In these stressful and challenging times, support, information, referrals, or guidance are just a phone call away for those who work in our schools.

AID-NJEA, a free and confidential 24 hour telephone helpline and support system for NJ educators, school staff members, and their families is staffed by active and retired educators and school mental health professionals trained to counsel and support their colleagues. AID stands for Assistance in Distress.

Callers dial 866-AID-NJEA or 866-243-6532 to access support, telephone counseling and/or referral services for professional, personal or global concerns. Sometimes listening to the callers meets their needs; sometimes phone counseling, information, referral, or crisis management is necessary.

AID-NJEA will be answered at all hours everyday. Educators (teachers and school mental health professionals) will answer the calls from noon to 8 pm Mondays through Thursdays, and from noon to 6 pm Fridays. During other hours, support staff will refer callers to the hours staffed by educators or to available mental health workers who are not educators. At all times, 24 hours each day, mental health professionals are available to handle emergencies.

AID-NJEA will also have an on-call crisis intervention team available to work with school districts experiencing catastrophic events.

Questions about the program can be addressed to the Program Manager, Jacqueline M. Somma, by calling or by writing to AID-NJEA, 151 Centennial Avenue, Room 1300, Piscataway, NJ 08854.

AID-NJEA is provided by the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) in collaboration with University Behavioral HealthCare (UBHC), an integrated service delivery system of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ).