Mental Health Homework: At Home Mental Health Resources

For some of us, the pandemic has cut off our access to consistent mental health care and activities. We can’t do much about that but what we can do is try to take some of those activities and adapt them to work for us at home.

Think of this as Mental Health Homework to keep yourself in the practice of good mental habits and activities while isolating.

Online Support:

1. DBSA: https://www.dbsalliance.org/support/chapters-and-support-groups/online-support-groups/ The Depression and Bi-Polar Support Alliance has free daily peer support meetings happening NOW. All you have to is sign up through Support Groups Central and search Organizations –> DBSA —> Meeting Calendar
2. Support Groups Central: https://www.supportgroupscentral.com/responsive/member_secure/index.cfm?CFID=1648304&CFTOKEN=5781206d9820c834-B3DE183D-AC72-F909-225B033655141678 Speaking of Support Groups Central this site is the host for DBSA’s online meetings but it also hosts online groups for a variety of different organizations and topics. From cancer support groups to addiction recovery groups they’ve got you covered. Some organizations charge a small fee for the meeting but not all of them. I’ve posted their informational video below.
3. NAMI Warmlines: https://www.nami.org/NAMI/media/NAMI-Media/BlogImageArchive/2020/NAMI-National-HelpLine-WarmLine-Directory-3-11-20.pdfThe National Alliance of Mental Illness has always done a great job keeping people connected via the internet. One of the best things they offer is access to local “warmlines.” As opposed to hotlines, warmlines are specifically for people not in crisis but who might feel they may be at risk. I’ve included a list of state by state warmlines you can call in the link above
4. 7cups Chat: http://www.7cups.org I tried this out just today and found it somewhat helpful. It’s a site where you can either talk to a volunteer listener or a low cost therapist via chat. The chat starts with a bot which quickly gets you over to a volunteer within seconds. It’s a really responsive, bright interface with lots of tools and options to chose from once you’re chatting.
5. Talkspace Online Therapy: https://lp.talkspace.com/try/cv-anxiety?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=blog_popup&utm_campaign=1004U&utm_content=cv-hd-relief-100-off-sh-bttn-im-ready Talkspace is offering $100 off their services to regular and new members during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as donating services for free to medical professionals. Their subscriptions range from around $250 to $350 per month. Add in their $100 off coupon and your first month with the base package (unlimited messaging with a therapist) would be around $150. There’s also a 20% off break for buying in 6 month increments but you can also just pay month by month. It’s all still a little pricey in my opinion but Talkspace is the industry standard so it might well be worth it right now if you’re in need of therapy.

Downloadable Resources

NAMI COVID-19 Guide This is an excellent guide to read over and over again if you’re feeling anxious about COVID-19. It’s got lots of links to helpful websites, advice from experts, and how to’s for anything from caring for an aging parent during the pandemic to how to wash your hands properly.

CCI Worksheets CCI or the Centre for Clinical Interventions is hands down my favorite site to get mental health worksheets to do at home. The great thing is CCI is the industry standard and still gives their stuff away completely free. They have everything from CBT worksheets to DBT activities to valuable information about Anxiety and OCD.

ACT Made Simple Full Workbook by Russ Harris Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a great one for times like this. This extensive free resource from author Russ Harris teaches you how to accept your feelings and move through them, even in the toughest of times. I strongly urge you to check this one out!