Mental Health Resources

The world is always changing and whether those changes are welcome or devastating they affect our mental and emotional health. In our conversations with others we have seen an increased need for connection, belonging, and increased understanding around mental health. The world has seen professional athletes speak up, royalty speak out, and movements arise to normalize therapy and start the conversation around mental health. This page is a collection of guides as well as an invitation to start a conversation. 

We are not mental healthcare professionals or experts, but have consulted with a number of them. Our goal is not to advise or offer solutions, but to help you get the conversation going– at home, in your communities, at work.

What would a conversation around mental health look like? Our team recently convened for an intergenerational conversation around that very subject you can watch below. We had a father, grandmother, high school teacher, faith leader, college student, and recent high school graduate all share what mental health has looked like in their lives. We sincerely hope you have similar opportunities soon.

What is the impact of mental health issues in your community? Have you seen changes in these issues over time?
Topic Guide: Mental Health
Topic Guide: Mental Healthview the full guide
What are your best experiences of being alone? Are there times when being alone has been difficult for you?
Topic Guide: Alone: Solitude or Isolation
Topic Guide: Alone: Solitude or Isolationview the full guide
Do you find yourself caring for the mental and emotional health of others? What does that look like and what impact does it have on you?
Topic Guide: Mental Health and Your Body
Topic Guide: Mental Health and Your Bodyview the full guide
It’s understandable that people may turn to substances to seek relief and comfort from painful lives. In your experience, when has that kind of usage been healthy and when has it been a problem?
Topic Guide: Alcohol
Topic Guide: Alcoholview the full guide
What experiences in your life, your work or your family inform your understanding of mental health?
Topic Guide: Mental Health
Topic Guide: Mental Healthview the full guide
Which spaces do you make an effort to welcome others and create a sense of belonging?
Topic Guide: Belonging
Topic Guide: Belongingview the full guide
How do you care for or consider your mental and emotional health? What is the impact of that?
Topic Guide: Mental Health
Topic Guide: Mental Healthview the full guide
Kessler says that finding meaning in our pain can transform our experience and reduce our suffering. Has that been true for you? What happened?
Topic Guide: Finding Meaning
Topic Guide: Finding Meaningview the full guide
Have you experienced a personal or collective sense of hope in action? What happened?
Topic Guide: Hope
Topic Guide: Hopeview the full guide
How have you experienced ageism? What assumptions do others make about you? What assumptions do you make about others based on their age?
Topic Guide: Aging and Ageism
Topic Guide: Aging and Ageismview the full guide
Where do you struggle to feel hopeful? What is the impact of that in your life?
Topic Guide: Hope
Topic Guide: Hopeview the full guide
Thinking of your own experiences, what fosters or inhibits a sense of belonging?
Topic Guide: Belonging
Topic Guide: Belongingview the full guide
Do you think our local, public education system encourages resilience? What is your experience that supports your thinking?
Topic Guide: Resilient Schools, Resilient Kids
Topic Guide: Resilient Schools, Resilient Kidsview the full guide
Where do you want to feel a greater sense of belonging, yet haven’t and why?
Topic Guide: Belonging
Topic Guide: Belongingview the full guide
Does your religion or culture, or some other aspect of your identity or background, influence how you think about mental health? If so, how?
Topic Guide: Mental Health
Topic Guide: Mental Healthview the full guide
Do you find yourself caring for the mental and emotional health of others? What does that look like and what impact does it have on you?
Topic Guide: Women and Their Bodies
Topic Guide: Women and Their Bodiesview the full guide
How has alcohol affected your life? Share something from your life experience that informs your response to or position on alcohol.
Topic Guide: Alcohol
Topic Guide: Alcoholview the full guide
When have you experienced resilience in your life? Or observed it in others?
Topic Guide: Resilient Schools, Resilient Kids
Topic Guide: Resilient Schools, Resilient Kidsview the full guide
How should we balance the needs of community safety with the needs of the mentally ill and/or indigent who are arrested, their family and others?
Topic Guide: Mental Health, Addiction and Incarceration
Topic Guide: Mental Health, Addiction and Incarcerationview the full guide
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Mental Health Conversations

Loss and Grief in the Time of Corona

Tips for Talking about Mental Health

  • Confidentiality– it is important to maintain confidentiality and not attribute comments to an individual without clear consent. When dealing with mental health there are also red flags that need to be reported. If you are in a critical place with your mental health, please contact professionals or a hotline for help.
  • Strong emotion or trauma may surface when you talk about mental health. If that happens, try grounding techniques, like breathing deep or connecting with your senses.
  • Remember nobody expects you to be a therapist, you are an active listener
  • Share from your experience, but use broad strokes. This is not a space for sharing specific details related to trauma, be mindful of how much of your story you share and who else you mention in the story. If you’re not sure how to navigate that, focus on the impact events have had on you rather than the events themselves. 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255