• MHA Information Library Find information on specific conditions and major topics in mental health from Mental Health America.
  
  
• MHA: Quick Facts and Statistics About Mental Health
  
  
• NAMI Illinois: About Mental Illness Find information on specific conditions, associated topics, treatment and services, and mental health statistics from the Illinois chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
  
  
• SAMHSA: What is Mental Health | Spanish Version The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration explains the basics of mental health and provides extra resources.
  
  
• NIMH The National Institute of Mental Health provides information and resources on mental illnesses and related topics, treatments, special populations, and clinical trials and research in the field.
  
  
• CDC: Mental Health Explore the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s mental health resources, reports, and educational information.
  
  
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Established in 1987, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is a voluntary health organization that gives those affected by suicide a nationwide community empowered by research, education and advocacy to take action against this leading cause of death.
  
  
• Suicide Prevention Resource Center The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) is the only federally supported resource center devoted to advancing the implementation of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. Here you can find an online resource library, training opportunities, and the latest news surrounding suicide prevention.

• Roadmap to Behavioral Health: A Guide to Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Services A free and printable PDF guide that walks through the step-by-step process of finding a provider and getting help for mental health concerns. This publication is a joint effort of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
  
  
• I’m So Stressed Out | Spanish Version A free and printable PDF guide from the National Institute of Mental Health explains the distinction between stress and anxiety and some coping strategies.
  
  
• Emotional Wellness Toolkit | Spanish Version A free and printable PDF guide from the National Institutes of Health lists some emotional wellness goals and steps to improving one’s emotional wellness.
  
  
• My Mental Health: Do I Need Help? | Spanish Version A free and printable PDF guide that helps examine how much the signs and symptoms of mental health challenges impact one’s daily life and when and how to seek help.
  
  
• Wellness Journal A free and downloadable packet with links to articles and videos, journal prompts, and how-to tips for self-care from the National Training & Technical Assistance Center for Child, Youth, and Family Mental Health.

• Anxiety & Depression Association of America Founded in 1979, ADAA is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention, treatment, and cure of anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and co-occurring disorders through aligning research, practice, and education.
  
  
• International OCD Foundation Find help, learn more, and get involved in the community of those who have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and related disorders.
  
  
• Postpartum Support International Supports and information for pregnant or post-pregnant women and anyone who wants to support them. Specific information on mental health challenges one may experience during or after pregnancy and seeking professional support can be found here.

• Prevention Strategies & Protective Factors
  
  
• Defining Grief
  
  
• Evidence-Based Treatments for Grief
  
  
• Responses to Grief Across the Life
  
• Coping with Grief After Community Violence

• Mental Health America Webinars MHA is a national nonprofit dedicated to mental health education and condition prevention. Its webinars cover a wide range of mental health-related topics.
  
  
• Talk Saves Lives Talk Saves Lives is AFSP’s standardized, 45–60-minute education program that provides participants with a clear understanding of this leading cause of death, including the most up-to-date research on suicide prevention and what they can do in their communities to save lives.
  
  
• QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Just as people trained in CPR help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. Each year, thousands of Americans like you are saying "Yes" to saving the life of a friend, colleague, sibling, or neighbor. For more information about bringing QPR training to your community or organization, contact the Mental Health Training and Technical Assistance team at mhtta@prevention.org.
  
  
• safeTALK LivingWorks safeTALK is a four-hour face-to-face workshop featuring powerful presentations, audiovisuals, and skills practice. At a LivingWorks safeTALK workshop, you'll learn how to prevent suicide by recognizing signs, engaging someone, and connecting them to an intervention resource for further support. A skilled, supportive trainer will guide you through the course, and a community resource will be on hand to support your safety and comfort. For more information about bringing safeTALK to your community or organization, contact the Mental Health Training and Technical Assistance team at mhtta@prevention.org.
  
  
• LivingWorks Start In just 90 minutes online, LivingWorks Start teaches participants to recognize when someone is thinking about suicide and connect them to help and support.

• NAMI Illinois: Get Involved Learn about annual NAMI Walks near you, volunteer opportunities, and advocacy to be done.
  
  
• Erika’s Lighthouse Erika’s Lighthouse: A Beacon of Hope for Adolescent Depression was founded in 2004 by Virginia and Thomas Neuckranz after their daughter Erika lost her life to depression. To avoid another loss in the community, they founded Erika’s Lighthouse with the goal of creating educational materials to Get Depression Out of the Dark.
  
  
• IDONTMIND IDONTMIND is a nonprofit organization on a mission to inspire open conversations about mental health and provide free resources, education, and encouragement for anyone who needs it. Whether you’re living with a mental illness or working to improve your overall mental health, IDONTMIND offers an inclusive community where all are welcome and healing is possible.
  
  
• Camp Erin Camp Erin supports children, teens, and families through in-person day and overnight sessions and online programs. Participants attend a camp experience that combines grief education and emotional support with fun, interactive activities. Led by bereavement professionals and caring volunteers, campers are provided a safe environment to explore their grief, learn essential coping skills, and experience community with others who are also grieving. Additional services are offered to support the whole family outside of the camp experience.

• NAMI Illinois: Teens and Young Adults The Illinois chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness provides specific insight and information on the experience of young people experiencing mental health challenges.
  
  
• The Trevor Project: Resources for Talking About Suicide Find guides and resources from the perspective of LGBTQ+ experiences on talking about suicide with peers and adults to help yourselves and others.
  
  
• How to Talk to a Friend About Suicide: A free and printable guide created by Prevention First’s Youth Prevention Resource Center on how to talk to a friend you think might be considering suicide.
  
