The Prism Program was launched in 2021 by Mental Health America of WI to provide free, accessible peer support by and for LGBTQ+ people. For four years, queer and trans peer specialists supported hundreds of people via warmline, virtual and in-person support groups, and provided consultation and education to many statewide partners. As of 2025, the Prism Program is on hiatus due to lack of funding.
MHA-WI is immensely proud of the impact of the Prism Program and hopes to reinvigorate the program one day. We are deeply grateful to all the partners along the way who were champions of and advocates for Prism and LGBTQ+ mental health.
The LGBTQ+ population can still find accessible, affirming mental health support at the resources below:
Weekly Virtual Support Group
- For anyone LGBTQ+ identifying (16+)
- Meets on Tuesdays at 7pm Central Time
- To connect on shared experiences as LGBTQ+ people, mental health or substance use struggles, or any other life experiences that you’re going through
UpliftWI Warmline
UpliftWI is a warmline offered by MHA-WI for the general population in Wisconsin to find emotional support and connection. It is a welcoming, anonymous, and confidential resource, and there is some capacity for LGBTQ+ specific peer support upon request. Please note that UpliftWI will not always have an LGBTQ+ peer specialist available, so it may take up to 24 hours for the request to be fulfilled (and if you don’t want to wait, you can talk to a general peer support specialist).
To access, you can follow these steps:
- Call 534-202-5438 (available 7 days a week, 10am-10pm Central time)
- Press 3 to request an LGBTQ+ peer specialist
- Press 0 at any time to connect with a general peer specialist
- If no LGBTQ+ peer specialist is available, you may leave a voicemail to request a call back
The Prism warmline number (414-336-7984) still works and will take you to the same path to UpliftWI as described above. We are no longer able to take texts at this number.
Other Resources for LGBTQ+ Mental Health Support
Trevor Project Lifeline (call 1-866-488-7386 OR text START to 678-678)
Trans Lifeline (call 877-565-8860)
Please reach out to Erica Steib (erica@mhawisconsin.org) with questions. There is still some capacity for community education and resource sharing about LGBTQ+ mental health and suicide prevention upon request.