Free Mental Health Guides
MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH!
Today's newsletter is overflowing with necessary mental health resources for those who need them.
SENIORS! You get your own resource!
But please don’t overlook this one, too.
Mental Health Awareness Month has a fascinating history! 🔍
Ever heard of Clifford Beers? He took his emotional struggles and turned them into a mental health movement that changed America.
In 1876, Clifford was born into a family plagued by mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Tragedy struck when his beloved brother died, sending Clifford into a spiral. He attempted suicide and was institutionalized for 3 years.
While there, he endured horrific treatment – being tied in straitjackets, subjected to trauma, and denied effective care.
But Beers was determined to expose these cruel conditions.
Against advice, he published his memoir "A Mind That Found Itself" in 1908, detailing his experiences. The bestseller shook the nation and the medical community.
Beers declared: "I have decided to stand on my past and look the future in the face."
In 1908, he gathered friends to start the first mental health advocacy group, leading to Mental Health Connecticut and later Mental Health America – the oldest & largest nonprofit for mental health.
Their efforts led to the National Mental Health Act in 1946, and in 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month was established. 🌟
Beers's ability to listen to his gut sparked lasting change. His story reminds us to listen to ourselves and fight for a more compassionate world.
WILDLY COMPREHENSIVE MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES!
What started as a modest list of resources soon outpaced my expectations. Take your time. There's a lot here.
I’ve included TWO playlists at the very end.) One is to help you cry, and the other is to help you feel happy.
✅ THE BASICS
TOOLKITS
Mental Health America's Back to Basics foundational knowledge about mental health & mental health conditions and information about what people can do if their mental health is a cause for concern.
Resources for Primary School Children - Resources and top tips for primary schools and others working with young people aged 4-11.
NAMI BASICS - NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Health) Basics is a 6-session education program for parents, caregivers, and other family members who provide care for youth (ages 22 and younger) who are experiencing mental health symptoms. This program is free to participants, 99% of whom say they would recommend it to others.
NAMI Classes - thousands of trained NAMI volunteers offer a variety of peer-led online (and IRL) programs.
How to Talk About When You're at a Loss: How to Talk About Mental Health Conditions with Different People.
Understanding Mental Illness - Learn about the different disorders
WARNING SIGNS
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)the signs and symptoms that might signal a mental health condition
Seize the Awkward - Concerned about a friend? Look here.
Psychiatry.org - Warning signs and how to take action and get help
Suicide is Preventable - Know the signs. Find the words. Reach out.
CRISIS LINES
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800.273.TALK (8255)
Contact the Bring Change to Mind Crisis Text Line - text BC2M to 741741.
NAMI Helpline for Young Adults & Teens: Call 1-800-950-6264, chat, text "Friend" to 62640, or email [email protected] to connect with us.
SCREENINGS:
CRISIS LINE ALTERNATIVES
Remedy Live - Using technology to provide real-time, online crisis support to anyone who reaches out. Our team of compassionate, trained SoulMedics are available 24/7, ensuring that help is just a click away. They believe that every conversation has the potential to change a life.
Project Extreme - The primary objective of Project Extreme’s Helpline is to connect the right people with the right resources. From confused parents to troubled teenagers, the Helpline professionals offer texters practical advice, valuable resources, and everlasting hope.
🤐 THERAPY
SUPPORT GROUPS
NAMI Support Groups With over 40 Support & Social Groups, both family members and people living with mental illness are sure to find a group that fits.
Circles connect with others facing similar challenges in online groups led by professionals.
Psychology Today - Find a Support Group (type in your address, et voila!)
A BIG list of support groups Find specialized support including:
Pace is an invite-only social club for the real and honest. Meet over live video, bring the real you, and find common humanity through uncommon conversations.
GROUP THERAPY
Grouport expert-led online group therapy.
Peer Partners Program Mental Health America’s Peer Partners program helps those struggling with our biggest challenges today- isolation and social exclusion.
Griefshare - This is for those who need support handling and living with loss.
ONLINE THERAPY
BetterHelp makes professional therapy accessible, affordable, and convenient — so anyone who struggles with life’s challenges can get help anytime and anywhere.
TalkSpace is the most convenient and affordable way to connect with a licensed therapist — all from your device's privacy.
OnlineTherapy (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) is a complete happiness toolbox. Get matched with a qualified therapist within a minute.
