Helping people out
The highly popular Twitch gambling streamer Trainwreck is rolling out a new mental health program to his audience. He announced the launch of the Community Care Program, which will offer community members access to free therapy services through Discord.
The program is a collaboration with the Rise Above The Disorder organization. Even people who do not have the funds for mental health services or health insurance will be able to access the new service.
amassing almost two million followers
Trainwreck has been streaming on Twitch since 2014, amassing almost two million followers since then. He has used his reach over the years to make people more aware of various types of social issues, including mental health.
A significant investment
It was in April that Trainwreck first revealed his plans to invest in some sort of mental healthcare project for the community. Other streamers will also be following in his footsteps and getting involved in the Community Care Program. Trainwreck is the first streamer to lend his support, donating $350,000 to the project.
will cover about 12,000 free therapy sessions
His sizeable donation will cover about 12,000 free therapy sessions from licensed professionals for community members. Other streamers will be able to also donate to provide free therapy sessions to their audience or they can fundraise in order to do so. The program will cover a global audience.
Rise Above The Disorder announced the new program on Twitter, explaining that the project will help “eliminate the major barriers surrounding therapy: cost and ease of access.”
Concerns about gambling-related streams
For people who are looking to avail themselves of the free therapy services, there will be a 24/7 Discord bot in place to connect people directly with the organization. They will then be able to schedule a session and talk through any issues they might be experiencing.
There has been criticism from a lot of circles regarding gambling-related streams on Twitch. Many people see this type of content as promoting gambling to a younger audience and creating a false reality of how much people can win through various forms of gambling. The fear is that viewers might engage in irresponsible gambling.
Twitch users clearly have an appetite for gambling-related streams. In May, the slots category of streams broke into the top ten most-watched categories in the month, the first time that gambling-related streams managed the feat.