PROJECT PAGE / PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
On this Results page you can find the main outputs of the CHAT-YOUTH project that was co-funded by the European Union (9/2023-1/2026). However, the work continues and new publications will be added.
Based on the research and networking, we have produced for sharing:
- Self-assessment tool for OCCS
- Policy recommendations
- three brief reports available in English, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian and Spanish as summaries of our work
- recordings of two webinars
- peer reviewed research articles.
On the page Professional Development, there is also information about four past Community of Practice events and a set of slideshow series that summarizes some of our results.
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
Policy Recommendations: Online Chat Counselling Services for youth need recognition and resources.
The following recommendations aim to provide information for policy makers, public authorities, and funders to support OCCS in their work. The recommendations are grounded in empirical research and practice-based evidence and focus especially on sustainability as well as ethical and quality issues.
Policy Recommendations for OCCS – English.pdf
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS: Online Chat Counselling Services for youth need recognition and resources. Dewaele A., Denayer E., Goossens L., Felvinczi K., Kaló Z., Rényi M., Cabello M., Higuera-Lozano I., Soininvaara S. & Pitkänen T. (2026). Published online: 28.1.2026: https://nuorisotutkimus.fi/en/research/chat-youth/results/
SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR ONLINE ANONYMOUS MENTAL HEALTH CHAT SERVICES
This assessment tool has been developed by CHAT-YOUTH to support the professional development and quality improvement of online anonymous mental health chat services. It is intended for services working with young people who seek help in a confidential, low-threshold, and easily accessible way. The tool contains a set of statements that aim to reflect key aspects of everyday practice in online chat services.
The main purpose of this document is to support reflection, learning, and professional growth in a rapidly changing environment, where many young people prefer to seek help anonymously. The tool is not an auditing or control instrument. It is designed as a self-reflective tool that can help services better understand their current practices, identify strengths, and explore possible directions for development.
Self-assessment tool for OCCS.pdf
Felvinczi, K., Kaló Z., Rényi ., Cabello M., Higuera-Lozano I., Denayer E., Dewaele, A., Goossens, L., Soininvaara, S. & Pitkänen, T. (2026). Self-assessment tool for online anonymous mental health chat services for youth. Published online 28.1.2026, https://nuorisotutkimus.fi/en/research/chat-youth/results
Brief reports
A BRIEF REPORT – THE PURPOSE OF THE SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR OCCS
This brief report describes the core contents and the context for the self-assessment tool here. The report highlights the importance and benefits of the self-assesment for OCCS’s.
Purpose of the self-assessment tool – A brief report in English
A BRIEF REPORT – REPORTING SYSTEMS USED BY CHAT-SERVICES
What should be considered when developing a reporting system for a chat service? CHAT-YOUTH project published a brief report based on research on the topic of reporting systems. Reporting systems (or statistics tools) are systems that many online chat counselling services use to collect infomation on their operations. Read here the report as a pdf-file:
- Brief report – Reporting systems of chat services in English
- Brief report – Reporting systems of chat services in Finnish
- Brief report – Reporting systems of chat services in Spanish
- Brief report – Reporting systems of chat services in Dutch
- Brief report – Reporting systems of chat services in Hungarian
A BRIEF REPORT – A STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF ONLINE HELPLINES FOR YOUTH FROM A COUNSELLOR’S PERSPECTIVE
What are the strengths of online counselling chat services? What is needed to start one? How can the most common problems associated with online chat services be addressed?
Based on thorough desk reviews and interviews of the experts of the field, the CHAT-YOUTH consortium has produced a brief report on the most pressing issues of online chat counselling services for youth.
