Low-Cost Mental Health Resources

Here’s a list of 81 Mental Health Resources, including apps and community support groups.

Each program has it’s potential benefits. Taken as a whole, this list points out that MANY people are working individually and collectively to make this world a more accessible, responsible, and peaceful place. If you try one of these programs, I’d like to hear about your experience.

Trauma Stewardship

In addition to other healthy life practices, I find great resiliency in a self-book: Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others. This book provides a framework for managing vicarious trauma. The text outlines 16 possible imbalances within a caregiver or service provider–such as cynicism, deliberate avoidance, hypervigilance, and an inability to embrace complexity. Readers can self-assess their experience and make adjustments. This collection of research and anecdotes relates to various human services, including social work, law enforcement, education, and medical fields.

Live Through This

A powerful photo essay collection that promotes awareness, care, and transparency: Live Through This is a collection of portraits and stories of suicide attempt survivors, as told by those survivors.” This project was initiated by someone challenged her suicidal thoughts and behavior. She invited other suicide attempt survivors to share their experiences of suffering and moving forward.

Book Synopsis: Heart of Desire

Stella Resnick wonderfully dissects sexual relationship problems in Heart of Desire: Keys to the Pleasures of Love. Although the book’s title is cheesy, Resnick offers insight based on research and clinical experience with couples. Resnick identifies variations of the love-lust dilemma–difficulty in maintaining a playful, pleasurable sexuality with a partner once they become family. She identifies family and sociocultural projections that contribute to the love-lust dilemma and guides readers through exercises to reconnect body and mind.

Trauma and Avoidance

Trauma often disrupts or prevents otherwise healthy relationships. One way to conceptualize this effect is through Attachment Theory, specifically the avoidant attachment style. People with avoidant attachment may provide vague descriptions of past events, idealize a person in a previous context, dismiss many problems, devalue intimacy, and over-emphasize self-reliance. With such clients, the therapist’s first task is to develop a safe relationship where a client can tolerate connection, exposure, and vulnerability. When a person experiences this vulnerability within a secure connection, he or she has a corrective emotional experience and may enhance other safe relationships.

Brain-Gut Connection

The mind-body connection has become a prominent discussion. The microbiome has been less discussed. However, it has interesting mental health implications. Scientists published evidence that microorganisms in our gut may correspond to mood and nervous system problems–including anxiety, depression, and mania. Here are two media clips that summarize some of the recent research. The first clip is a short and sweet summary, 8.5 minutes. The second clip, 23 minutes, is an interview with two medical researchers.