Mental Health Resources | VOAD Affiliates

In Pennsylvania, there are several resource lines that can provide 24/7 support to callers:

PA 211 – Dial ‘211’ or Text Your Zip Code to 898-211

The Support and Referral Line offers crisis assistance 24/7 at 1-855-284-2494 (TTY: 724-631-5600)
Pennsylvania Crisis Text Line: Text “PA” to 741-741

Nationally, there are several other crisis resources available to Pennsylvanians:

Disaster Distress Helpline Call 1-800-985-5990 or Text 1-800-985-5990 (see below)

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Línea Nacional de Prevención del Suicidio: 1-888-628-9454

Veteran Crisis Line: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Get Help Now Hotline (for substance use disorders): 1-800-662-4357

Disaster Emotional Prep Kit

FindSupport.gov, a new user-friendly website, designed for the general public, to help people identify available resources, explore unbiased information about various treatment options, and learn how to reach out to get the support they need for issues related to mental health, drugs, or alcohol.

Pennsylvania Sexual Assault Helpline: 1-888-772-7227 or https://pcar.org/help-in-pa

National Domestic Violence Helpline: 1-800-799-7233 or www.PCADV.org

Hope Has a New Number: 9-8-8 – National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (see below)

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The 9-8-8 number is considered the 9-1-1 of mental health and substance use issues. The lifeline, which also links to the Veterans Crisis Line, provides an easy to use three-digit code (988) to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The change from a 10-digit code to 9-8-8 provides easy access to crisis services for people with mental health and substance use issues and help reduce the stigma surrounding these conditions. 9-8-8 offers 24/7 access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing mental health-related distress. That could be:
=Thoughts of suicide
=Mental health or substance use crisis, or
=Any other kind of emotion distress
People can call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for themselves or if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, 9-8-8 provides 24/7 connection to confidential support. There is Hope. Just call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. Check out the 988 Partner Toolkit, 988 Job Opportunities and 988 Resources.

The Office of Health Equity in the PA Department of Health has developed an Implicit Bias Toolkit. This is toolkit, which is intended for those working in healthcare settings, can provide a lot of great resources and information surrounding the reduction of implicit and explicit bias in our work as well. You can find the toolkit at Implicit Bias Toolkit. Other useful resources can be found online to help you consider the manifestation and impact of biases in our daily lives. One example is Harvard University’s Project Implicit.

Mental Health Resources and Treatments Available for Veterans

Veterans face a number of challenges during and after military involvement. According to NIH, as many as 13.5% of veterans who served during the Iraq and Afghanistan crises had PTSD. To help assure that veterans have access to the support and resources they need, Solara Mental Health has produced an article on the different types of therapy for veterans – https://solaramentalhealth.com/therapy-for-veterans/

National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), has released a new report, National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care, which describes the urgent need to improve crisis response services for children, youth, and families and provides guidance on how communities can address the existing gaps in care for youth. Read more.

Are you working with children who are in distress? Spiritual First Aid has developed Helping Children Cope with Traumatic Events in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. It has since been translated into Spanish, French, Portuguese, Korean, Ukrainian, and Polish. This free downloadable booklet provides practical guidance for anyone who wants to support children in the wake of trauma. Helping Children Cope with Traumatic Events provides readers with an overview of common reactions to violent acts and gives concrete steps for caring for children’s emotional and spiritual needs.

HHS Partnership Center Toolkit: Youth Mental Health and Well-being in Faith and Community Settings

From the Surgeon General for the United States to parents in homes across the country, people are recognizing that our nation’s youth are experiencing unprecedented mental health challenges. Data supports this growing concern. More than 40 percent of teenagers state that they struggle with persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and more than half of parents and caregivers express concern over their children’s mental well-being. The HHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships has developed a toolkit that can help. The toolkit highlights ways in which faith and neighborhood leaders can promote health and wellbeing in their communities.

Emergency Behavioral Health Trainings

There are many available trainings at Train PA. See the listing.