Teen Counseling helps your child thrive with professional therapy.
7 Cups tap into the deep well of resources here. There are thousands of volunteer listeners.
PSYCHIATRY
MD Psychiatry Visits If you need someone to support you in facing life’s challenges, our carefully vetted, board-certified psychiatrists are here to help. Get the care you need at a time and place that works for you.
Cerebral meet with a telehealth prescriber or therapist who can diagnose and treat anxiety, depression, insomnia & ADHD with or without medication online.
Dr. On Demand, in a world that feels more overwhelming than ever, we make it easy for you to access mental health support. See the right therapist for you, right from your phone, on your schedule.
SLIDING SCALE
Open Path Collective offers affordable, in-office and online psychotherapy sessions between $30 and $60.
Better Help makes professional therapy accessible, affordable, and convenient — so anyone who struggles with life’s challenges can get help anytime and anywhere.
THERAPY FOR BLACK AND INTERSECTIONAL COMMUNITIES
Inclusive Therapists make therapy feel simpler and safer for people in marginalized communities.
Melanin and Mental Health makes mental health more accessible and understood to black and Latinx/Hispanic communities.
Open Path Collective offers affordable, in-office and online psychotherapy sessions between $30 and $60.
My Well-Being This community of practitioners includes hundreds of high-quality, diverse experts committed to supporting you and your unique needs.
Therapists of Color, you no longer feel misunderstood when therapy looks like you.
Therapy for Black Girls is an online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls.
Inno Psych is a simple way to find your therapist of color.
Black Men Heal provides access to mental health treatment, psycho-education, and community resources to men of color.
Black Virtual Wellness Directory is the place to find a virtual Black therapist, doula, yoga teacher, mediator, and much more.
LGBTQ THERAPISTS OF COLOR
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network Advancing healing justice by transforming mental health for queer and trans poc.
LGBTQ Psychotherapists of Color is a social and wellness community where paying members can access group workouts, guided meditations, wellness salons and art workshops as part of the healing process.
THERAPY RESOURCES FOR ASIAN and BIPOC COMMUNITIES
Sistah Afya Community Mental Wellness is a social impact business that provides mental health education, therapy, community support, and resources to help young adult Black women.
Asian American Psychological Association is an organization for professionals that has fact sheets on brain injury, trauma and violence exposure, intimate partner violence, student-adjustment challenges, bullying and suicide.
Asian American Psychological Association Provider Directory - connecting Asians and Asian Americans to culturally aware providers who are prepared to meet your needs.
Asians do Therapy Reducing Stigma and Increasing Accessibility.
Asian Mental Health Collective is a place that aspires to make mental health readily available, approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide.
Latinx Therapy was founded in 2018 with the mission to de-stigmatize mental health in the Latinx community. You can find a directory of mental health therapists and other helpful information for the Latinx community.
THERAPY FOR THE LBGTQ COMMUNITY
LGBT National Help Center serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning community by providing free & confidential peer-support and local services.
Trevor Space is an affirming international community for LGBTQ young people ages 13-24.
National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network advancing healing justice by transforming mental health for queer and trans poc.
SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC MODALITIES
Somatic Experiencing is a potent method for resolving trauma symptoms and relieving chronic stress. Developed by Dr. Peter A. Levine.
Psychedelic Directory: Explore and connect with people, organizations, and communities in the psychedelics space.
What is Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing EMDR? A first line treatment for trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
EMDR Directory Find an EMDR Therapist in your region.
💣 WAR
THERAPY (IN AMERICA) FOR THIS CURRENT POLITICAL MOMENT
Ruha Palestine Mental Health Response
Calamansi Counseling Culturally Integrative Therapy + Community Care
Crisis Response Therapists are trained for crisis.
Swana Therapist Collective is dedicated to increasing visibility and highlighting the services of Southwest Asian (“Middle-Eastern”) & North African therapists worldwide.
Repose Therapy for Jewish Communities
Refuat Hanafesh Stories and live conversations.
Prizmah Big list of Jewish mental health organizations
OK Clarity Get matched with Jewish Therapists, coaches, psychiatrists, nutritionists, and more.
😢 THERE ARE MULTIPLE KINDS OF TRAUMA
🏠 FAMILIES
HOW-TOs FOR FAMILIES
Family and Caregiver Support supporting a family member.
