// Safety & guidelines

Support you can feel safe with.

GamerReach is peer support through play. Here's how we train our volunteers, the standards they follow, what they will and won't do, and what happens if someone needs more help than a teammate can give.

Report a concern

How we keep sessions safe

Safeguards built in

Trained volunteers

Every volunteer completes Mental Health First Aid certification before their first session. It teaches them how to listen, recognize warning signs, and point someone toward help.

Applications are reviewed

Volunteers must be 18 or older, and a coordinator reviews every application before anyone is matched.

Thoughtful matching

We match on platform, games and availability, so sessions feel like playing with a friend, not a stranger.

Moderated group spaces

Group game nights are moderated, so they stay welcoming and low-pressure.

A path to more support

When someone is ready for more than peer support, we make a warm introduction to a licensed therapist.

We ask for little

A first name or gamertag and an email are all we require. We use your details to match you and follow up, nothing else.

Volunteer code of conduct

What volunteers do, and what they don't

Volunteers will

  • Show up on time and play like a teammate
  • Listen without judgment and let you set the pace
  • Keep what you share private, except where safety requires otherwise
  • Be honest that they're a peer volunteer, not a professional
  • Treat everyone with respect, whatever their background, identity or ability
  • Tell a coordinator if they're worried about your safety
  • Point you to 988 or a licensed professional when you need more

Volunteers won't

  • Diagnose, treat, or give medical or therapeutic advice
  • Handle a crisis alone, since that's what 988 and professionals are for
  • Ask for money, gifts, or personal financial information
  • Share your information or conversations outside GamerReach
  • Pressure you to talk, share, or keep playing
  • Move conversations to private channels outside GamerReach, or arrange to meet in person
  • Form romantic or sexual relationships with the people they support
  • Use drugs or alcohol during a session or bring harassment, hate or discrimination into one

When someone needs more

What happens if there's a safety concern

Volunteers are teammates, not crisis responders. If something comes up in a session that sounds serious, they follow a simple path and never have to handle it alone.

  1. 1
    Stay with the personThe volunteer keeps listening and doesn't leave the conversation.
  2. 2
    Encourage 988They help the person call or text 988, or call 911 if there's immediate danger.
  3. 3
    Alert a coordinatorA GamerReach coordinator is notified so the person isn't left on their own.
  4. 4
    Follow up with careWhen the person is ready, we offer a warm introduction to a licensed therapist.

Report a concern

If something doesn't feel right

If a volunteer made you uncomfortable, broke these guidelines, or you're worried about someone's safety, please tell us. Reports are taken seriously, and you won't be penalized for speaking up.

Email a coordinatorhello@gamerreach.org
Someone in danger right now?Call or text 988, or call 911 for an emergency.