Peer support at Augustana

TimelyCare provides a judgement-free community for students to seek help from and provide help to other students navigating similar challenges. This peer network is monitored by clinicians to maintain community standards, protect privacy, and integrate care. To join this national peer support community for mental health, just download the TimelyCare app.

NAMI is proud to introduce the Teen & Young Adult HelpLine: A free nationwide peer-support service providing information, resource referrals, and support to teens and young adults. 

Helpline specialists are young people who understand what you're going through because they have been through stuff, too. They are experienced and well-trained. They care and want to help you find a way forward.

Reach out by texting friend to 62640, by calling 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or chat through the helpline website.

A warm line is a phone number for someone who is not in active crisis but who wants to talk to a peer with lived experience in coping with mental health. Warm lines are staffed by peers, not professionals:

Illinois Warm Line: 866-359-7953
Monday-Saturday 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

Iowa Warm Line: 844-755-WARM (9276)

National Warm Line 1-888-768-2488
2-6 p.m. daily

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)

Augie NAMI is a student-led peer support group for mental health. The purpose of Augie NAMI is to help students feel mentally and emotionally well, serving as a first step for students to talk (or not) and learn from their peers.

Augie NAMI is open to all students, no matter where they stand on their journey. Meetings are a safe place to share, learn, and take a break from the stresses of college life. All conversations are welcomed. Support often centers on the difficult transition to college, different coping skills, time and stress management, and working through dilemmas that members share. 

If you think Augie NAMI is for you, go to a weekly hour-long meeting. Augie NAMI also can help guide you through mental health services. Meeting times and locations will be announced.

The Grey Matters Collective

The Grey Matters Collective focuses on pushing mental health to the forefront of public conversation and policy while instilling hope in the community. 

The collective hosts several public events throughout the year to raise awareness and provide individuals with a voice. For a list of upcoming events, see the group's Facebook page.

Support groups are groups composed of people with common concerns that provide help, compassion, advice, or encouragement to each other. The support groups on this page are alphabetized by area of concern. Augustana College also has to peer-led support groups. These groups are listed first.

Active Minds
Active Minds empowers students to speak openly about mental health by raising awareness and encourage help-seeking. Active Minds strives to change the aspects of Augustana College’s culture that stop students from seeking help by providing information, leadership opportunities, and advocacy training. 

Through campus-wide events and national programs, Active Minds aims to remove the stigma that surrounds mental health issues, creating a comfortable environment to have an open conversation about mental health and the resources available to students. 

The local chapter of Active Minds performs weekly events to raise awareness and get mental health resources into the hands of all students. Notifications of upcoming events are emailed out regularly. 

The following therapist-led support groups are for students that want to connect more with their peers in a structured and warm environment. Peers can expect to support and be supported by their peers while also being able to process what it is like to be at Augustana College. These groups are therapist led, but the focus is on peer support, not group therapy. 

If you would like to join any of the following groups, please email cherimizaur@augustana.edu.

Support group for students who feel like they don’t belong
This support group is for students who are feeling lonely or who do not have a sense of belonging. Students who have not found their friend group yet or who feel out-of-place at Augie are encouraged to come to this group. In this group, students will explore their social identity and will play different video games (Nintendo Switch) with peers. 

Support group for students who identify as LGBQT+
This support group is for students that identify as LGBQT+.  This groups gives students a place to connect, to support each other, and to process their experiences at Augie. Students can also make suggestions about ways to improve the Augie experience for students who identify as LGBQT+.

Support group for students on the autism spectrum
This support group is for students who identify on the autism spectrum. In this group, students will be able to connect and support each other while also learning different ways to navigate the Augie experience while identifying as being on the autism spectrum.

Support groups are groups of people with common concerns that provide help, compassion, advice, or encouragement. The support groups on this page are alphabetized by area of concern.

