Safety and crisis resources

When human help matters more than a chat — crisis lines, boundaries of the wiki and Willow, and when to see a clinician.

Source: Sokol & Fox (2019), The Comprehensive Clinician's Guide to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

For learning and reflection — not diagnosis or treatment. Willow isn't your therapist or crisis line. Based on Sokol & Fox (2019). In crisis? See crisis resources or findahelpline.com.

If you are in crisis now

Talking to a real human matters more than reading or chatting.

United States

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988, 24/7.
Crisis Text Line — text HOME to 741741.
Veterans Crisis Line — dial 988, then press 1, or text 838255.

United Kingdom & Ireland

Samaritans — 116 123, free, 24/7.

Canada

Talk Suicide Canada — 1-833-456-4566 or text 45645 (4 PM – midnight ET).

Australia

Lifeline — 13 11 14, 24/7.

International

Find A Helpline — directory by country.
IASP crisis centres.

Immediate physical danger

Call local emergency services — 911 (US/Canada), 999 (UK), 112 (EU), 000 (Australia).

---

What Willow does when crisis language appears

Before the main cognitive behavioral therapy model runs, Willow prescreens messages for crisis signals. If you mention suicidal thoughts, self-harm, or similar:

1. Willow acknowledges what you said calmly and directly. 2. It surfaces human resources (like those above). 3. It stays in the conversation — it does not require you to call before continuing to talk. 4. It does not list means, promise confidentiality, or dramatize the moment.

This wiki page is informational. In chat, the crisis pathway overrides normal technique guidance.

Boundaries — wiki and Willow

Neither this wiki nor Willow:

Diagnoses mental health conditions.
Recommends or comments on medications.
Provides medical, legal, or financial advice.
Replaces therapy, psychiatry, or emergency services.
Promises outcomes ("you will feel better").

Learning pages about anxiety or low mood are not invitations to do unsupervised exposure or trauma processing. Those belong with trained clinicians.

When to see a clinician

Consider professional care when:

Symptoms persist for weeks and limit daily life.
You have thoughts of harming yourself or others.
You rely on alcohol, drugs, or self-harm to cope.
You hear or see things others do not, or lose track of reality.
You have trauma, eating-disorder behaviors, or bipolar history that affects treatment choices.

Willow can help you prepare questions for a clinician; it cannot replace their judgment.

Memory and privacy in chat

Willow may remember facts you share across conversations (manage in Settings → Memory). After elevated safety concern, memory writes may be blocked for that turn. You can delete stored memories anytime.

About this wiki

Summaries are paraphrased from the same clinician's guide that powers Willow's protocol and retrieval. They are for education, not treatment plans. A clinical SME should review pages before you treat them as signed-off patient education.