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Alongside
What it is
Alongside is a wellness platform for K–12 schools, with self-guided tools and coaching chats for students in grades 4–12 and self-help resources for educators. Students can confidentially discuss challenges at any time and use techniques informed by CBT, DBT, ACT, and mindfulness. Tools include mood tracking, goals, journaling, videos about mindfulness and social skills, and personalized skill-building exercises. The service covers more than 50 common concerns, including anxiety, self-esteem, and healthy friendships. Schools can add universal mental health screening and social-emotional assessments, and use dashboards to view usage and students’ most distressing concerns. For detected suicidal ideation risk, Alongside describes a process involving a severity scale, connection to 988, notification of school personnel, and safety planning. Alongside says AI is not used for screening or crisis-severity assessment, and severe issues trigger a pre-written safety protocol. The service is available on the web, iOS, and Android. It is a self-help educational platform, not therapy or a crisis service, and screening does not provide a diagnosis. Pricing is subscription-based; some offers may include a free trial of up to seven days.
For and against
For
- Confidential student coaching is available 24/7.
- Offers mood tracking, journaling, goals, and guided exercises.
- Optional screening and school dashboards are available.
- Accessible through web, iOS, and Android.
Against
- It is not therapy, medical advice, or a crisis service.
- Screening does not provide a diagnosis.
- No subscription price is stated.
- A free trial may be offered only in some cases.
The verdict
Alongside combines student coaching and self-guided activities with optional school screening and dashboards. Schools should note its stated limits: it is educational self-help, not therapy or crisis care.
Who it suits
Alongside is intended for students in grades 4–12 and education faculty and staff seeking self-guided wellness support. Schools looking for optional screening and dashboards may also find its tools relevant.
On the record
- Access and sign-in
- Students and staff can access Alongside in a modern browser or through iOS and Android apps, and can sign in with Clever or a school-issued email address.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
- Activities
- Students can track moods, set goals, journal, watch mindfulness and social-skills videos, and complete personalized skill-building exercises.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
- AI safeguards
- Alongside says AI is not used for universal screening or to assess crisis severity; severe issues trigger a pre-written safety protocol.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
- Coaching
- Students can confidentially chat about challenges 24/7 and receive clinically informed techniques drawing on CBT, DBT, ACT, and mindfulness.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
- Company
- Alongside says it was founded in 2022 as a research-backed wellness platform for K–12 schools.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
- Compliance claim
- Alongside states that its infrastructure is COPPA- and FERPA-compliant and that student data is not sold or used to train third-party models.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
- Crisis response
- When student input is flagged for a severe issue, Alongside follows a standardized safety protocol; its described response can include notifying school personnel and providing links to 988.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The privacy policy lists Google, Microsoft 365, Clever, ClassLink, and direct integrations with a SIS, portal, or product dashboard as possible integrated services.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- Alongside is designed to support students in grades 4–12 and offers a self-help platform for education faculty and staff.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
- Platforms and access
- Students and staff can use Alongside in a modern browser or download its app for iOS and Android.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
- Privacy and compliance
- Alongside states that student data is never sold or used to train third-party models and that its infrastructure is COPPA/FERPA compliant.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
- Product limitation
- Alongside says it is a self-help educational platform, not therapy, medical advice, treatment, or a crisis service, and that screening does not provide a diagnosis.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Alongside provides self-guided wellness tools and clinician-built coaching chats to help students navigate everyday challenges and build resilience; it states that it is not therapy.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
- School dashboards
- School and district dashboards report usage and the issues causing students the most distress.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
- Screening
- Universal mental health screeners and social-emotional competency assessments are available, and screening is described as an optional add-on.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
- Screening and dashboards
- The platform offers optional universal mental health screening and school and district dashboards with usage and student concern data.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
- Security and privacy
- The privacy policy says service data hosted on AWS is encrypted in transit and at rest using AES-256, and chat messages sent to Anthropic, Google Gemini, and OpenAI are sent without user identification and are not stored by those providers.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- Alongside says it responds to messages within 1–2 business days and offers consultations with its team.alongside.care · read 7 Oct 2026
