Calls keep soaring at crisis hotlines: ‘It spiked and hasn’t stopped’ The steady increase in people reaching out to crisis hotlines and text lines across the country sends a sobering message about the overall emotional impact of the pandemic. By Bethany AoThe Philadelphia Inquirer Share PHILADELPHIA – Since 2016, Mark Trainer has worked as a counselor for Crisis Text Line, a national nonprofit organization that provides a free mental health texting service for people in crisis. On any given day, he talks with texters about a “very wide swath of challenges,” including struggles with school and relationships with their family or peers.