Community Mental Health Resources
The attached handout provides mental health resources available to Jefferson County children and adolescents. This document is meant to provide guidance and does not necessarily reflect all services available.
In the case of a crisis, the following resources are available at the time of this writing:
911: Dial 911 if you or someone you know is at immediate risk of harming themselves or someone else.
Discovery Behavioral Health (360-385-0321): Provides FREE crisis services to all residents of East Jefferson County. After hours, press 1. Crisis workers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Crisis services are available through DBH on a walk-in basis at their office at 884 W. Park Avenue, Port Townsend, WA 98368.
Regional Volunteers of America (888-910-0416): Crisis line is available, by telephone, 24/7 through Volunteers of America (VOA). Online crisis chat, www.imhurting.org.
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 988 is now the three-digit dialing code that routes callers to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The previous 988 Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress in the United States.
Crisis Text Line (text to 741741): Available 24/7, a trained crisis counselor receives the text and responds from a secure online platform.
Climate Anxiety Support
Facing It
a podcast about love, loss, and the natural world
Written and narrated by Jennifer Atkinson
The age of climate crisis is upon us, and grief and anxiety are on the rise. This podcast explores the emotional burden of climate change, and why despair leaves so many people unable to respond to our existential threat. Overcoming that paralysis is the first step in moving to action, and yet official climate strategies rarely address the emotional toll of climate grief and eco anxiety. Meanwhile, frontline communities — particularly people of color, indigenous communities, and other historically-marginalized groups — are experiencing the heaviest mental health impacts of climate disruption and displacement. This series introduces ways to move from despair to action by addressing the psychological roots of our unprecedented ecological loss.
Episode 1: Facing Down Climate Grief
Episode 2: Why Climate Emotions Matter
Episode 3: Eco-Grief: Our Greatest Ally?
Episode 4: Coping with Climate Despair in Four Steps
https://www.drjenniferatkinson.com/facing-it
Hope is Not Optional: Managing Emotions in a Changing World
The video is a talk offered to administrators, staff, and faculty at Bellevue College (Washington) at Opening Day in September 2021. It is based on the work of Elin Kelsey, Sarah Jacquette Ray, and Jennifer Atkinson. The talk argues that those who interact with students and each other on a regular basis cannot afford to remain hopeless despite the daunting systemic challenges we face: climate change, the coronavirus pandemic, racism. Psychological research shows that, to create change, we must move away from avoidance and a doom-and-gloom mindset toward hope and empowerment by expressing our emotions, talking about the issues, and taking action. Our minds and emotions naturally shut down in the face of overwhelming threats and avoidance is a common way to protect ourselves against further trauma. But we cannot address what we do not allow ourselves to see, discuss, and feel. While the media focuses on corruption, scandal, and disaster, we need to actively seek out and share positive stories and effective pathways to solutions. Doing these things is not just a good idea, but necessary for resolving the problems we face. The talk uses the climate crisis as a case study to explore why these things are important.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYZe1fB4mE4&ab_channel=SunnyRemington
For Teachers:
There is trauma in your classroom. What should you do?
Trauma-Informed Pedagogy refers to using the knowledge of trauma to adapt our teaching to best support the well-being and success of both teachers and learners.
https://oe.wfu.edu/2021/03/trauma-informed-pedagogy/
Existential Toolkit: Resources for Climate Justice Educators & Students
With feelings of climate anxiety and eco-grief on the rise, educators across disciplines need resources to help students develop the emotional resilience to stay engaged in the work of climate justice. This toolkit helps educators and students navigate the long emergency ahead without becoming overwhelmed by despair.
https://www.existentialtoolkit.com/
Welcome to Plant Teachings for Growing Social-Emotional Skills
This toolkit explores how plants can lead us in being healthy and resilient. It includes a book, plant teaching cards, movement videos, an activity guide, and infographics, and was developed through a partnership between GRuB, Squaxin Island Tribe’s Northwest Indian Treatment Center, and Seattle Indian Health Board.
The toolkit is intended for mental health workers, educators, and community members who are exploring behavioral health skills that are rooted in the land and Coast Salish culture. Resources can be integrated into many different settings including behavioral health programs, community health and wellness classes, K-12 social-emotional lessons, and outdoor education programs.
NOTE: the full tool-kit is for purchase and the movement videos are free on this website:
https://wild.goodgrub.org/plant-teachings/toolkit
Grit & Growth Perspectives on a Pandemic
We wanted to hear from teens in their own inspiring, and thought-provoking voices. To that end, we made a six-minute video of teens talking about their mental health during COVID.
Jefferson County Teen Mental Health Survey in the time of COVID-19
There has been a lack of mental health data about Jefferson County adolescents during the pandemic. For most adults without children, teens have dropped out of sight.
The CDC survey that the state administers every two years did not happen last year due to COVID-19. It is rescheduled for next autumn with results in the spring. That means we will have gone four years without new data.
In collaboration with Jefferson County's CHIP partnership, Port Townsend High School and Chimacum High School, The Benji Project conducted a survey about mental health markers among our teens this spring. The questionnaire covered some of the CDC questions such as about suicidality, as well as how they fared during the pandemic.
The survey results were analyzed with help from the University of Washington StatCom Group.
MAKING FRIENDS WITH YOURSELF
CO-CREATOR RELEASES SELF-COMPASSION WORKBOOK FOR TEENS
Your teen years are a time of change, growth, and—all too often—psychological struggle. To make matters worse, you are often your own worst critic. The Self-Compassion Workbook for Teens offers valuable tools based in mindfulness and self-compassion to help you overcome self-judgment and self-criticism, cultivate compassion toward yourself and others, and embrace who you really are.
* Your purchase through this link helps support The Benji Project
details on the benji project’s 2018 scholarship winners
How to Help Teens Become More Self-Compassionate
Self-compassion may be key to supporting teen mental health. Dr. Karen Bluth shares lessons from her mindful self-compassion program. Read full article here.
Making Friends with Yourself in The New York Times
The promise of self-compassion for stressed out teens: Our curriculum was the first self-compassion program developed for adolescents. Read more.
center for mindfulness - uc san diego
University of California - San Diego's mindfulness programs and research. See the website.
why Self Compassion works
For an introduction into mindful self compassion, see the website of pioneering self-compassion researcher Dr. Kristin Neff. "With self-compassion, we give ourselves the same kindness and care we'd give to a good friend." Site offers exercises and tips.