@ease
Accessible, Peer-Supported Early Mental Health Support for Young People
@ease is a Dutch organisation offering young people aged 12–25 a free, anonymous, and walk-in space (both in-person and online) to talk about emotional or mental health concerns. Supported by trained young peer volunteers in close collaboration with mental health professionals, @ease provides a low-threshold, stigma-free environment designed to help young people seek support early, before mental health challenges intensify.
Approach and Vision
At @ease, young people can talk without referral, without waiting lists, and without cost. Conversations focus on listening, validation, and short, solution-focused support when needed. When concerns are more complex, @ease acts as a bridge to appropriate care, building pathways into mental health services while maintaining continuity of support. The approach is explicitly preventive. Many young people visiting @ease experience psychosocial stress, reduced functioning, or emerging mental health symptoms often before a clinical diagnosis is established.
The importance of prevention and early support has been internationally recognised. In 2024, @ease was highlighted as a best-practice example in the OECD report Mental Health Promotion and Prevention – Best Practices in Public Health, and is one of the three youth interventions being scientifically evaluated in the EU-funded YOUTHreach project.
Scientific Foundation
Scientific research is embedded in the @ease model. The research is coordinated by Maastricht University, where multiple research lines examine:
- Accessibility of @ease, and needs and experiences of young people with mental health problems
- The effectiveness, change in wellbeing across visits and at follow up.
- Cost-effectiveness and societal impact of low-threshold youth support
- Peer support as a mechanism of prevention and early intervention
Research is conducted under the supervision of Prof. dr. Thérèse van Amelsvoort (co-founder of @ease) and dr. Sophie Leijdesdorff, with PhD researchers Anouk Boonstra and Casper Crombach leading quantitative and economic evaluation studies. Qualitative research ensures young people’s voices are central in improving the model.
Societal Impact
With more than one in four young people in the Netherlands experiencing mental health challenges, @ease provides a vital early support space that reduces loneliness, promotes help-seeking, prevents escalation, and strengthens community resilience. @ease currently operates in multiple Dutch cities and continues to expand through local community partnerships and youth-led initiatives.