America has rallied against bullying in recent years, campaigning in memory of victims and raising awareness about cyber bullying. As much of life becomes intertwined with technology, so have the ways one can be harassed — and the effects can be devastating. But Facebook, one of the largest and most frequently used forms of social media, is taking a step to help its depressed users by allowing them to directly connect with a crisis counselor through the website’s “chat” feature.

The program, which is set to launch today, will allow users to speak with a crisis counselor from National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. If a person believes a suicidal comment has been left on a friend’s page they can clink a link next to the post, which will notify Facebook. An email will then be sent to the person who posted the comment, suggesting that they utilize Facebook’s crisis counselor chat service.

Heather Rudow is a staff writer for Counseling Today. Email her at hrudow@counseling.org.

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