Resource Directory

Chatlines

Key:

Available in spanish - 🗣

24/7 - ⏰

Each of these resources caters to a variety of mental health problems including depression, PTSD, sexual assault, eating disorders, and many more.

• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741 ⏰
• CalYouth Crisis: 800-843-5200
• NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association) Chatline: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/chat
• StarVista San Mateo Crisis Center or 650-747-6463 (Monday - Thursday 4:30-9:30pm)
• YouthLine: text Teen2Teen to 839869 
• 7Cups: https://www.7cups.com/p/safespace/ 

Podcasts

• SafeSpace Stories: Bringing you impactful teen mental health stories, expert advice from industry professionals, and inspiring individuals' journeys, SafeSpace stories is your personal mental health resource. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. 
• Code Switch: conversations about how racism impacts every part of society; hosted by journalists of color 
• Food Psych: conversations with guests about many topics, ranging from eating disorders to exercise to self-care; hosted by a registered dietitian
• Real Pod: conversations with guests about success, failure, life, and challenge; hosted by mental health and body-image advocate Victoria Garrick
• Sleep & Relaxation Sounds: nature sounds, white noise, and relaxation music to help deal with stress, anxiety, and trouble sleeping
• Take The Cake with Kate Noel: podcast about all things related to health and wellness, eating disorder recovery, lifestyle, and more; hosted by YouTuber Kate Noel
• Taking Back Your Power: podcast about concepts surrounding self-growth and fulfillment and the spiritual journey of the host, Isabel Palacios
• The Confidence Chronicles: a podcast that delves into a range of topics regarding confidence including self-love and personal growth, as well as tips to develop listener's own confidence
• The Daily Shine: a podcast that often features meditation to help listeners struggle less with stress and anxiety
• The Happiness Lab: Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos educates listeners and offers solutions in taking steps to lead a happier life 
• The Mental Breakdown: podcast that focuses educating listeners on various issues in psychology, mental health, and wellbeing 

Youtube Channels

• Dara Hoffman-Fox: Youtuber who specializes in LGBTQ+ resources, the journey of transitioning, and how to ask for support from those around you 
• Douglas Bloch: a depression survivor who shares effective strategies for combating depression and anxiety
• Kati Morton: a registered therapist who posts videos about various mental health conditions, as well as tips to overcome them
• Psychreg: a Youtube channel that posts episodes from their podcast where they interview various professionals and discuss many mental health conditions
• Rowena Tsai: Youtuber that focuses on self-care and mindfulness, and how to ensure you are happy and proactive 
• Tara Brach: a psychologist who posts videos that focus on Buddhist meditation, emotional healing, and mindfulness
• Victoria Garrick: A former Division I volleyball player who posts about general mental health, but also focuses on body image, social media, and self-love 
• Yoga with Adriene: a Youtube channel dedicated to yoga tutorials, some of which are specialized to mental health and stress/anxiety management 

Apps

• Atlas: journaling app for high school students 
• Calm: meditations for sleep + anxiety 
• Girltelligence: support and Q+A given by girls, for girls) 
• Happify: (English, French, Canadian French, Chinese, Japanese, Castilian Spanish, Latin-American, Spanish, German, Brazilian Portuguese, and Italian) activities and games to help you overcome negative thoughts, stress, and life's challenges
• Headspace: guided meditations for sleep, anxiety, focus, fitness, and more
• MindShift: (French, English) a guide to CBT tools that will help with anxiety, stress, and panic
• notOk: (crisis intervention) an app that can get you help immediately when you're in crisis with just the push of a button 
• Smiling Mind: a mindfulness meditation app
• X2: an app that offers a mental health chatbot that coaches people through tough times by text message conversations

Instagram

• onyourmindsv: San Mateo's StarVista Instagram

• Crisistextline: an account that posts a plethora of content across several mental health struggles, like self-care tips, body confidence, mental health education, and ways to get help

• Healingcrayons: anti-diet culture artwork and collages 

• Makedaisychains: motivational artwork around recovering from self-harming and suicidality; the account also provides educational posts on mental health issues and where they intersect with the medical community and LGBTQ+ community.