Children's Center for OCD and Anxiety has comprehensive, user-friendly information on the full range of anxiety disorders: how to identify symptoms, find effective treatments, and prevent anxiety from taking hold in a child's life.
FOR TRAUMATIZED CHILDREN
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network is raising the standard of care to improve access to services for traumatized children, their families and communities throughout the United States.
Understanding Trauma and Promoting Resilience in Vulnerable Children The science of resiliency tells us that children are not born with resiliency but develop it over time through strong relationships with the important adults in their family and community.
🫶🏽 CONDITIONS
TRAUMA
The Wisdom of Trauma Film, by Gabor Mate
ANXIETY
A Primer on Childhood and Teen Anxiety: How to face and handle your anxiety. (from 2015, but still stands)
Little Panic: Dispatches from an Anxious Life is my book about growing up with an undiagnosed panic disorder, written from inside anxiety.
Information on Social Anxiety and Other Anxiety Disorders
DEPRESSION
Cereal for Dinner meeting you where you're at.
Every Day Health has a list of depression organizations, articles, and websites for more information and support.
National Network of Depression Centers is a wealth of wonderful resources.
Project Healthy Minds browse by emotional state.
BURN OUT
📚 EDUCATION
Education Classes trained NAMI volunteers bring peer-led programs to various community settings, from churches to schools to NAMI Affiliates. With the unique understanding of people with lived experience, these programs and support groups provide outstanding free education, skills training and support.
NAMI BASICS is a 6-session education program for parents, caregivers, and other family members who provide care for youth (ages 22 and younger) who are experiencing mental health symptoms. This program is free to participants, 99% of whom say they would recommend it to others. NAMI Basics is available both in person and online through NAMI Basics OnDemand.
The Mental Health Literacy Collaborative - mental health literacy for educators
The Madison Holleran Foundation - Suicide prevention for high school and college kids
🚌 SCHOOL
PARENTS
Mental Health Resources for Parents are online resources aimed specifically at parents of adolescents and young adults.
National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health is a nationwide advocacy organization with families as its sole focus.
Parents Guide to Getting Good Care answers the questions of parents whose children suffer.
TEACHERS
Breathe for Change 200-hour Digital Wellness, SEL, and Yoga Teacher Training For Educators and Community Leaders.
Teach for America Resources Mental health resources for educators.
STUDENTS
Bring Change to Mind, raising voices and awareness about mental health in high school.
Student Mental Health Toolkit encourages wellness education as a community and helps to de-stigmatize mental health.
THE ENTIRE SCHOOL SYSTEM
Professional Resources for Schools from wellbeing activities for schools to toolkits and webinars for mental health professionals and a range of resources to help you support the young people in your lives.
Erika’s Lighthouse is a nonprofit on a mission to provide free mental health programs for any school, anywhere.
Transcend: Building Beyond the Limits of School Design. Here is what schools can do to support mental health.
SPACES | SERVICES
😷 PANDEMIC
COVID MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES (because it ain’t over for everyone!)
University of San Francisco Coping Resources COVID-19 Specific Resources.
Mental Health America Mental Health and Covid-19 Information and Resources.
FOR FIRST RESPONDERS
Responder Strong is an essential tool for essential work.
First Responders Children's Foundation provides financial support to children who have lost a parent in the line of duty as well as families enduring significant financial hardship due to tragic circumstances.
Wellness for Fire Fighters has numerous resources related to cancer, heart health and mental health issues in one central location.
The Battle Within is a 5-day healing journey for trauma endured while in service.
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES FOR THERAPISTS
Society for Psychotherapy distress, therapist burnout, self-care, and the promotion of wellness for psychotherapists and trainees.
CMFT (California Association of Marriage and Family Therapist) self-care resources for therapists.
National Library of Medicine how therapists can diminish burnout symptoms through self-care.
PHYSICIANS
🖇 THE WORKPLACE
FOR EMPLOYERS
Mental Health America for Employers information to improve mental health in your workplace.
Corporate Wellness Magazine addresses the total health of your employees.
Understood 5 ways to support employee wellness.
Therify personalized mental health resources to help you improve employee satisfaction, well-being, and belonging.
FOR EMPLOYEES
Mental Health America for Employees has information on caring for your own mental health when facing difficult challenges at work.
Thriver physical and mental wellness activities to promote healthy habits throughout your workplace.