The report is available as a pdf-file here:
- Brief Report on a Strategic Analysis of Online Helplines for Youth from a Counsellor’s Perspective in English
- Brief Report on a Strategic Analysis of Online Helplines for Youth from a Counsellor’s Perspective in Finnish
- Brief report on a Strategic Analysis of Online Helplines for Youth from a Counsellor’s Perspective in Spanish
- Brief report on a Strategic Analysis of Online Helplines for Youth from a Counsellor’s Perspective in Dutch
- Brief report on a Strategic Analysis of Online Helplines for Youth from a Counsellor’s Perspective in Hungarian
- Brief Report on a Strategic Analysis of Online Helplines for Youth from a Counsellor’s Perspective in French
WEBINARS
Youth Perspectives on Mental Health Across Europe – Webinar
The webinar held on 4th of November 2025 explores what shapes young people’s mental health in 2025. This webinar brings together youth voices from across Europe to share perspectives on education, advocacy, and diverse communities. Centering their experiences, the webiar aims to inspire inclusive, youth-driven approaches to mental well-being.
Guest speakers:
- Gyula Pege: Young Ambassador of UNICEF Hungary
Youth Mental Health in 2025 from UNICEF Hungary’s Perspective. (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.) - Femke Dreezen: UN-Youth Delegate, Flemish Youth Council
Navigating Mental Health in a Connected World: The Voices of Flemish Youth (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.) - Narayan Cortés: CEEM – Consejo Estatal de Estudiantes de Medicina
The Prescripction of a Generation: Student-led Telemental Health Initiatives in Medical Education (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.) - Karina Adamusik: DECA-project, Finnish Youth Research Society & Ukraine Help Center Perspectives from work with Ukranian youth in Finland (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.)
You can watch the recording of the presentations behind the links or check out the entire webinar here (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.).
The Role of AI in Transforming Mental Healthcare – Webinar
The webinar held on the 14th of January 2025 offers an opportunity to learn how artificial intelligence is being applied to support mental health and wellbeing. Through real-world examples, speakers discussed how AI enhances access to care, personalizes mental health support, and aids professionals in delivering more effective interventions.
The sessions addressed ethical challenges, such as transparency, fairness, and the
balance between technology and human connection, as we consider the implications of
integrating AI into sensitive areas like mental health.
Whether you’re a professional in the field, a technology enthusiast, or someone curious about the potential of AI, this webinar provides insights into how these tools are shaping the future of mental health care. You can watch the recording of the presentations behind the links or check out the entire webinar here (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.)!
Guest speakers:
- Dr. Mark Hoogendoorn, Professor of Artificial Intelligence, VU Amsterdam: “AI: What is it and how can it be used to improve wellbeing? (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.)”
- Dr. Lode Lauwaert, Professor of Philosophy of Technology, KU Leuven: “An ethical perspective on AI” (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.)
- Saara Huhanantti, Chief Operating Officer, Project 5/5, Finland: “Extending Mental Health Chat Support: Advancing with Technology and AI” (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.)
- Dr. Tom Van Daele, Research Coordinator of the Research Line: “Artificial Intelligence & Mental Health” (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.)
Research articles (5)
HELP IS JUST A MESSAGE AWAY
This consensus article was produced in cooperation with researcher and stakeholders. It highlights the evolving and diverse roles of OCCS in supporting youth mental health across Europe. Read the article through the link below.
This study aimed to identify shared priorities for the development, evaluation, and implementation of OCCS for youth. Eight focus groups were conducted with 38 stakeholders—including researchers, counsellors, and service coordinators—from eight European countries. Through qualitative content analysis, six key thematic domains emerged: usability and engagement, service quality and effectiveness, infrastructure and integration, sustainability, ethical considerations, and future visions. Participants highlighted OCCS as valuable tools for fostering emotional safety, trust, and accessibility, while also noting persistent challenges such as limited funding, fragile infrastructure, and ethical tensions around anonymity and safeguarding. The findings of the study provide a strategic foundation for advancing inclusive, sustainable, and youth-centered digital mental health support across Europe.
Dewaele, A., Denayer, E., Cabello, M., Higuera-Lozano, I., Pitkänen, T., Felvinczi, K., Kaló, Z., Soininvaara, S., & Goossens, L. (2025). Help Is Just a Message Away: Online Counselling Chat Services Bridging Gaps in Youth Mental Health? (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.) European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 15(12), 257. https://doi.org/10.3390/10.3390/ejihpe15120257 (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.)
