FAQ

We designed Cope Notes for everyone with a cell phone and a brain 🧠🤔

From middle schoolers living with depression or anxiety to seniors who just want to improve their daily moods, Cope Notes can help people from all walks of life.

So if you're on the fence, don't worry about diagnoses or pre-requisites... come as you are! We can't wait to meet you and grow together.

Because it's not an app! 

Your entire Cope Notes experience takes place via text message. No downloads or software updates necessary 😇

We can't share your personal health information with anyone.

Why? Because we don't collect it in the first place. Not even your name.

Your text thread and everything in it is 100% anonymous and confidential.

Plus, our entire infrastructure was designed from the ground up with AES-256 encryption to protect our subscribers and keep their account info secure at all times.

We recommend Cope Notes for anyone ages 12 and up. None of our text messages include profanity or inappropriate content, but every once in a while, we do use some "ten-dollar words" that might be challenging for some elementary schoolers to comprehend.

Who knows?

Our randomized text schedule combats something called habituation, which is what allows you to tune out the sound of an air conditioner or sleep through an alarm. Research shows that unexpected stimulus is more impactful than something you see coming from a mile away.

Your texts will be randomly spaced out at different times on different days, so there's a fair chance that they'll catch you off guard and stop a negative thought pattern in its tracks. That's a big part of what makes Cope Notes so effective.

We typically won't text you before 8:30 AM or after 10:30 PM, but you can text us back whenever you like, even if it's after hours. If you'd prefer to customize your text window (along with other account details), click here.

Psychology facts, exercises, journaling prompts... the list goes on. Every text is written by a real peer with firsthand experience overcoming illness, trauma, or loss—you know, the hard stuff.

Then, each message is reviewed, edited, and approved by a panel of mental health professionals to make sure that it's psychologically accurate, trauma-informed, and helpful for people just like you.

As for sources, our content is inspired by lectures, textbooks, positive psychology principles, peer support models, gratitude practices, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Ecological Momentary Interventions (EMIs), personal experience, and the people around us—just like you!

At the top of our home page, you'll see a phone that cycles through a week's worth of example text messages. We encourage you to take a peek.

You can text us a million times a day if you'd like! In fact, we encourage it.

Say whatever you want, whenever you want, or nothing at all. It might seem weird at first, but after a while, it'll feel natural and provide some serious relief.

Remember, this isn't a realtime conversation—it's an anonymous, confidential journal; a safe place to vent and speak your mind without worrying about the repercussions.

And just like a physical journal, we're big on privacy, so we'll never reply, share, or judge anything you say.

Why? Because it's healthier for your brain that way.

Every time you text us, you're engaging in a mindfulness practice called digital journaling.

By speaking freely without being conditioned to receive a reply in return, you're strengthening 3 crucial components of your mental well-being:

• Your emotional IQ
• Your emotional independence
• Your self-report (a.k.a. your ability to assess how you feel and what might help)

Nope. When your cell phone buzzes with a text from us, you're the only person in the entire world to receive that text at that exact moment in time.

We assign every subscriber a totally unique text sequence, kinda like your own Cope Notes fingerprint. This means that no two people will ever have the same experience with us. Pretty cool, right?

Learn more about why we do this here.

That's the spirit! If you want to share what we do with your school, employer, insurance carrier, local government, frisbee team, etc., send them to our group subscription page for more info.

You can update your phone number, email, payment info, time zone, or even the times of day we can text you right here. And no, this won't interrupt your subscription 🙂

In keeping with federal recommendations, Cope Notes outsources all crisis services to the 988 Lifeline.

Subscribers can connect with a trained crisis counselor at the 988 Lifeline by replying to any Cope Notes text with the word HELP.

If you'd prefer to contact the 988 Lifeline directly, you can call or text 988 at any time. Their services are 100% free and confidential.

If you are ever in an emergency situation, please dial 911.

While we'd be sorry to see you go, you can cancel your subscription here.

Thank you for giving a hoot! There are all sorts of cool ways to get involved. Learn more here.