Resources
Suicide Prevention
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)
- Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-877-7-CRISIS (1-877-727-4747)
- Teen Line: 1-800-TLC-TEEN (1-800-852-8336)
- California Youth Crisis Line: 1-800-843-5200
- The Trevor Project (support for LGBTQIA+ kids, teens and young adults): 1-866-4-U-TREVOR (1-866-488-7386) or text "START" to 678678
- Trans Lifeline (available 7am - 1am PST): 1-877-565-8860
- Crisis Text Line: Text "HOME" to 741741
Support Groups
12 STEP GROUPS:
MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT GROUPS:
- DBSA (Depression Bipolar Support Alliance) - A peer-based, wellness-focused support group that also provides resources and tools for mental wellness
- Suicide Attempter Support Group (through Didi Hirsch's Suicide Prevention Center) - a therapist-facilitated support group for people who are not actively suicidal, but who have had a suicide attempt or who struggle with chronic thoughts of suicide
- NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) - Peer support groups for people living with mental health conditions
- NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) - Family support groups for family members and loved ones who are impacted by mental illness
- COVID-19 Mental Health Resource Hub - a collection of on-line resources addressing the impact of COVID-19 on our mental health
- The Yellow Couch Collective - A space for Black women to gather on-line for support, encouragement, and personal development (monthly or annual fee)
- Ourselves Black - An on-line magazine and podcast created by a Black board-certified psychiatrist focused on the mental health of folks in the Black community
- TrevorSpace - an affirming international community for LGBTQ young people ages 13-24
- Transforming Family - A family support group for families with transgender/gender diverse children/teens/young adults. Transforming Families offers support groups for parents/caregivers and extended family (aunts/uncles/grandparents) as well as groups for siblings of transgender/gender diverse children/teens, and support groups for the transgender/gender diverse kids/teens/young adults themselves.
- Trans Families - A non-profit organization that support transgender people and their families. Trans Families runs parent support groups (including in Spanish), a trans youth leadership program, youth support groups and special topic groups. Trans Families is the organization behind the annual Gender Odyssey conference.
- L.A. Gender Center - Peer support groups for trans men/trans masculine, trans women/transfeminine and non-binary folks
- Trans*Lounge - Community support through the Los Angeles LGBT Center for Trans* and gender-expansive folks
- Los Angeles LGBT Center - Support groups, housing resources, medical resources (including HRT), and legal resources for the LGBTQIA+ community
- Camp Brave Trails - An LGBTQ youth (ages 12-18) leadership camp that offers a summer camp, family camp and year-round programming.
- OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center - sliding scale therapist-facilitated grief support groups. Group member are put in small groups with people who experienced similar losses and remain in the same group cohort for about a year. Grievers will not be put into a group until they are past their immediate grieving phase (once past the first few months after the loss)
- Survivors After Suicide (through Didi Hirsch's Suicide Prevention Center) - Eight week long therapist-facilitated 8-10 person support groups for people who lost someone to suicide. There are separate adult and teen groups and the group cohort stays the same throughout the eight weeks.
- Pet Loss Partners - sliding-scale cost pet loss support group
***A NUMBER OF MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS APPS/WEBSITES:
For Mindfulness, Meditation, Sleep and Hypnosis:
- Headspace Plus - a mindfulness and meditation app currently being offered for free to all Los Angeles county residents through the L.A. Department of Mental Health for a limited time [use the link above]. After the offer is no longer available, there is still a limited, free version accessible through downloading their app or signing up on their website.
- Calm - a meditation and sleep app that offers a limited free version through their website or downloading their app. Access to the full app is also available for free to certain folks (educators, healthcare workers, Kaiser Permanente members, American Express holders and Lincoln owners)
- UCLA MARC (Mindful Awareness Research Center) - offers a free mindfulness app, as well as free guided meditations , courses and resources on their website
- 10% Happier - a free limited meditation and sleep app (with in-app purchases) with full access currently being offered for free to certain folks (USPS and Warehouse Employees, Teachers, Healthcare, Grocery and Food Delivery Workers)
- Simple Habit - a meditation and sleep app that also offer a free downloadable, limited version and an upgraded version for purchase
- Insight Timer - a free meditation, yoga and sleep website and app that also offers free on-line wellness talks/teachings
- Liberate : Black Meditation App - A Black-owned meditation app geared towards the Black community (free trial and then monthly or annual subscription)
- Mesmerize - an audio and visual meditation app that is pretty cool and psychedelic (FYI - there's a user warning if you have epilepsy or are prone to seizures) - there is a free trial for three days and then it requires a monthly or annual subscription fee
- Michael Sealy - a YouTube channel of meditation and hypnosis recordings especially helpful for insomnia
For Attention-Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD):
- CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) - website with resources for adults, teens and children with ADHD (or their parents)
- ADDitude Magazine On-line - free on-line magazine with resources for adults, teens and children with ADHD (or their parents) - print magazine is available for subscription
- Focus Keeper - Time management and productivity app (free with in-app purchases)
Additional Mental Health Apps/Websites:
- NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) - in addition to having peer and family support groups, NAMI offers a lot of great information on-line about different diagnoses and treatments
- Daylio - Self-Care Bullet Journal App with Goals, Mood Diary & Happiness Tracker (free with an upgrade option for a fee)
- What's Up? - A free (donation-based) mental health app (not to be confused with "Whatsapp") that provides CBT resources and grounding techniques
- 3 Good Things - A gratitude journal app
- MoodNotes: - A mood-tracking app focused on use of CBT skills and self-care (free trial with subscription thereafter)
- CBT Thought Diary - A mood journal, CBT thought log and gratitude journal (free with an upgrade option for a fee)
- Quit Anger - An anger management app that uses CBT, mindfulness, meditation, and grounding techniques (free with a premium upgrade for a fee)
- Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) - An app that walks you through creation of a Wellness Recovery Action Plan and allows you to send it to people in your support system
- The Safe Place - A mental health app geared towards POC (free)
- The Mighty - A free website and app that is geared toward folks struggling with health issues (both visible and invisible - including mental illness)
- You Feel Like Shit - Yes, I swear this is a real site! It's a free, on-line self-care game for when your mental health is leaving you struggling with basic self-care.
*** This list is obviously not exhaustive - there are so many great new ones coming out every day. I am not affiliated with any of the apps/sites.
Tele-Mental Health
All sessions are being held virtually (via encrypted phone or video calls) due to COVID-19 at present.