BENEFITS, LIMITATIONS AND POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS
The this article is a cross-cultural qualitative study that examines experiences of online chat counselling service providers in Belgium, Finland, Hungary and Spain. The study identifies benefits, limitations, and potential solutions for improving services and inform future best practices. Read the article through the link below.
Higuera-Lozano, I., Ramirez, M., Breugelmans, N., Denayer, E., Dewaele, A., Felvinczi, K., Goossens, L., Kaló Z.,, Pitkänen, T., Rényi, M., Uusimäki, V. & Cabello, M. (2026) Benefits, limitations and potential solutions for defining good practices in Online Counselling Chat Services for Youth (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.), Internet Interventions, Volume 43, March 2026, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2026.100902 (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.)
EXPLORING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF OCCS
This web search study provides an overview of existing online counselling chat services in four European countries: Belgium, Finland, Hungary and Spain. The search identified a total of 66 service providers offering 71 different chat services. Child Helpline Quality Standards were used to identify gaps and unmet needs within the available services. The findings suggest that some existing chat services for young people could be improved in areas such as accessibility, data security, and the inclusion of vulnerable groups.
Higuera-Lozano, I., Uusimäki, V., Pitkänen, T., Denayer, E., Dewaele, A., Felvinczi, K., Goossens, L., Kaló, Z., Rényi, M. & Cabello, M. (2025) Exploring the Characteristics of Online Counseling Chat Services for Youth in Europe: Web Search Study (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.), JMIR Mental Health 2025;12:e67949 doi: 10.2196/67949 (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.)
YOUNG PEOPLE’S AGENCY AND ENTITLEMENT TO GET HELP
How do the anonymous online chat counselling services support young people’s own agency? Do the young service users feel entitled to the help they receive? The research indicates that many young people perceive the anonymous online chat counselling service as a place where they have the opportunity to discuss issues they do not want to talk about in face-to-face services.
Read the extended abstract in English
Janne Takala, Alix Helfer & Tuuli Pitkänen (2025). Nuoren toimijuus ja avunsaamisen oikeutus anonyymissä chat-palvelussa [Young people’s agency and entitlement to get help in anonymous online chat counselling services. In Finnish]. In Ville-Samuli Haverinen, Sari Tuuva-Hongisto Sari & Kristiina Korjonen-Kuusipuro Digitaalinen nuoruus ja kasvavat erot. Nuorisotutkimusseura.
WHEN DESPAIR TAKES OVER
How do young people discuss the topic of suicide in an anonymous chat counselling service? A new research paper examines young people’s genuine experiences in terms of suicidal behavior discussed online and their motivations for seeking help anonymously.
The study consisted of text-based synchronous conversations between young service users and online adult counsellors during a period of five months. For in-depth analyses, 62 conversations were selected and analyzed focusing on the described suicidal behavior and the given reasons for despair and entering the OCCS.
Alix Helfer, Kati Kataja & Tuuli Pitkänen (2025). When Despair Takes Over: Suicide Conversations in an Online Counseling Chat Service for Youth. (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.) Child & Youth Services, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/0145935X.2024.2437758
Last updated 25.1.2026
CHAT-YOUTH project team
ERASMUS+ KA220-YOU – Cooperation partnerships in youth 9/2023 – 1/2026
Alexis Dewaele, Lien Goossens and Elke Denayer, Universiteit Gent, Belgium
Maria Cabello Salmerón and Irati Higuera Lozano, La Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
Katalin Felvinczi, Zsuza Kaló and Mónika Rényi, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary
Tuuli Pitkänen, Siiri Soininvaara and Sanni Heinonen, Finnish Youth Research Society, Finland
Tuuli Pitkänen
PhD, Adjunct professor
Research Manager
+358 41 517 8678
tuuli.pitkanen@youthresearch.fi