• Mentalhealthamerica: educational posts about various mental health disorders, both common and those less talked about, along with resources to receive help

• Notesfromyourtherapist: Notes From Your Therapist author shares supportive messages

• Positive.affirmations: daily positive affirmations, reminders, and quotes

• Safespaceusa: Highlights organization members & community; notes, reminders, and quotes about mental health

• Theshineapp: daily self-care tips and quotes

• Theyouthline: content meant to stimulate conversations about mental health and encourage those who are struggling to reach out for help

Websites

• Calm (https://calm.com/): website directed towards helping users sleep better and deal with stress and anxiety through guided meditations, bedtime stories, and soothing sounds.
• Mental Health America (https://mhanational.org/covid19/wellness-coping-skills): focused on mental and physical health amidst the covid-19 pandemic.
• SafeSpace (safespace.org): youth-led, mental-health organization focused on empowering youth to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, support others, and encourage those who are struggling to seek help.
• Teen Mental Health (https://teenmentalhealth.org/): resources to help learn about mental health as it relates to teens
• The Latest Kate (https://www.thelatestkate.art/): online gallery of art related to supporting those who are struggling with their mental health
• The Mighty (https://themighty.com): center for communities of those with experience of mental illness
• Very Well Mind (https://www.verywellmind.com/about-us): compilation of mental health resources from doctors, therapists, social workers
• Z-Cares (https://zcares.org/ ): organization dedicated towards empowering teens to support those struggling with anxiety

TV Shows

• Bojack Horseman (TV-MA): animated show following a once celebrity humanoid horse trying to make a comeback (TW: strong language, sexual content, frank discussions of mental illness, substance abuse)
• Euphoria (TV-MA): teen show about a 17-year-old girl, Rue, a drug addict, who goes through difficult life changes (TW: drug usage, strong language, explicit sexual content, sexual and nonsexual violence)
• Lady Dynamite (TV-MA): Maria Bamford plays a fictional version of herself while recovering from her bipolar disorder attempting to rebuild her life (TW: strong language, sexual content)
• My Mad Fat Diary (TV-MA): A teen drama where a 16-year-old girl, Rue, who tries to get her life intact after psychiatric care following a suicide attempt. (TW: suicide, self-harm, eating disorder, substance abuse)
• One Day at a Time (TV-PG): A comedy/drama about a Cuban-American family with a veteran single mother with PTSD
• Please Like Me (TV-MA): An Australian comedy/drama following a boy who has come to the realization that he is gay after breaking up with his girlfriend and the situations of his life that follow. (TW: suicide, sexual content)
• The Fosters (TV-14): A drama following a family with biological, adopted, and fostered children. (TW: drug use, rape)
• This Is Us (TV-14): A romantic family drama about a family of three children living their lives in different time frames. (TW: relationship abuse, emotional abuse, eating disorders)
• United States of Tara (TV-MA): A comedy series with a woman struggling with dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder) who tries to put her life together. 

Movies (via NAMI)

