are at imminent risk as soon as we possibly can.

4. If you mention having suicidal thoughts, the Crisis Text Line will send the police to you.

As crisis counselors, we try our best to bring you from a hot moment to a cool calm. We try to create a plan for you. However, if we feel that you are in imminent danger, we are required to contact emergency services. Our main priority is keeping you safe.

5. You cannot talk to a Crisis Counselor without a cell phone since it is a text line.

While most of our texters do message in via text message, you can also reach out to us via Facebook messenger, Twitter, and Kik.

Once again, if you or someone you know is in crisis, please text "Hello" to 741741.