Mental Health Resources
Suicide Prevention
The Soul Shop™ Movement exists due to the need of desperately hurting people to be heard, noticed, and seen within their faith communities. Soul Shop™ provides training and support to faith community leaders. At any given time, 1 in 17 adults (according to Living Works) and 1 in 6 youth (CDC Report) are considering suicide.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Resources and support for people experiencing suicidal thoughts, for those trying to help, and for those who have lost a loved one to suicide. The website also includes educational information to help prevent suicide.
LivingWorks programs are designed to span a continuum of safety skills. With a common language, philosophy, and approach, they give each trainee a clear role to play and enable these roles to seamlessly come together, creating safety networks for those in need.
In as little as one hour online, LivingWorks Start can teach anyone to recognize the signs of suicide and take life-saving action by connecting someone to hope and support.
Resources and Articles for Youth Leaders
A Youth Worker’s Guide to Helping Teens With Anxiety from the Center for Youth Ministry Training (April 23, 2023)
Do they want solutions or support? How to know and what to do when we get it wrong from Hey Sigmund (April 6, 2023)
Offering an ongoing response to mental health needs from Faith and Leadership (May 21, 2022)
Our Youth Are in Crisis, But It’s Not Too Late to Help Them from Mental Health First Aid (May 3, 2022)
Protecting Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory
We need to talk about anxiety from Fuller Youth Institute (January 28, 2020)
What is the difference between stress and anxiety? 3 warning signs from Fuller Youth Institute (January 2020)
Tending to the Mental Health of Adolescents from the Yale Youth Ministry Institute (a free, self-paced online course)
Youth Faith Connections for Mental Health from Hope4CE
Top Ten Mental Health Issues for All Youth Workers to Be Aware Of from the Presbyterian Youth Workers Association
Mental Health Webinar from PYWA
Naming and Navigating Depression in the Lives of Teenagers from Fuller Youth Institute
One of the Most Important Things Our Teens Need From Us — What, Why, and How to Give it to Them from Hey Sigmund
Cultivating Resilience, Well-Being, and Authentic Happiness in Youth from the Yale Youth Ministry Institute (a free, self-paced online course)
Curricula
Faith in an Anxious World: a 4-week high school curriculum, digital download $50 from Fuller Youth Institute. Sample of the curriculum.
Crisis Text Lines
Keep these numbers handy and pass them out to your youth leaders so you can all be ready to help a youth during a crisis.
National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988
Crisis Textline: Text HOME to 741-741
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: Call 800-273-8255 for English
Trevor Lifeline: Text START to 678-678 or call 866-488-7386 Crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth
Teen Dating Abuse Hotline: Text LOVEIS to 22522 or call 866-331-9474
Texas Runaway Helpline: Call or text 800-989-6884
National Child Abuse Hotline: Call or text 800-422-4453
National Eating Disorders Association: Text NEDA to 741-741 or call 800-981-2237 (limited hours)
Support for People Struggling with Mental Illness
Trauma-Informed Ministry from the (PC)USA - a downloadable quick sheet introducing the idea of trauma-informed ministry, care, and teaching.
Helpline Resources compiled by the PC(USA)
Download and print this PDF with a list of 24/7 hotlines and resources to help youth and adults experiencing a mental health crisis. Make sure all your youth leaders and volunteers have a copy of it and display it prominently around your church.
NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.
Sign up for a class to learn how to help youth or adults through a mental health crisis. Virtual trainings are available.
A printable infographic for your youth and Sunday school rooms
Bullying Prevention
Bullied is a documentary film that chronicles one student's ordeal at the hands of anti-gay bullies and offers an inspiring message of hope to those fighting harassment today. It can become a cornerstone of anti-bullying efforts in middle and high schools.
Bullying: A Theological Reflection
Written by Ann Hanson, Former UCC JWM Minister for Sexuality Education and Justice
From stopbullying.gov, a series of resources, training modules, and toolkits for communities to prevent bullying.
Resources and Articles for Parents
‘Can I talk to you?’ - How to Be the One They Come To When Things Feel Big from Hey Sigmund
Worried about your teenagers’ mental health? Here are 7 conversations to start having at home from Fuller Youth Institute (January 19, 2022)
Anxiety in Teens: Why Anxiety Might Increase in Adolescence and What Parents Can Do from Hey Sigmund
Teens and Depression — Why Teens are More Vulnerable, and the Risk Factors Parents Need to Know About from Hey Sigmund