• A Beautiful Mind (PG-13): a biographical movie depicting a mathematician with schizophrenia 
• All The Bright Places (TV-MA): follows two teens that struggle with depression as they fall in love (TW: suicide) 
• Good Will Hunting (R): follows a man with PTSD after an encounter with the police
• Horse Girl (R): a film about a girl with paranoid schizophrenia and depression whose mental health slowly deteriorates (TW: graphic mental health breakdowns)
• Inside Out (PG): an animated movie about the different emotions inside one girl’s mind, and how they work together when she struggles with her mental health after moving to a new state
• It’s Kind of a Funny Story (PG-13): a boy checks himself into a mental health clinic and meets others who struggle with their mental health like he does and ultimately falls in love with one of them
• Juno (PG-13): a teenager with ADHD becomes pregnant and must deal with putting her baby up for adoption
• Skeleton Twins (R): Twins reconnect after years apart and reflect on why they are unhappy in their current lives
• The Perks of Being A WallFlower (PG-13): a wallflower teenager with PTSD finds two true friends and falls in love amidst personal mental health struggles (TW: sexual assault, suicide)
• The Road Within (R): a man with Tourette's syndrome brings his OCD roommate and an anorexic woman along on a road trip after his mother’s death
• The Squid and the Whale (R): an autobiographical film about how two boys deal with their parent’s divorce and the division it causes
• Welcome to Me (R): a woman with borderline personality disorder wins the lottery and creates her own game show

Books

• Brain on Fire by Susanna Callahan: an autobiography of the author’s experience with a rare disease that caused psychotic episodes
• Building a Life Worth Living by Marsha Linehan: written by the creator of Dialectical Based Therapy, communicating her experience with suicidality and how it shaped her therapy innovation
• Educated by Tara Westover: an autobiography of the author’s experience growing up in a mentally and physically abusive household, separated from the modern world, and her search for education and self-invention.  
• It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Nez Vizzini: a novel about a teenager’s anxiety over his future, making his way in a new school, dealing with depression, stress, a visit to a psychiatric hospital, and ultimately finding happiness (note: some reviewers criticized it for portraying racist, homophobic, transphobic, sexist, and classist views). 
• Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb: an autobiographical account of a therapist who seeks mental health help from another therapist, providing insight into what it means to be human. 
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck  by Mark Manson: the author, a popular blogger, writes about what he believes is the correct approach to life’s difficulties: learning to deal with them, rather than sugar coating or practicing “positive thinking.”
• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: a novel based on the author’s own experience with depression, the story chronicles the breakdown of a successful, talented woman, from deep inside her psyche.
• The Great Pretender by Susanna Callahan: the author reviews research conducted in the 1970’s by psychologist David Rosenhan, in which eight individuals entered a psychiatric hospital undercover as clients, to test the accuracy of mental health diagnoses  and the way in which they were treated. Callahan goes into depth on the participant’s experiences, and evaluates the present-day meaning of the study. 
• The Recovery Letters by James Withey and Olivia Sagan: an anthology of letters written by people in recovery for depression, addressed to those currently struggling.  
• What a Time to Be Alone by Chidera Eggerue: a self-help guide to finding self-empowerment, confidence, and security in solitude, peppered with illustrations and mantras by the author
• You Can Do All Things by Kate Allan: a book of endearing illustrations and motivational quotes to remind the reader of their worth and capabilities.

Organizations

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP): a nonprofit that educates the public and professionals, funds research, and advocates for legislation on suicide prevention, and provides support for those who’ve lost someone to suicide. 
• Anxiety and Depression Association of America: ADAA works to prevent, treat, and cure anxiety disorders and depression 
• National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA): a nonprofit that provides education, support, and community for all types of disordered eating behavior and body image. 

• National Institute of Mental Health: Federal (government) research agency that provides educational articles, resources, and statistics on a variety of mental illnesses and disorders 
• The Trevor Project an organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention to LGBTQ+ teens

