UFT members now have access to mental health support by phone, text or online chat, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in multiple languages.
The new mental health helpline (866‑UFT‑FOR‑U) is an initiative of the union’s Member Assistance Program in partnership with Vibrant, a mental health service that works with large organizations to meet emotional health needs. The helpline is staffed by licensed counselors who have been trained by MAP to understand the needs of UFT members and the mental health resources available to them.
UFT members, including retirees, and their families should contact the helpline if they need a referral to mental health providers and resources within their insurance plan or if they need support with issues such as eating disorders, substance use, domestic violence, or grief and loss, to name a few. Trained counselors can assist in managing difficult emotions or provide crisis interventions. All helpline conversations are confidential.
The helpline’s phone number went live in the spring. Its new chat and text features became available on Oct. 1. Members can phone or text the same number. “Not everyone communicates the same way,” said MAP Director Tina Puccio, explaining the expansion to chat.
While MAP has long offered mental health support by phone during business hours on weekdays, the demand had become so great in recent years, explained Puccio, that her team knew they needed to expand access.
“We were getting inundated on Monday mornings from people who needed help over the weekend,” said Puccio, “and I became very nervous that members were falling through the cracks and not getting the support they needed in a timely way.”
The licensed counselors staffing the helpline seven days a week can give referrals to care providers, including therapists, nurse practitioners, and mental health treatment centers and agencies, which are accustomed to working with UFT members, Puccio noted.
The UFT is the only labor union in the country with dedicated 24/7 mental health support, she said.
To contact the helpline via phone or text, members should have their UFT member ID numbers ready. To use the chat function online, they may simply log in to the UFT website.