  
• Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide: Students SPTS has resources designed specifically for students regarding the topic of understanding, preventing, and discussing teen suicide.
• Stopbullying.gov The official website for the national effort to end bullying amongst young people for good.
  
  
• Self-Care Cheat Sheet A free and printable guide created by Prevention First’s Youth Prevention Resource Center that provides easy-to-remember self-care tips.
  
  
• Teen Depression: More Than Just Moodiness | Spanish Version A free and printable guide by the National Institute of Mental Health on how depression often presents in teenagers, and how you can get help.
  
  
• Social Media and Youth Mental Health This 2023 Advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General explores and describes the current evidence on social media's positive and negative impacts on children and adolescents, some of the primary areas for mental health and well-being concerns, and opportunities for additional research to help understand the full scope and scale of social media’s impact.
  
  
• Project Oz Virtual Resource Packet Project Oz is a Central Illinois-based nonprofit that put together this online resource library geared towards middle and high school students. Video lessons, self-care tips, book recommendations, and more can be found throughout the interactive database.

Teen Mental Health First Aid teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) teaches teens in grades 9-12, or ages 14-18, how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among their friends and peers. Reach out to MHTTA@prevention.org for more information.

• Hope Squad Hope Squad is a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program. Hope Squad members are nominated by their classmates as trustworthy peers and trained by advisors. The program reduces youth suicide through education, training, and peer intervention.

• NAMI Illinois: Family Members and Caregivers The Illinois chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness provides specific insight, information, and resources for those who care for and support the journey of those experiencing mental health challenges.
  
  
• Warning Signs of Suicide: Fact Sheet for Family and Community Members A printable and free guide from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center on what warning signs of suicide family and community members are often able to notice in those they love.
  
  
• Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide: Parents/Caregivers SPTS has resources designed specifically for parents and caregivers regarding the topic of understanding, preventing, and discussing teen suicide.
  
  
• Social Media and Youth Mental Health This 2023 Advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General explores and describes the current evidence on social media's positive and negative impacts on children and adolescents, some of the primary areas for mental health and well-being concerns, and opportunities for additional research to help understand the full scope and scale of social media’s impact.
  
  
• American Academy of Pediatrics Center for Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health Resources, research, and webinars on the relationship between social media and youth mental health can be found on this webpage.

More Than Sad More Than Sad has taught over a million parents and educators how to be smarter about mental health. Learn more about each program and purchase More Than Sad to receive the two More Than Sad films, Teen Depression and Preventing Teen Suicide. All programs may be delivered in person or virtually. Please contact your local AFSP chapter to request updated More Than Sad materials for each program.

• Warning Signs of Suicide: Fact Sheet for Clinicians A printable and free guide from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center on warning signs of suicide that clinicians are often able to notice in those they treat.
  
  
• Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide: Resources for Clinicians SPTS has resources designed specifically for clinicians regarding the topic of understanding, preventing, and discussing teen suicide.
  
  
• American Academy of Pediatrics Center for Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health Resources, research, and webinars on the relationship between social media and youth mental health can be found on this webpage.

• Illinois Association for Behavioral Health: Trainings A variety of trainings on topics concerning treatment and support of those who experience mental illness provided by a state-wide organization.
  
  
• Brain & Behavior Research Foundation: Webinars & Trainings A variety of trainings on topics revolving around the world of mental health.
  
  
• Postpartum Support International: Training A variety of trainings, webinars, and certification courses revolving around the experience and care of those experiencing mental health challenges before, during, and after pregnancy.
  
  
• More Than Sad More Than Sad has taught over a million parents and educators how to be smarter about mental health. Learn more about each program and purchase More Than Sad to receive the two More Than Sad films, Teen Depression and Preventing Teen Suicide. All programs may be delivered in person or virtually. Please contact your local AFSP chapter to request updated More Than Sad materials for each program.

• LEADS for Youth Linking Education and Awareness for Depression and Suicide (LEADS) for Youth is an evidence-based suicide prevention curriculum designed for high schools. LEADS for Youth is an informative and interactive opportunity for students and teachers to increase knowledge and awareness of depression and suicide.
  
  
• Aevidum Aevidum is a non-profit organization that empowers youth to shatter the silence surrounding depression, suicide, and other issues facing teens. The word Aevidum, which means “I’ve got your back,” was created by students after a classmate died by suicide. Aevidum inspires schools and communities to adopt cultures of care and advocacy, encouraging all members to have their friends’ backs. Aevidum exists in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and colleges across the nation.
  
  
• Youth Aware of Mental Health Youth Aware of Mental health, also known as YAM, is a school-based program for young people ages 13 to 17, in which they learn about and explore the topic of mental health. YAM is an evidence-based program taking place in classrooms around the world. Students actively engage with the topic of mental health through role-play and student-led discussions.
  
  
• Sources of Strength A best practice youth mental health promotion and suicide prevention program designed to harness the power of peer social networks to create healthy norms and culture, ultimately preventing suicide, violence, bullying, and substance misuse. The mission of Sources of Strength is to prevent adverse outcomes by increasing well-being, help-seeking, resiliency, healthy coping, and belonging. Sources of Strength moves beyond a singular focus on risk factors by utilizing an upstream approach for youth suicide prevention. This upstream model strengthens multiple sources of support, or protective factors, for young people so that they have strengths to rely on when times get hard.
  
  
• Teen Mental Health First Aid teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) teaches teens in grades 10-12, or ages 15-18, how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among their friends and peers. Reach out to MHTTA@prevention.org for more information.