Songs

• Dear - cavetown: a song about dealing with self-hatred and doubt. TW: references to depression, body dysmorphia, self-harm
• This Is Me Trying - Taylor Swift: a song about accepting fault for relationship issues and trying to repair them
• Mirrorball - Taylor Swift: Swift compares herself to a disco ball, reflecting the personalities of those around her until she shatters when her heart breaks
• Before You Go - Lewis Capaldi: about the aftermath of the suicide of someone close to the speaker. TW: mental illness, suicide
• dontwannabeyouanymore - Billie Eilish: a song about a lack of self-confidence and self-deprecation
• Feeling Whitney - Post Malone: a song about Post Malone’s struggles with substance addiction. TW: addiction
• Liability - Lorde: a song about Lorde’s struggles with maintaining her career and her relationships simultaneously
• Ribs - Lorde: a song about the bittersweet experience of growing up
• The A Team - Ed Sheeran: a song about a woman Sheeran met at a homeless shelter. TW: addiction
• Falling - Harry Styles: a song about becoming someone you don’t want to be
• Leader of the Landslide - Lumineers: a song about a person trying to understand their grandmother’s struggles with alcohol abuse. TW: addiction
• Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd: a song about an emotional journey into the past, interrupted by a doctor pulling the speaker out of their drug-induced state, TW: substance use
• Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now - The Smiths: a song about a person struggling with depression. TW: depression
• Soon You'll Get Better - Taylor Swift: a song about Swift’s mother who had been diagnosed with cancer TW: illness
• Good Job - Alicia Keys: a song of thanks to everyday people
• Lithium - Nirvana: song about a man who turns to religion to cope with the death of his girlfriend, TW: references to substance use

LGBTQ+

Hotlines:

• The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386

Chatlines:

• TrevorText: text START to 678-678 

Organizations:

• The Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists: offers numerous resources for LGBT individuals experiencing mental health conditions and psychiatric professionals with LGBT clients
• The LGBT National Help Center: offers confidential peer support connections for LGBT youth, adults and seniors including phone, text and online chat (800-246-7743)
• The National Center for Transgender Equality: offers resources for transgender individuals, including information on the right to access health care

Websites:

• The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association's Provider Directory: a search tool that can locate a LGBTQ-inclusive health care provider

Books:

• Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin: a novel following Riley Cavanaugh, someone who identifies as gender fluid, throughout starting a new school and the difficulties that come with it
• The Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson: a non-fiction book discussing gender and sexuality common misconceptions, stereotypes, and personal experience
• 57 Bus by Dashka Slater:  a novel following two teens that are involved in crime on a bus, navigating through the after-effects

Movies:

• Love, Simon (PG-13): A closeted teen boy falls in love with an anonymous boy online and navigates through coming out to his family and friends while trying to decipher who his mystery online crush is

• The Half of It (PG-13): A shy girl helps her male classmate date a girl that she secretly wants to date herself

Songs:

• Girls - Girl in Red: The singer expresses her sexuality and discusses the conflicts that come from loving girls

• The Village - Wrabel: A song that depicts a transgender teen’s struggles to find acceptance in his community

Information For Allies:

Trevor Project Support Center

Trevor Project Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth

BIPOC

Hotlines:

• StrongHearts Native Helpline: Sexual violence helpline for Native Americans - 844-762-8483

• Asian LifeNet Hotline: 877-990-8585 - Suicide hotline for Asian Americans offered in Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, and Fujianese

• BlackLine: 800-604-5841 - Hotline for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color 

• Santa Clara County Suicide and Crisis Hotline: (855) 278-4204- Crisis hotline offered 24 hours in English & Spanish; Crisis Text Line: Text RENEW to 741741

Organizations:

• Asian Mental Health Collective Mental health organization specifically serving the AAPI Community (Mission: To normalize and destigmatize mental health)
• Maine-Wabanaki REACH: “We support the self-determination of Wabanaki people through education, truth-telling, restorative justice, and restorative practices in Wabanaki and Maine communities”
• Aakoma Project: Mental health organization for youth of color
• Indigenous Story Studio: Nonprofit creating illustrations, posters, video and comic books on health and social issues for youth.
• Centers for American Indian & Alaska Native Health: A part of the Colorado School of Public Health, with the goal of promoting the health and well-being of American Indians & Alaska Natives
• The Project Lotus: A youth-led mental health organization specifically serving the AAPI community

Websites:

• Inclusive Therapists: - Quickly finds therapists of any ethnicity to get accessible and culturally sensitive mental health