Workplace Mental Health sets the standard for mentally healthy workplaces by leading on best practices and innovation, leveraging strategic alliances, and developing and disseminating high-impact tools and resources.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST FOR LEADERS
🦸🏻♀️ GENDER
🍴 EATING / BODY DYSMORPHIA
Do I have Body Dysmorphic Disorder? Take the Test.
♿️ DISABILITIES
🚴🏽 ATHLETES
👯♂️ FRIENDS
🎬 FREE WEBINARS
Psych Alive has made these webinars free for Mental Health Awareness Month.
OVERLOOKED RESOURCES:
⛑ MY FAVORITE MENTAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS
Bring Change to Mind is a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging dialogue about mental health and raising awareness, understanding, and empathy.
Active Minds is one of the premier organizations impacting young adults and mental health.
Child Mind is dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders by giving them the help they need to thrive.
The Trevor Project provides information & support to LGBTQ young people 24/7, all year round.
Fountain House is fighting to improve health, increase opportunity, and end social and economic isolation for people most impacted by mental illness.
The JED Foundation is a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for our nation’s teens and young adults, giving them the skills and support they need to thrive today and tomorrow.
Mental Health America believes that mental health conditions should be treated long before they reach the most critical points in the disease process, and they're committed to addressing mental health B4Stage4.
📖 ONLINE COURSES
National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine offers continuing education for practitioners dedicated to being the best in their craft (anyone can take these courses, so long as they pay for them).
📆 ONLINE EVENTS
The Friends of the Semel Institute is dedicated to improving the lives of people with mental illness by supporting research to advance innovative treatments and sponsoring educational programs to raise awareness and erase stigma.
⁉️ WORKSHEETS / QUESTIONNAIRES
🎯 GAMES
You Feel Like Shit questions that help you practice self-care.
The Game of Real Life by Jesse Finkelstein is based on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy principles.
Florence is a video game about loss and learning to see from a different perspective.
Hidden Folks, for anxiety.
Kids Mental Health Games - 51 Essential Activities to help kids develop a strong mind, make better choices in life
The Talking, Feeling, Doing Game — Therapy Game for Kids to Improve Essential Life Skills
⚕️MY FAVORITE MENTAL HEALTH NEWSLETTERS & WEBSITES, & BLOGS
Psyche is a digital magazine from Aeon that illuminates the human condition through psychology, philosophy, and the arts.
Beautiful Voyager is a community and content space for overthinkers, perfectionists, and people pleasers.
The School of Life - Alain de Botton’s brilliant, wise, life-saving brainchild
Andrew Solomon’s articles on his website
Nedra Tawwab - a therapist and expert on boundaries
Mark Duplass - an actor who lives through his depression in public
🎤 FAVORITE PODCASTS
Be Here Now Network a network of spirituality and mindfulness podcasts incl: Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, Alan Watts, Konda Mason & Tara Brach
On Being hosted by Krista Tippett
Terrible Thanks for Asking hosted by Nora McInerny
Hidden Brain hosted by Shankar Vedantam
📕 FAVORITE BOOKS ON PSYCHOLOGY AND MENTAL HEALTH
Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon
Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon
My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind by Scott Stossel
The Man Who Mistook his Wife for A Hat by Oliver Sacks
Games People Play: The Psychology of Human Relationships by Eric Berne
The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk
Mindset by Carol Dweck
The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss by Mary-Frances O'Connor
The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts
A Matter of Death and Life by Irvin D. Yalom, Marilyn Yalom
Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine
Little Panic: Dispatches from an Anxious Life (my memoir, which I feel weird about including, but I’m weird, so….) by Amanda Stern