Topic areas:

Abuse
Addictions
Anxiety disorders
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Autism spectrum disorder
Bipolar disorder
Borderline and narcissistic personality disorder
Chronic pain
Death and grieving
Dementia/Alzheimer's (for family members of)
Depression
Eating disorders
Gay, lesbian and bisexual
Men's issues
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Pregnancy
Schizophrenia
Substance abuse
Suicide
Women's issues

Abuse

Sexual Misconduct and Prevention Resources (Augustana College)
www.augustana.edu/student-life/TitleIX

Child Help USA Hotline
480-922-212
www.childhelpusa.org

Domestic Violence Anonymous
425-681-4850
http://violenceanonymous.org/

False Memory Syndrome Foundation
215-940-1040
www.FMSFonline.org

Network for Battered Lesbians and Bisexual Women
617-742-4911
https://www.thehotline.org

RAINN (Rape Abuse and Incest National Network)
800-656-4673
www.rainn.org

SAFE (Self-Abuse Finally Ends) Alternative Information Line
800-DON’T-CUT
www.selfinjury.com

SESAME (Stop Educator Sex Abuse Misconduct and Exploitation)
702-371-1290
www.sesamenet.org

S.I.A. (Survivors of Incest Anonymous) World Service Office
410-893-3322
www.siawso.org

SNAP (Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests)
312-409-2720
https://www.snapnetwork.org/

Violence Against Women Office
202-307-6026
https://www.justice.gov/ovw

Addictions

Debtors Anonymous
781-453-2743
www.debtorsanonymous.org

Gamblers Anonymous
213-386-8789
http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/ga/

Gam-Anon Family Groups
718-352-1671
http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/ga/content/gam-anon-help-family-friends

Sex Addicts Anonymous
713-869-4902
www.sexaa.org

Sexual Compulsives Anonymous
800-977-4325
www.sca-recovery.org

Anxiety disorders

Agoraphobics in Motion (AIM)
248-547-0400
www.aimforrecovery.com

Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA)
240-485-1001
www.adaa.org

Emotions Anonymous
651-647-9712
www.EmotionsAnonymous.org

Freedom from Fear
718-351-1717
www.freedomfromfear.org

National Anxiety Foundation
www.lexington-on-line.com/naf.html

Tourette Syndrome Association Inc. (TSA)
718-224-2999
www.tsa-usa.org

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA)
847-432-ADDA
www.add.org

CHADDD: Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
800-233-4050
www.chadd.org

Learning Disabilities Association of America
412-341-1515
https://ldaamerica.org/

Autism spectrum disorder

Autism Genetic Resource Exchange
866-612-2473
www.agre.org

Autism Society of America
800-3AUTISM
www.autismsociety.org

Bipolar disorder

Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation (CABF)
847-256-8525
www.bpkids.org

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
800-826-3632
www.DBSAlliance.org

Manic Depressives Anonymous
856-869-5508
https://www.dbsalliance.org/support/chapters-and-support-groups/find-a-support-group/

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
703-524-7600
www.nami.org

Borderline and narcissistic personality disorder

BPD Central
888-357-4355
https://www.bpdcentral.com/

BPDWORLD (Borderline Personality Disorder)
https://www.bpdworld.org/

National Association for Personality Disorders
888-482-7227
www.tara4bpd.org

Chronic pain

American Chronic Pain Association
800-533-3231
www.theacpa.org

American Society for Action on Pain
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/asap/index.htm

Men with Fibromyalgia
www.menwithfibro.com

National Fibromyalgia Association
http://www.fmaware.org/

National Pain Foundation
888-615-7246
https://uspainfoundation.org/

Pain Connection
www.painconnection.org

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association
www.rsds.org

Death and grieving

Rick’s House of Hope
563-324-9580
https://www.verafrenchmhc.org/services-for-children/ricks/

Genesis grief support and grief recovery groups
563-421-7970
https://www.genesishealth.com/care-treatment/spiritual_care/

Gilda’s Club Quad-Cities
563-326-7504
www.gildasclubqc.org

Grief Share
www.griefshare.org

Dementia/Alzheimer’s

National Family Caregivers Association
800-896-3650
https://caregiveraction.org/

Depression

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
800-826-3632
www.DBSAlliance.org

Emotional Health Anonymous
626-287-6260

Emotions Anonymous
651-647-9712
www.emotionsanonymous.org

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
703-524-7600
www.nami.org

National Foundation for Depressive Illness
800-239-1264
www.depression.org

Recovery International
866-221-0302
https://recoveryinternational.org/

Eating disorders

Compulsive Eaters Anonymous
562-342-9344
www.ceahow.org

Food Addicts Anonymous
561-967-3871
www.foodaddictsanonymous.org

Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous
781-321-9118
www.foodaddicts.org

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders
847-433-4632
https://anad.org/

National Eating Disorders Association
206-382-3587
www.nationaleatingdisorders.org