• • Therapy for Black Girls: Finds a therapist for Black females
  • Melanin & Mental Health: Culturally appropriate therapy resources

• Therapy in Color: Mental Health directory for people of color.
• Mental Health America:- Spanish resources (Recursos en Espanol)

Books:

• Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We're Not Hurting by Terrie M. Williams: A biography discussing the Black experience and emotional pain 
• I’ve Never Been (Un) Happier by Shaheen Bhatt: A short book on a Bollywood actress who was diagnosed with depression

• Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot: A book about the author’s struggles with PTSD and bipolar disorder as an Indigenous women 

• Minor Feelings: An Asian-American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong: A reflection and commentary on Anti-Asian hate and racism with bits of history and Hong’s personal stories.

• Crying in H-Mart by Michelle Zauner: A biography of Zauner’s (more commonly known as the artist Japanese Breakfast) childhood and tumultuous relationship with her Korean mother

• I’m not your Perfect Mexican Daughter A young adult novel about family, finding your cultural identity and finding one’s self. 

• In the Country We L2ove: A memoir following Orange is the New Black actress Diane Guerrero’s experience growing up in Boston and being raised by her parents who were undocumented immigrants from Colombia. 

• On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong: Written in the form of a letter from a Vietnamese-American son to their illiterate mother, the book talks about the Vietnam War, the immigrant experience in the United States, PTSD, substance abuse, and sexuality. (TW: Addiction, sexual assault, homophobia and homophobic slurs, racism, trauma, war, parental abuse) 

Movies/TV Shows:

• Never Have I Ever: A Netflix show about Indian-American highschooler Devi who is coping with her father’s death whilst entangled in a love triangle.
• The Hate U Give: Starr Carter, the protagonist, is struck with the sudden death of her childhood friend at the hands of a police officer. (TW: gun violence, officer involved shooting, depression)
• Gentefied: A show about a group of Latin American individuals chasing their idea of the American Dream all while dealing with gentrification in their community. (TW: Violence with law enforcement, race issues, discrimination, trauma)
• All American: Inspired by the true life story of an NFL Superbowl Champion, this show is about a high school football player who has been recruited to play at Beverly Hills High School from his home in Crenshaw. He is chasing his dream while managing the vast differences in class and race issues around the two communities.

• Rain or Shine: This is a Korean drama dealing with concepts like loss and grief after a disaster. It shows how people can slowly heal and help each other cope. (TW: building collapse, suicide, deaths, trauma, severe injuries)

Songs:

• Common ft. Bilal - Letter To The Free: - A song about mass incarceration, institutional racism, and the prison industrial complex 

• JAY-Z ft. Gloria Carter - Smile: “Jay-Z's ‘Smile’ covers a number of big topics like sexuality, being black in America and mental health. Notably, the song helps shatter the stigma around going to therapy” (Huffpost)

• Your Best American Girl - Mitski: Singer details her struggles of navigating a relationship with two people of different cultural identities and trying to be someone she is not 
• Seasonal Depression - mxmtoon: mxmtoon talks about the struggles of Seasonal Affective Disorder
• Jocelyn Flores - XXXTENTACION: (TW: Suicide) Singer talks about his friend who committed suicide 

• Price of Perfection - Katherine Lynn-Rose: A song about growing up with Asian immigrant parents and the cost and toll of the perfect standards Asian parents often expect

• Field Trip - Melanie Martinez: Puerto Rican and Dominican singer Melanie Martinez speaks about how people invalidate her identity as a person of color because she is considered to be “white-passing” 

• Filter - Jimin (BTS): BTS singer Jimin’s song Filter talks about the urge to hide behind filters and embracing your own beauty instead.

• Breathe - Lee Hi: A calming, sad, and hopeful song telling you to breathe and that it’s okay.

• 1-800-273-8255 - Logic ft Alessia Cara & Khalid: Logic, Alessia Cara and Khalid empathize with the listeners about difficult times in life while also offering support and help through those issues. 

