Text & Multimedia Support
SMS Text Service
The Mikeysline SMS text service was launched in December 2015. We have been supporting the people of the
Highlands in their times of need ever since.
In October 2020, we extended our text-based options in recognition that not everyone uses SMS as their first choice and in the hope of making our support more accessible to a wider audience.
Text Line 07786 207755
Our text line (SMS) was the first of its kind in the UK when launched in early December 2015. Today, seeking support by text remains one of the most popular options by people who contact us.
We offer a confidential, non-judgemental text support service. We understand that if you contact us about an issue that is concerning you, that it is important to you. We will do our best to support you, enabling you to talk through your concerns, offer support, guidance as appropriate and signpost you on for further support if appropriate and we will be there during the time that you need to speak in that shift.
We do ask for minimal information from you, such as your name or initials, date of birth, gender and postcode. All of this information is crucial for us in terms of our duty of care to you if we feel that you are not safe and we will not be able to continue with the conversation if you are unable to provide this information.
This anonymised information also helps us in monitor who is accessing our services, in terms of age range and gender and where we may need to take more action to reach out to others who may need our support in terms of our preventative work.
Lastly, to continue our services, we need to seek funding and general data, anonymised, can helps us identify the age range and gender of those we are supporting to help with grant applications. No other information is ever shared with funders.
Facebook Messenger
In October 2020, we extended our text-based options to include Facebook Messenger. We did this in recognition of the fact that this is a preferred communication option by many, and we wanted to offer people different options to contact us.
We offer a confidential, non-judgemental Messenger support service. We understand that if you contact us about an issue that is concerning you, that it is important to you. We will do our best to support you, enabling you to talk through your concerns, offer support, guidance as appropriate and signpost you on for further support if appropriate and we will be there during the time that you need to speak in that shift.
We do ask for minimal information from you, such as your name or initials, date of birth, gender and postcode. All of this information is crucial for us in terms of our duty of care to you if we feel that you are not safe and we will not be able to continue with the conversation if you are unable to provide this information.
This anonymised information also helps us in monitor who is accessing our services, in terms of age range and gender and where we may need to take more action to reach out to others who may need our support in terms of our preventative work.
Lastly, to continue our services, we need to seek funding and general data, anonymised, can helps us identify the age range and gender of those we are supporting to help with grant applications. No other information is ever shared with funders.
Use our Webchat
In October 2020, we extended our text-based options to include Webchat. We did this in recognition of the fact that it is an easy way to communicate if you are on our website already and that more people are using Webchat these days. It provides an additional option for people to be able to reach out for support.
We offer a confidential, non-judgemental support service via Webchat. We understand that if you contact us about an issue that is concerning you, that it is important to you. We will do our best to support you, enabling you to talk through your concerns, offer support, guidance as appropriate and signpost you on for further support if appropriate and we will be there during the time that you need to speak in that shift.
We do ask for minimal information from you, such as your name or initials, date of birth, gender and postcode. All of this information is crucial for us in terms of our duty of care to you if we feel that you are not safe and we will not be able to continue with the conversation if you are unable to provide this information.
This anonymised information also helps us in monitor who is accessing our services, in terms of age range and gender and where we may need to take more action to reach out to others who may need our support in terms of our preventative work.
Lastly, to continue our services, we need to seek funding and general data, anonymised, can helps us identify the age range and gender of those we are supporting to help with grant applications. No other information is ever shared with funders.
Use Twitter to get in touch
In October 2020, we extended our text-based options to include Twitter. We did this in recognition of the fact that some people use Twitter as a communications option, and we will keep this under review to see if this proves to be a popular way to reach out for support.
We offer a confidential, non-judgemental support service via Twitter. We understand that if you contact us about an issue that is concerning you, that it is important to you. We will do our best to support you, enabling you to talk through your concerns, offer support, guidance as appropriate and signpost you on for further support if appropriate and we will be there during the time that you need to speak in that shift.
We do ask for minimal information from you, such as your name or initials, date of birth, gender and postcode. All of this information is crucial for us in terms of our duty of care to you if we feel that you are not safe and we will not be able to continue with the conversation if you are unable to provide this information.
This anonymised information also helps us in monitor who is accessing our services, in terms of age range and gender and where we may need to take more action to reach out to others who may need our support in terms of our preventative work.
Lastly, to continue our services, we need to seek funding and general data, anonymised, can helps us identify the age range and gender of those we are supporting to help with grant applications. No other information is ever shared with funders.
Anonymity is assured.
By using a text option as opposed to a phone line, anonymity is assured. This removes the awkwardness sometimes found in talking with a total stranger. Research indicates that 1 in 4 people will hang up when they use a phone line, the nerves taking over and sometimes, it can be difficult to get the words out. With a text line or text-based option, this removes that urgency. A moment can be taken, words can be deleted and time taken to put it into words how you are feeling.
Open to all ages
Research undertaken showed that 42 percent of young people would rather write than speak about their problem and 71 percent said they would welcome a texting option. In this current age of multimedia communications, it is a tragedy to think there are so many still feeling alone, isolated and not able to express their feelings. We hope that by providing more options, more people will feel able to express their feelings in their way.
A common misconception about Mikeysline is that it is only for young people. We are in fact here for all ages and always have been.
We're here for you
Our team of staff and volunteers are there for you each and every day. They are there to listen without judgement, support you when you most need it and where appropriate, and help to signpost you on to other organisations for support. Regardless of whether we do this, you can always contact Mikey line for support.
Opening Hours
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Sunday – Thurs – 6-10pm
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Friday – 7pm – 7am
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Saturday – 7pm – 7am