Mental Health Resources
- Mental Health Resources for Parents
- Mental Health Resources for Teens
- Mental Health America – Children's Mental Health
- Relationships First: Creating Connections That Help Young People Thrive
- Confidential Mental Health Screening
- SAMHSA Family Educational Materials: Access fact sheets that help caregivers and young adults learn about symptoms of various mental illnesses, treatment options, and support services at www.samhsa.gov.
With so many messages about suicide coming at us through the media and entertainment – whether it's 13 Reasons Why, the S-Town podcast, or disturbing stories in the news – it's important to know you can stop suicide simply by being aware and taking action. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has excellent resources including a webinar on using 13 Reasons Why to initiate a helpful conversation about suicide prevention and mental health.
A Friend Asks is a free smart-phone app that helps provide the information, tools and resources to help a friend (or yourself) who may be struggling with thoughts of suicide. Download the app today and encourage friends and family to do the same. Education is the key to prevention and with information like this as close as your smartphone; you could help save a life.
There are excellent mental health and resilience resources for youth and families complied at the Suicide Prevention Alliance of Northern Virginia website.
Kognito Resources
Kognito's At-Risk for Elementary, Middle School and At-Risk for High School are research-proven training simulations designed to prepare concerned adults to:
(1) Recognize when a young person is exhibiting signs of psychological distress, and;
(2) Manage a conversation with the young person with the goal of connecting them with the appropriate support.
Kognito's Step In, Speak Up! is a 30-minute online simulation for concerned adults to gain tools to support youth who may be struggling due to harassment or exclusion related to sexual identity, sexual orientation or other differences. Kognito's Friend2Friend online simulations help high school youth provide peer support. To access a license for this training at no cost, email RAISE@alexandriava.gov.
Mental Health First Aid
DCHS offers Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and Youth Mental Health First Aid training for laypersons and paraprofessionals. MHFA is an eight-hour training and certification on skills to help persons who are developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The training demonstrates the initial help given to a person showing signs of mental illness or a mental health crisis. More information about the course is available. Visit the online registration for class dates. Open until filled. Limit 20 participants per class. Re-certification is available online, or by taking the full course again.
View flyer for February 2022 registration and training.