"12 PLUS" mobile app for adolescent counseling launched in Chișinău
A safe space for support and counseling, right on your phone screen. On Wednesday, September 23, the National Center for Child Abuse Prevention (CNPAC) launched the "12 PLUS" mobile app in Chișinău, offering adolescents easy access to psychological counseling and useful information. Specialists encourage students not to be afraid to seek help from a psychologist.
The app is very simple to use and can be downloaded to a mobile phone, stated Aliona Babachișvili, a project coordinator at CNPAC.
"It offers useful resources such as articles, blogs, quizzes for girls and boys, and real-life stories. And, of course, there is a free, confidential, and anonymous chat feature to speak with a psychologist. We are proud of the team of specialists behind this service—not a chatbot, but real people, specialists well trained to meet adolescents' needs. We do not collect personal data from the children and teenagers who write to us. To enter the chat, you need to provide an email address, but it doesn't necessarily have to be a real one—it can be a 'fake' address, as we call it. This is merely a technical step to start the conversation. We are here for you," said Aliona Babachișvili on the Moldova 1 program "Bună Dimineața".
Thus, after ten years of the platform serving as a support space for young people, parents, and teachers, the service is evolving into a resource accessible directly from every teenager's phone. According to CNPAC President Daniela Sîmboteanu, "12 PLUS" was launched when the online world was just gaining momentum and teenagers were showing great interest in this environment—a space that can be not only dangerous but also highly beneficial. "We created '12 PLUS,' a chat service with a psychologist that teenagers can access daily to seek counseling, a consultation, or a recommendation from a real specialist. Adolescence is a time filled with challenges, and we must help young people face them by providing tools to overcome them. I believe '12 PLUS' is an opportunity, a resource, and one of the solutions we offer to help them navigate the challenges of this age more easily. I would also add that it is a useful resource for teachers and parents alike, enabling them to better handle the challenges of communicating with adolescents. Today, we are entering a new phase where '12 PLUS' will be right in every teenager's pocket," stated Daniela Sîmboteanu at the mobile app's launch event.
The newly launched tool benefits both individual teenagers and the education system as a whole; not all schools have psychologists, and even where they do, neither the psychologists nor the teachers always possess the skills to address sensitive topics in a way that encourages teenagers to open up and build trust, noted Valentina Olaru, State Secretary at the Ministry of Education and Research, at the same event. "The phone has become the quickest source of help and information, and we fully recognize that a mobile app offers the greatest accessibility. After all, this is where young people look for information and sometimes try to find someone to talk to—even though loved ones, teachers, specialists, and psychologists are close by, they may lack the courage to broach sensitive topics or the necessary level of trust. We want this model—once piloted and refined—to be rolled out across the entire education system, making these tools available to everyone. The '12 PLUS' app perfectly complements existing guidelines, methodologies, and intervention tools by offering adolescents a more approachable way to get informed, seek support, find solutions, or, in some cases, simply vent their frustrations. This matters immensely in preventing situations that are difficult to remedy. That is why I believe this app has a promising future, and we hope it will deliver a wide-ranging impact," stated Valentina Olaru.
Since 2023, the "12 PLUS" app has offered a free, anonymous chat service with a real psychologist, and the service's value has quickly become clear. Through the platform, specialists have supported thousands of teenagers in the Republic of Moldova and beyond.
Since the beginning of this year, over 490 young people have requested a psychological consultation, while 830 inquiries were recorded over the past year.
"Talking to a real psychologist is my favorite part, because I’m not speaking to someone fake, to artificial intelligence, or to a robot. You’re talking to a person who gives you genuine answers and can understand you—and I think that’s the most important thing. You can use your real name, an email address, or even a pseudonym—everything stays anonymous. And it’s really important to know that support is just a click away," said Vivien, a teenager.
"At school, it’s hard for a student to talk to the psychologist. They’re afraid: Will anything actually change? Will the whole school find out about my problem? Will I still have friends after this? Will my classmates laugh at me? Will the teachers say anything?" added Ana.
"In my opinion, one of the challenges teenagers face today is the lack of a place where they can talk to someone, and the '12 PLUS' app gives us that. Sometimes you need to talk not because you’re sad, but simply because you need someone to listen to you," said Adrian. "That phrase—'go talk to a psychologist'—didn't really help me. That’s why I turned to '12 PLUS,' and it really did me good; it gave me answers to my questions. It’s a tremendous help, allowing you to anonymously share whatever is weighing on your mind," Margarita noted.
The "12 PLUS" platform was launched in 2016 by the National Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse and is maintained with the support of the Ministry of Education and Research, as well as several international partners.
