Mental Health Resources from Our Conversation with NAMI
Earlier this week we co-facilitated an event with numerous partners to help connect more folks in the nonprofit sector to resources around mental health. Thank you to everyone who joined us for the first of what will, hopefully, be numerous ongoing conversations and resource opportunities to address mental health in the nonprofit sector.
In this difficult year in our society, we have been moving from crisis to crisis and our sector has been there to support our communities, but we need to take care of each other to better help those we serve.
The COVID-19 Needs Pulse Surveys we conducted last year indicated that many folks in our sector were wanting connections around mental health. In response, over the past few months, we have been meeting with a small group of nonprofit support organizations and mental health service providers to brainstorm how we can work together to show up for nonprofit staff and volunteers.
This event is a result of these conversations. In it we gained insights into the needs of our sector and heard from Karen Ranus, Executive Director of NAMI Central Texas, who gave a wonderful workshop on stress management. We also asked those in attendance to share resources that they knew could be beneficial to our sector. Below is the list that they shared.
Resources shared from presenters:
Resources in the community:
NAMI Central Texas - offers free classes, support groups and mental health webinars as well as a repository of great resources for mental health on our website.
Any Baby Can – No Estás Solo
Asian Mental Health Project - Weekly check-ins on Wednesday evenings.
Austin in Connection: Family Matters – A free, family workshop to promote healthy parent-child relationships providing participants with current information on the science and practice of effective parenting.
Spirit Reins - summer programs for children experiencing the foster care system and/or who have been adopted. Additionally, Spirit Reins is offering agency retreats to help nonprofit staff rest, regulate, and rebuild their resilience!
Samaritan Center provides services to all ages. They have partnered with other agencies to provide support for their employees.
Interagency Support Council - provides free comprehensive school-based mental health services in East Williamson County.
YWCA - Offer low and no cost mental health services for individuals, couples, and families, Care coordination, professional and personal training, advocacy, etc.
Regarding Cancer - peer-to-peer support for cancer patients and caregivers, support groups
The SAFE Alliance - Free counseling of survivors of DV/SA and offers parenting education and support services with their Strong Start Program
Apps/Technology:
Insight Timer is a free app with guided meditations for stress, sleep, etc. Also great for tracking one’s commitment to meditation.
Tap In App – Live meditation app
Calm – There’s also an AppleTV app and you can watch from your AppleTV
Breathing Techniques:
How To Video – Box Breathing
Pranayama Practice! (Intentional breathing practices in yoga)
Alternate Nostril Breathing!
Thank you to all the organizations who have attended the brainstorming sessions and contributed ideas to support our sector on mental health: OneVoice, Seedling Mentors, Community Advancement Network, Contigo Wellness, YWCA Austin, Integral Care, NAMI Central Texas, Hogg Foundation, St. Davids Foundation, Settlement Home, Spirit Reins, Little Herds, Mission Capital.