Letters to the Editor: A moment of appreciation for Teen Line’s skilled volunteers and founders

To the editor: Thank you for the profile of the Teen Line teen-to-teen support hot line (“Trump cut mental health funding for kids. These L.A. teens are stepping in,” Aug. 16). Twenty years ago, it was my privilege to supervise these teens as they manned the hot line phones. They are very impressive, well-trained young people. Even as young as 14 or 15, the volunteers exhibited poise and calm while speaking with teens whose concerns ranged from lighter to deeply serious. Teen Line is a very valuable resource for teens all across the country, and I was so pleased to see it, and its teen volunteers, get the recognition they so richly deserve.

Penny Key, Beaumont

..

To the editor: It has always been difficult being a teen and now even more so. Kudos to the student volunteers at Teen Line who care enough to put in the hours to help others. This outstanding service was started many decades ago at the Cedars-Sinai Thalians Mental Health Center. It succeeded and grew due to the enormous efforts of two dedicated psychiatrists, Terry Lipton and Elaine Leader, who gave their all to help teens.

Aviva S. Monosson, Los Angeles