Overeaters Anonymous (OA)
505-891-2664
www.oa.org

Gay, lesbian and bisexual

ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power)
212-966-4873
www.actupny.com

COLAGE (Children of Lesbian and Gays Everywhere)
www.colage.org

Dignity/USA (Catholic)
800-877-8797
www.dignityusa.org

Gay Men’s Health Crisis
212-807-6655
www.gmhc.org

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
202-393-5177
www.thetaskforce.org

!OUTPROUD! 
415-460-5452
www.outproud.org

PLFAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays)
202-467-8180
www.pflag.org

Men’s issues

National Center for Men
516-942-2020
http://www.nationalcenterformen.org/

National Organization for Men
415-259-634
http://nomas.org/

Male Survivor
800-738-4181
www.malesurvivor.org

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA)
240-485-1001
www.adaa.org

International Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation
617-973-5801
www.ocfoundation.org

Obsessive-Compulsive Anonymous
516-739-0662
https://obsessivecompulsiveanonymous.org/

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
703-524-7600
www.nami.org

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Sexual Misconduct and Prevention Resources (Augustana College)
www.augustana.edu/student-life/TitleIX

Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA)
240-485-1001
www.adaa.org

Emotions Anonymous
651-647-9712
www.emotionsanonymous.org

National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
802-296-6300
www.ptsd.va.gov

National Organization for Victim Assistance
202-232-6682
www.try-nova.org

Trauma Survivors Anonymous
706-649-6500

Pregnancy

Helping after Neonatal Death (HAND)
888-908-HAND
www.handonline.org

National Abortion Federation
800-772-9100
www.prochoice.org

National Adoption Center
800-TO-ADOPT
http://www.adopt.org/

Planned Parenthood
800-230-7526
www.plannedparenthood.org

Pregnancy Crisis Hotline
800-238-4269
www.bethany.org

Pregnancy Hotline
800-848-5683

Resolve (infertility)
703-556-7172
www.resolve.org

Schizophrenia

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
703-524-7600
www.nami.org

National Mental Health Association (NMHA)
800-273-TALK
www.nmha.org

National Schizophrenia Foundation
517-485-7168
https://sardaa.org/

Recovery Inc.
312-337-5661
https://recoveryinternational.org/

Substance abuse

Adult Children of Alcoholics World Services Organization
562-595-7831
www.adultchildren.org

Alateen and Al-Anon Family Groups
757-563-1600
www.alateen.org

Alcoholics Anonymous
212-870-3400
www.aa.org

American Council on Alcoholism
800-527-5344        

Chemically Dependent Anonymous
888-232-4673
www.cdaweb.org

Cocaine Anonymous
800-347-8999
www.ca.org

Crystal Meth Anonymous
213-488-4455
www.crystalmeth.org

Dual Recovery Anonymous
913-991-2703
www.draonline.org

Marijuana Anonymous World Services
800-766-6779
www.marijuana-anonymous.org

Narcotics Anonymous
818-773-9999
www.na.org

Quad-Cities Area of NA
https://qcana.org/

Nar-Anon World Wide Services
310-534-8188
www.nar-anon.org

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
301-443-3860
www.niaaa.nih.gov

Self-Management and Recovery Training (SMART)
866-951-5357
www.smartrecovery.org

Women for Sobriety
215-536-8026
www.womenforsobriety.org

Suicide

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
888-333-AFSP
www.afsp.org

Friends for Survival
916-392-0664
https://friendsforsurvival.org/

Suicide Awareness/Voices of Education (SA/VE)
952-946-7998
www.save.org

Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program
303-429-3530
www.yellowribbon.org

Women’s issues

Business and Professional Women
202-293-1100
www.bpwfoundation.org

National Black Women’s Health Project
202-548-4000
http://blackwomenshealth.org/

National Organization for Women
202-628-8669
https://now.org/

Women Employed
312-782-3902
www.womenemployed.org

TimelyCare provides free on-demand and live self-care sessions in yoga and meditation.

Download College Souk (iPhone or Android) to connect with other Augie students on campus. If you want to attend every single Augie event but struggle to find a company, just connect on Souk! Find new friends to hang out with at the Brew, go to Sloughfest together or just to grab a quick bite at the CSL. Along with finding housing, roommates and college essentials like textbooks and furniture, you can also have anonymous discussions with other students in a peer-led environment to seek and give advice and support.