A Comprehensive Guide to Assisting with a Mental Health Crisis

Over the course of three months, guest blogger Lucy Merriman put together an amazing 5-part series entitled, How to Lend a Hand in a Mental Health Crisis. The series looks at the gaps in our current mental health care system and provides information on how to fill those gaps on an individual basis, even if you yourself have little to no crisis training. This post puts the links and summaries for those five articles all in one place.

How to Lend a Hand in a Mental Health Crisis Part 5: Seeking Solutions

The fifth part of Lucy Merriman’s guide to offering support during a mental health crisis is possibly the most universally helpful of all the parts. It includes useful problem solving techniques, basic guidelines to finding the info you need, and an amazing list of mental health related media.

How to Lend a Hand in a Mental Health Crisis Part 4: Educate, Normalize, & Comfort

This week’s guest post is Part 4 in a five-part series that looks at how to fill the gaps in our current mental health care system on an individual basis. Lucy Merriman has been guiding us through information about mental health crisis hotlines, basic skills needed to offer support to a person in crisis, and in-depth information about how to guide someone to the other side of whatever they are going through.

How to Lend a Hand in a Mental Health Crisis Part 3: The Process of Processing

This article includes a lot of really valuable information about how to help someone work through an emotionally upsetting time. Whether your friend is in a full-blown mental health crisis, or they’re just having a bad day, these tools are excellent for anyone who wants to be a better source of support.

How to Lend a Hand in a Mental Health Crisis Part 2: Mindset, Limit Setting, and Safety Assessment

Today’s post covers the preparation needed to skillfully offer support to a friend if you don’t have the resources to become a trained crisis worker but still want tools to help your friend when in a mental health crisis.

How to Lend a Hand in a Mental Health Crisis Part 1: Enlisting the Help of a Crisis Hotline

Today’s guest post is part 1 of a series that looks at the gaps in our current mental health care system and provides information on how to fill those gaps on an individual basis if you should find yourself facing a mental health crisis in yourself or someone you care about.