Musicals (note: although most of the original casts were majority white, since then there have been more BIPOC-inclusive productions of the shows, and these shows also contain many themes resonate with BIPOC audiences):

• Spring Awakening: A rock musical set in 19th century Germany that details the messy and dark coming-of-age of several teenagers discovering their sexuality. (TW: suicide, sexual abuse, physical abuse, failed + unsafe abortion)

• Next to Normal: A rock style musical about a mother who struggles with being bipolar and the impact her mental health has on her family. (TW: suicide, drug use)

• Dear Evan Hansen: A story about a boy with social anxiety whose lie about being friends with someone who dies draws him into a catastrophic mess. (TW: suicide, anxiety) 

• Jagged Little Pill: A musical about a white family with an adopted Black daughter and biological son struggling with various mental health issues and keeping up the facade of a perfect family. (TW: rape)

Apps:

• Woebot: An AI driven mental health chatbot that does daily check-ins with you and teaches you about CBT, IPT, and DBT therapy.
  • Teaches about the feeling of not feeling like you belong in society
  • BIPOC people are more likely to hesitate when reaching out for mental health help, so the anonymity of a chatbot might encourage them to reach out

• Headspace: A meditation and mindfulness app with a range of activities, from meditation for sleep to de-stressing meditations.

• • Includes mindfulness surrounding injustice and BIPOC led mindfulness videos and narration.

Podcasts:

• Asians Do Therapy: A podcast featuring the stories of Asians in therapy.

• Yeah No, I’m Not OK: A podcast featuring people from celebrities to experts discussing mental health topics with a goal of making mental health more accessible, especially to POC youth.

Youtubers:

• Linda Sun: A Chinese-Canadian influencer who talks about her eating disorder, body image, and self care in a genuine and down to earth way 

• • • Bonus: really awesome Chinese food recipes

• Psych2Go: A YouTube channel with cute animated videos featuring topics such as psychology, relationships, and mental health. Psych2Go has various related channels with this information translated into other languages.

Influencers:

• Brown Girl Therapy: Sahaj Kaur Kohli, a South Asian woman, talks about mental health in an honest, raw way as the child of immigrants

• alexfoodfreedom: Instagram account run by Alexandra Xu that talks about eating disorders in people of color and racism 

Paid Resources:

• Mindset: This is a podcast started by Kpop star Eric Nam where Kpop stars can speak about their experiences with mental health, coping mechanisms, and more.

Information For Allies:

Decolonizing mental health: The importance of an oppression-focused mental health system

Decolonizing Therapy: Why an Apolitical Mental Health System Doesn’t Work

Not White, Not Rich, and Seeking Therapy

Therapists often discriminate against black and poor patients, study finds

 SB14: 

Info Sheet for Students

Info Sheet for Adults

Informacion para Adultos

Information for Students- Chinese

Information for Adults- Chinese

Info Sheet for School Leaders

Info Sheet for School Staff

Advocacy at School Boards

Sample Blurb for Newsletters

Click the link below to learn more:

https://www.communityequitycollaborative.org/mental-health

Support for Parents and Caregivers:

• A pocket guide for parents: How to support your teens with their mental health
• Navigating Family Life after a Suicide Attempt (https://onlinegrad.pepperdine.edu/blog/family-life-teen-suicide-attempt/): a parent's guide to child suicide.

Organizations:

• Care Solace: lifts the heavy burden of mental health care coordination for school systems

• NAMI: An organization that helps people who have experience with mental illness and families by providing support, education and advocacy

• • https://namica.org/
  • https://namisantaclara.org/
  • https://namisanmateo.org/
  • https://www.namisf.org/
  • http://www.namieastbay.org
  • http://www.nami-trivalley.org

Willows in the Wind: An organization that offers help for parents whose teens are experiencing struggles with addictive behaviors, depression, anxiety, and school refusal

Teens Recommend

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