Welcome to the California Youth Crisis Line (hereby referred to as “CYCL”) Crisis Chat where we will listen to you and try to help you through your crisis.

In order to serve everyone in need, please abide by our terms and conditions. By using CYCL Crisis Chat, which is a program operated by the California Coalition for Youth (hereby referred to as “CCY”), you agree to the terms described below:

IF YOU ARE IN DANGER OR NEED EMERGENCY HELP, CALL 911 OR YOUR LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

CCY defines an emergency to include, but is not limited to, a life threatening situation in which an individual is imminently in danger, threatening harm to self or others, severely disorientated or out of touch with reality, has a severe inability to function, or is otherwise distraught and out of control.

Service Provision

1. CYCL is a free and confidential service. Our crisis counselors are
well-trained paraprofessionals; however, we do not offer
therapeutic or ongoing counseling services. Your participation in
Crisis Chat does not constitute mental health care or treatment
and does not constitute an attorney-client, therapist-patient, or
any other sort of confidential relationship.
2. Text responders will provide support and community referral
information. It is your decision to determine what to do with
that information once it is provided. This service is not a
substitute for professional health care. If you believe you are
experiencing a medical emergency, please call 911.
3. CCY and any of their employees, volunteers or agents are not
responsible for any decisions, or results of the decisions that
you make while, as a result of, or after participating in Crisis
Chat. This includes whether you choose to seek or not seek
professional care or to modify or terminate specific treatment
that you are currently receiving based on the information
provided by this service. You assume all risk for use of this
service.
4. CCY and any of their employees, volunteers or agents have no
liability for actions taken by you or a third party, or not taken
by you or a third party, and you agree to indemnify us and hold
us harmless for damages arising out of information provided
through this service.
5. Without limiting the foregoing, in no event shall CCY be liable
for any special, incidental, consequential, or indirect damages.
This service is provided on an “as is” basis and “as available”
basis. CCY expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind,
whether express or implied and make no warranty that CYCL
Crisis Chat will a) meet your requirements; b) be
uninterrupted, timely, confidential, secure, or error-free; or c)
meet your expectations. It is a criminal offense to interfere with
an emergency service provider. CYCL crisis counselors reserve
the discretion to determine inappropriate behavior and report
your number and other identifying information to the
appropriate law enforcement agency.

Privacy and Security

We take your privacy and security very seriously. Security
controls, including encryption and authentication, are in place to ensure the protection of your information. Any information provided by you or collected on you will not be shared or disclosed with any third party. We do, however, reserve the right to disclose any personal information to the authorities, including but not limited to emergencies or life-threatening situations, at our sole discretion, and as required by law. Despite these protections, the internet remains an imperfectly secure environment, and CCY cannot guarantee protection from intruders or interceptors. If your mobile device is lost, stolen, or recycled, unauthorized persons may access your text messages. You agree to use this service and submit information at your own risk. You agree that CCY has no liability regarding unauthorized access to this service by a third party.

User Guidelines
1. Please use respectful language. Any visitor who
is abusive, manipulative, pranking, or sexually
inappropriate will be given one warning and
then blocked from our service. Please note it is
a criminal offense to interfere with an
emergency service and every effort will be
made to identify and prosecute violators.
2. Please try to focus on the chat while you are
online with us so that we can help as many
people as possible.
3. You are always welcome to call and speak to a
volunteer over the phone instead of chat if you
prefer. You can reach us at 800-843-5200