Helpful Resources
Mental Health Resources for Youth
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Operating Hours: 24/7
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis, the Lifeline network is available 24/7.
Call or text 988, or chat at: 988lifeline.org.
CalHOPE
Operating Hours: 24/7
CalHope offers safe, secure, and culturally sensitive emotional support for all Californians who have experienced emotional challenges.
Call or chat: 1-833-317-4673
Youth Crisis Line
Operating Hours: 24/7
A 24/7 statewide emergency response system for youth (ages 12-24) and families in crisis.
Call or text: 800-843-5200
LGBT Youth TalkLine
Operating Hours: M-F 1pm – 9pm Sat. 9am – 2pm (Pacific)
A safe space where you can open up and talk about coming out, bullying, isolation, identity, family issues and much more. Anonymous and confidential.
Call: 800-246-7743
Trans Lifeline
A peer support phone service run by trans people for our trans and questioning peers. Call us if you need someone trans to talk to, even if you’re not in crisis or if you may not yet identify as trans.
Call: 877-565-8860
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project provides free and confidential information and support to LGBTQ young people 24/7, all year round. You can connect to a crisis counselor via chat, phone or text message.
Teen Line
Operating Hours: 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. PT
Feeling unwell? Lonely? Scared? When you call or text Teen Line, another teen will be there to listen and help. No issue is too big or too small.
Call: 800-246-7743
24/7 Warm Line
Talk to someone about anything that is bothering you – whether it be relationships, finances, anxiety, sadness or other challenges.
Call 855-845-7415 or Instant Message
Know the Signs
Help prevent suicide by learning about the warning signs, how to offer help, and find local resources.
Local Help & Support
If you want help connecting to a mental health professional, you can find resources based in the county where you live.
CA vs. Hate
Free support is available to victims and witnesses who report hate. CA vs Hate is not affiliated with law enforcement, and your report can be made anonymously, regardless of immigration status.
Call 800-246-7743
The Family Urgent Response System (FURS)
Operating Hours: 24/7
Call, text, chat, and in-person support for children and youth (up to age 21) who have spent time in foster care and for their caregivers. No issue is too big or too small; call or text FURS at 1-833-939-3877 or visit the Cal-Furs website for live chat
All Connected
All Connected is a free resource designed for youth in the foster care system. It is a short-form animated series built for those who have experienced childhood trauma.
Take Action For Mental Health | Directing Change
May is Mental Health Matters Month and a great time to take action. Create a film, poem, or art piece about how you can #takeaction4MH.
Wellness Education Lab
WEL guides students (13+) through evidence-based content offering practical skills to improve mental health and resilience.
Mental Health Resources for Parents, Family and Friends
Know the Signs: Prevent Suicide
Recognize the warning signs of suicide to better support those you love.
Parents Guide to Teen Depression
Determine how to tell if your child is depressed, and what actions you can take.
Seize the Awkward
Talking about mental health might be uncomfortable, but it can make all the difference. Learn what to say.
Stress Relief for Kids
You can help your child be healthier by managing your own stress response and helping your child do the same. CA Surgeon General’s Playbook: Stress Relief for Caregivers and Kids, now available in eight languages.
CA Parent and Youth Help Line
Operating Hours: 8am – 8pm
A free, confidential call, text or livechat resource for parents and youth seeking emotional support.
Call 855-427-2736
Sisters Mentally Mobilized
Trains Black women to become mental health community advocates and help reduce mental health stigma, anxiety, and isolation among Black women.
Parenting Rainbow Kids
Provides evidence-based resources and information to support parents of rainbow kids.
Gender Spectrum Resources
Gender Spectrum hosts free online groups for parents, caregivers, and other family members and adults. These groups provide you with the opportunity to connect with others, share experiences, and feel the comfort of a supportive community.
Wellness Education Lab
Spending time outside improves physical and mental well-being.
California State Parks offers the Junior Ranger Program for kids ages 7-12, the free 4th Grade Adventure Pass and its State Library Park Pass Program, which offers free admission into hundreds of state parks!
First 5 California Stronger Starts
In California, 1 in 3 kids are at risk of toxic stress. Learn how your support can stop toxic stress.
Let’s Talk Cannabis
Talking with your child about cannabis use at a young age is one of the best ways that you can help to prevent early experimentation.
Wellness Education Lab
WEL empowers parents and guardians with knowledge and tools to support youth and strengthen their own mental health.
Mental Health Resources for Schools & Teachers
Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids
These resources can help you teach your students the mental health skills they need to be ready to learn.
Care, Cope, Connect
Access a guide to support families of young students who may be feeling fear, anxiety or loss.
Suicide Prevention: A Toolkit for High Schools
Having a conversation about mental health might be uncomfortable, but it can make all the difference. Learn what to say.
Center for Resiliency, Hope & Wellness in Schools
The Center partners with schools to increase access to evidence-based trauma and early intervention strategies to create nurturing school environments.
GLSEN Educator Resources
GSLEN helps educators increase LGBTQ visibility and affirmation through educator guides and resources, as well as free lesson plans and connections to networks.
LivingWorks: Suicide Intervention
In just 90 minutes online, LivingWorks teaches trainees to recognize when someone is thinking about suicide and how to help connect them to help and support.
Greater Good Education Program
Provides educators with resources and methods to successfully implement social and emotional learning (SEL) programs in schools and classrooms.
The Angst: A Film
A film-based mental health support program, endorsed by educators, psychiatrists and mental health advocates. Tools and information for parents and educators available on the website.
Redirecting Grief to Growth | A Trusted Space
Listen to teachers, parents, students, and experts discuss how to mitigate the effects of anxiety and trauma. The film is accompanied by a curriculum that provides a practical and empathetic understanding of how trauma impacts behavior and learning, and how to manage it within any classroom setting.
Youth Mental Health First Aid Trainings
Participate in an important training on how to best help young people experiencing both crisis and non-crisis mental health challenges and how to recognize warning signs of mental health concerns.
Campus Opioid Safety Act
Effective January 1, 2023, the Campus Opioid Safety Act aims to provide education, information and federally-approved opioid overdose reversal medication to public colleges and universities. This communications toolkit for educators contains important information about stopping a drug overdose and the benefits of the life-saving medication Naloxone.
Mental Health Spirit Day | Directing Change
Directing Change hosts its second annual Spirit Day as a statewide initiative aimed at teachers and K-12 youth to participate in interactive, youth-led activities centered around conversations of mental health awareness.
Wellness Education Lab
WEL equips educators/school staff with practical mental health training to support students and strengthen their own mental health.
Safe Schools For All Hub
The Safe Schools For All Hub consolidates key resources and information so that educators and school staff can continue to support safe, in-person learning in K-12 schools and encourage student health. New resources will be added on a routine basis!
