Crisis Protocol • Last Updated: September 5, 2026
How FaithGrind Handles a Crisis
FaithGrind is not an emergency service. This page says plainly what happens inside the app when a man writes something that sounds like he may hurt himself, and how to reach a real person.
If you need help now
Call or text 988. Free, 24 hours a day, every day.
Call 1-800-662-4357. Free and confidential, 24 hours a day, every day.
If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
The coach is AI
- ▸Your coach is software, not a person. Every reply is generated by an AI model.
- ▸It is not a licensed therapist, counselor, psychologist, doctor, sponsor, or crisis service.
- ▸It remembers what you tell it, so it can coach you over time. That memory is yours to view and clear in the app.
- ▸AI answers can be wrong. Nothing the coach says is medical, clinical, or legal advice.
- ▸There is no advertising inside the coach, and we do not sell your conversations.
What happens when crisis language appears
Before your message reaches the AI model, our servers check it against a list of self-harm and suicide phrases. If one matches, the model never runs. The app replies with a fixed message that carries the two hotlines above and nothing else. The coach does not try to counsel you through it.
- ▸The check runs on our servers, on both the website and the mobile app, so it cannot be skipped by the app.
- ▸The fixed reply is saved to your conversation so it is still there when you come back.
- ▸Daily check-ins are screened the same way. A check-in with crisis language gets the hotline response instead of a coaching note.
- ▸If you text our number back with crisis language, no automated reply is sent. The message is flagged for a person on our team to read.
- ▸Sub-crisis pain gets a different, gentler path: the coach stops coaching for that turn and points you toward a counselor or pastor.
The help door
You do not have to type anything to get help. A button labeled “Needing Help” sits on the coach screen and in the site footer. It opens a screen with scripture, the two hotlines as one-tap calls, and a breathing exercise. It works whether or not you are signed in and whether or not you pay.
What we do not do
- ✗We do not monitor conversations in real time. No one is watching your chat as you type.
- ✗We do not dispatch emergency services, and we cannot contact you or anyone else on your behalf.
- ✗We do not provide therapy, treatment, diagnosis, or clinical care of any kind.
- ✗We do not guarantee that the phrase check catches every way a man might say he is in trouble. It is a safety net, not a substitute for calling 988.
- ✗We do not offer 24-hour human support. Email is answered by people, but not instantly.
Reaching a human
If you are worried about yourself, or you are family and you are worried about someone using FaithGrind, write to us. A person reads it. We answer as fast as we can, but this inbox is not staffed around the clock, so if it is urgent, use 988 first.