Though May is coming to a close, that doesn’t mean nurturing your mental health stops there! We have compiled a resource round-up for ongoing mental health care. This is just a sampling of the vast array of resources available but we hope it serves as a useful starting point!
General
Crisis Hotlines
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
OK2Talk Helpline Teen Helpline: 1-(800)-273-TALK (8255)
Crisis Text Line: Text SIGNS to 741741 for 24/7, anonymous, free crisis counseling
Apps & Websites for Wellness
Free website and app offering guided meditations, meditative music, mental health related talks, and more mental wellness resources.
Subscription-based website and app (with free trial option) to learn meditation from the basics and up. Meditation categories include sleep, stress, and mindfulness.
Subscription-based app (with free trial option) primarily focused on sleep and relaxation meditations. However, it includes video lessons for movement, nature scenes and sounds, guided meditation, sleep meditation, and more.
Subscription-based app (with free trial option) offering guided meditations. They have an affiliated book, podcast, and newsletter.
Website and app focused on improving your “happiness score” which is based on a survey users take when starting out. Its activities and games work to change your perspective through “happiness science” to improve your outlook.
An app “for dealing with stress, low moods, and anxiety.” It is catered to remedying feelings of depression and anxiety through developing healthier coping mechanisms.
Built around the idea of “radical accessibility” which they define as “accessible in every sense of the word. It means being able to access support no matter the house, and whether you have a diagnosis, or a prescription, or not.” Woebot uses scientifically based therapeutic research to code an AI capable of providing therapeutic support.
App and website offering self-care, peer support, coaching, and therapy resources. It is based around principles of cognitive behavioral therapy to effectively address mental health concerns. It is a pay-based service but it is covered under many insurance plans, according to their website.
Books | Synopses excerpted from GoodReads
My Therapist Told Me To Journal by Holly Chisholm
“Keep anxiety and depression in check with tons of totally doable mental health tips and techniques included here. You'll find some silly things, some serious things, some resources and exercises—oh, and a whole page of STICKERS to use throughout your journal.”
You Will Get Through This Night by Daniel Howell
“Written by Daniel Howell, in conjunction with a qualified psychologist, in an entertaining and personal way from the perspective of someone who has been through it all—this no-nonsense book gives you the tools to understand your mind so you can be in control and really live. Split into three chapters for each stage of the journey: This Night - how to get through your toughest moments and be prepared to face anything. / Tomorrow - small steps to change your thoughts and actions with a big impact on your life. / The Days After - help to look after yourself in the long term and not just survive, but thrive.”
“This is the book Tara wished someone had given her and it is the book many of us desperately need: a candid, hysterical, addictively readable, practical guide to growing up (no matter where you are in life) and learning to love yourself in a non-throw-up-in-your-mouth-it’s-so-cheesy way.”
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
“Renowned trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he transforms our understanding of traumatic stress, revealing how it literally rearranges the brain’s wiring—specifically areas dedicated to pleasure, engagement, control, and trust. He shows how these areas can be reactivated through innovative treatments including neurofeedback, mindfulness techniques, play, yoga, and other therapies.”
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
“In The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown, PhD, a leading expert on shame, authenticity and belonging, shares what she's learned from a decade of research on the power of Wholehearted Living--a way of engaging with the world from a place of worthiness.In her ten guideposts, Brown engages our minds, hearts, and spirits as she explores how we can cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough, and to go to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am sometimes afraid, but I am also brave. And, yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable, but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.”
The Body is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
“The Body Is Not an Apology offers radical self-love as the balm to heal the wounds inflicted by these violent systems. World-renowned activist and poet Sonya Renee Taylor invites us to reconnect with the radical origins of our minds and bodies and celebrate our collective, enduring strength. As we awaken to our own indoctrinated body shame, we feel inspired to awaken others and to interrupt the systems that perpetuate body shame and oppression against all bodies. When we act from this truth on a global scale, we usher in the transformative opportunity of radical self-love, which is the opportunity for a more just, equitable, and compassionate world--for us all.”
Directories to Find a Therapist
Find Inclusive Therapists, Counselors, Mental Health Care Near You
Inclusive Therapists is a therapist directory that focuses on centering the needs of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and the LGBTQIA2S+ community. They advocate for equality and accessibility.
Keeping the societal stigma around mental illness that many Black women face in mind, Therapy for Black Girls caters to the needs and concerns that are specific to Black women.
Open Path Collective: Affordable Counseling | Affordable Therapy
Open Path Psychotherapy Collective is a non-profit nationwide network of mental health professionals dedicated to providing in-office and online mental health care—at a steeply reduced rate—to individuals, couples, children, and families in need.
Everyone needs different care for various needs and luckily, there is no shortage of options out there. All of the resources listed here are trusted, scientifically-based options that value privacy and effective care. Though not all of them will work for every individual, many offer trial options if applicable so you can figure out what works best for you. Remember to take care of yourself this month and every month!
