![]() ![]() A week or two later, a mental health navigator will get in touch with you to see if you received the information and if you need additional follow-up assistance. Then a team of licensed mental health professionals at Grant Halliburton Foundation will research potential resources and email you with names and contact information for provider options that may meet your needs. When you call the Mental Health Navigation Line, a trained navigator will listen to your needs, gather details such as the type of mental health services you are seeking, age of the patient, language preference, ideal location for services, and other information. This year, Grant Halliburton Foundation introduced the Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation Line, a free helpline that provides callers with information and options for resources that match their specific needs for mental health care. We also offer peer support groups for parents of youth with mental health or addiction problems.įinding mental health resources that are appropriate for your situation can be frustrating, confusing, and daunting.įirst you wonder, do you need a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist? Should you see your doctor or pediatrician first? Should you try to get a mental health assessment? And how do you decide? Are you dealing with a crisis situation that may require hospitalization? Do you have insurance or do you need lost-cost or no-cost scale services? Do you need someone who speaks Spanish or another language? So many questions! Last year, we trained more than 35,000 students, school staff, parents, and professionals on how to recognize and respond to a person in emotional distress or suicidal crisis. We do this by educating young people-and all the adults in their lives-about mental health and suicide prevention. The nonprofit organization that bears his name, Grant Halliburton Foundation, is committed to strengthening the network of mental health resources for children, teens, and young adults promoting better mental health and preventing suicide. Two weeks after he was discharged, he took his own life at the age of 19. He spent 30 days in a hospital psychiatric unit. In 2005, my son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Stigma remains one of the primary barriers to seeking mental health treatment. People still don’t know where to turn for information, referrals or guidance for mental health treatment. People are still reluctant to speak up when they need help for anxiety, depression, addiction, eating disorders, and other mental health conditions. ![]() The truth is, there is still a great deal of stigma around mental illness. She turned out to be a wonderful professional who helped my son manage his chronic depression over the next five years. I did not want to confide to anyone that my child had a mental health issue, that he was hurting himself on the outside because he was hurting so much on the inside.įinally, I dug up the name of a therapist I barely knew but heard speak at a meeting once. The stigma around mental illness pulled me instinctively toward silence and secrecy. I could have asked anyone for a referral to a doctor or dentist-a friend, neighbor, co-worker, family member, or another parent-but this was a mental health issue. I had no idea what kind of “help” we needed, let alone where to find it or who to ask for recommendations. However, I found myself facing an unexpected dilemma. Emotional pain? How was it possible that my carefree, beautiful boy could seem so happy on the outside while silently struggling on the inside? This young teen who lit up every room and kept everyone laughing with his antics and wit? I couldn’t fathom it. The counselor said it was a type of self-harm that was linked to emotional pain. The fact is, I didn’t even know what cutting was. I remember stepping out of a meeting to take the call, and when I hung up, I sat down on a curb and cried. ![]() This was the call I received from my son’s middle school one sunny day when I was 1,000 miles from home on a business trip. Do you know a therapist or psychiatrist?” It seems he has been cutting himself lately, and I think you will want to get some help for him right away. This is the eighth-grade school counselor. ![]()
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