39 MENTAL HEALTH READS from the New York Public Library (and seconded by me!)
Get Out of My Head: Inspiration of Overthinkers in an Anxious World by Meredith Arthur
A Therapeutic Journey: Lessons From the School of Life by Alain de Botton
For more titles, head over to the "HOW TO LIVE" BOOKSHOP
📗 PRACTICAL AND ACTIONABLE BOOKS ON MENTAL HEALTH
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David Burns (proven techniques for a more positive outlook)
Freeing Yourself from Anxiety: 4 Simple Steps to Overcome Worry and Create the Life You Want by Tamar Chansky
Freeing Your Child from Anxiety: Practical Strategies to Overcome Fears, Worries, and Phobias and Be Prepared for Life - From Toddlers to Teens by Tamar Chansky
The Worry Cure: Seven Steps to Stop Worry from Stopping You by Robert Leahy (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in book form)
Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha by Tara Brach
❓ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS EVEN YOU ARE EMBARRASSED TO ASK GOOGLE
📰 ARTICLES I'M READING
Making your children feel loved’ and the power of parental listening by Andrew Solomon
He Spurred a Revolution in Psychiatry. Then He ‘Disappeared’ by Ellen Barry
Bleeding at the Typewriter: The Potential Link between Creativity and Mental Health in Writers by Paige Rose Brockway
One Woman’s Six-Word Mantra That Has Helped to Calm Millions by Judith Hoare
The Parents Who Regret Having Children by R.O. Kwon
Jung’s Five Pillars to a Good Life by Arthur C. Brooks
The New Science of Death: There’s Something Happening in the Brain That Makes No Sense by Alex Blasdel
🍿 DOCUMENTARIES
Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness, a film by Erik Ewers & Christopher Loren Ewers
The Teen Brain by Tiffany Shlain
Shadow Voices: Finding Hope in Mental Illness by Burton Bullers
Light in the Darkness - Living Well After Trauma by Daniel Gartzke
Grey Gardens - by the Maysles Brothers
🦸🏽♂️ MENTAL HEALTH WARRIORS I LOVE
Bessel van der Kolk MD, spends his career studying how children and adults adapt to traumatic experiences and has translated emerging findings from neuroscience and attachment research to develop and study a range of treatments for traumatic stress in children and adults.
Nedra Tawwab is a Therapist, NYT best-selling author, and Relationship Expert who helps people create healthy relationships.
Andrew Solomon is a writer and lecturer on psychology, politics, and the arts; winner of the National Book Award; and an activist in LGBT rights, mental health, and the arts.
Non Wels is a mental health advocate, writer, and podcaster who founded The Feely Human Collective, a collaborative mental health community designed to empower us to grow our capacity for empathy, vulnerability, and emotional curiosity.
Maria Bamford, A comic and mental health advocate
Be Brave Press Dedicating to helping kids feel confident about their mental wellness.
Tamar Chansky is a therapist, anxiety expert, and prolific writer of books, and she also has a blog!
Lori Gottlieb is a therapist, author and journalist.
🎪 LOOKING FOR SOMETHING YOU CAN’T FIND?
GO to Eventbrite and type Mental Health or Psychology into the search bar.
📚 TEN BANNED BOOKS FOR US TO READ
1. Gender Queer, by Maia Kobabe — Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images
2. Lawn Boy, by Jonathan Evison — Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
3. All Boys Aren't Blue, by George M. Johnson — Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, profanity, and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
4. Out of Darkness, by Ashley Hope Perez — Banned, challenged, and restricted for depictions of abuse and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
5. The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas — Banned and challenged for profanity, violence, and because it was thought to promote an anti-police message and indoctrination of a social agenda
6. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie — Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and use of a derogatory term
7. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, by Jesse Andrews — Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women
8. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison — Banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicit
9. This Book is Gay, by Juno Dawson — Banned, challenged, relocated, and restricted for providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content
10. Beyond Magenta, by Susan Kuklin — Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
⚕️VOLUNTEER
NAMI makes a meaningful difference in someone's life.
🎶 AND A LITTLE PRESENT FROM ME…
NEED TO CRY? BUT CAN'T? I MADE YOU A PLAYLIST. 👇
I couldn't add this version of this Mark Eitzel song on Spotify, so please listen/watch it here (the chorus is what gets me, Holy Holy cow). It starts at the 1:00 minute mark.
NEED AN UPLIFT BUT CAN'T? I MADE YOU A PLAYLIST.
(I don't have the premium version of Spotify, so apologies in advance for the ads!)
What am I missing? Let me know in the comments!
Until next week, I am…
Amanda
P.S. Thank you for reading! This newsletter is my passion and livelihood; it thrives because of readers like you. If you've found solace, wisdom or insight here, please consider upgrading, and if you think a friend or family member could benefit, please feel free to share. Every bit helps, and I’m deeply grateful for your support. 💙
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Share Quick note: Nope, I’m not a therapist—just someone who spent 25 years with undiagnosed panic disorder and 23 years in therapy. How to Live distills what I’ve learned through lived experience, therapy, and obsessive research—so you can skip the unnecessary suffering and better understand yourself.
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