Resources to Support Mental Health and Coping with the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) has compiled a selection of web pages and information sheets on mental health and coping with the effects of COVID-19. These resources are a selection from key organizations in the field. We will continue to update this list as new resources become available.

*Note: For crisis counseling and support related to COVID-19, call the Disaster Distress Helpline (1-800-985-5990) or text TalkWithUs to 66746. For those experiencing a suicidal crisis, call or text 988 (988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or visit https://988lifeline.org/.

Click on each audience below to see the resources for that group:

General Audience

NEWLY ADDED! Coping-19 – This website from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Ad Council provides resources for people dealing with anxiety, depression, financial uncertainty, grief, isolation, prejudice, or sleeplessness. It also provides resources on healthy living topics such as exercise, nutrition, and meditation, family activities, and medical guidance.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Stress and Coping – This web page contains basic guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on managing mental health stressors during COVID-19. Available in other languages, including Spanish, by clicking the button “Languages” under the title.
Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health: Tips for Social Distancing, Quarantine, and Isolation during an Infectious Disease Outbreak – This tip sheet from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides information on typical reactions to social distancing, quarantine, and isolation, and ways to take care of oneself. The sheet also provides a list of hotlines and other resources for obtaining help.
Mental Health and Psychosocial Considerations during the COVID-19 Outbreak – This information sheet from the World Health Organization (WHO) contains suggestions for coping with COVID-19 for the general population and specific groups including health care workers, caretakers of children and older adults, and people living in isolation.
Taking Care of Your Mental Health in the Face of Uncertainty – This blog post from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) provides five suggestions for coping with the uncertainty due to COVID-19. Available in Spanish.
Helpful Thinking during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak – This sheet from the National Center for PTSD contains a table listing negative thoughts and feelings you may be having and helpful thoughts you can try instead to feel more positive. The categories included are concerns about safety, feeling unable to cope, helplessness, guilt, and anger. Available in Spanish.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Grief and Loss – This web page from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) contains information on coping with grief and loss, including loss of a loved one during the COVID-19 pandemic, loss due to changes in daily routines and ways of life, and helping children cope with grief. Available in other languages, including Spanish, by clicking the button “Languages” under the title.
Coronavirus Anxiety: Helpful Expert Tips and Resources – This web page, updated daily by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), contains links to a wide variety of resources for coping with general anxiety and some specific anxiety disorders during COVID-19, including articles, information sheets, blog posts, and videos.
Coping with Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks – This web page from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides bulleted lists of behavioral, physical, emotional, and mental responses that are common signs of stress and anxiety during infectious disease pandemics like COVID-19. It also includes ways to relieve the stress.
Tips for Coping with Coronavirus Stress – This sheet from PsychAlive provides suggestions for self-care to help cope with stress during COVID-19, including mindfulness meditation; a breathing exercise; practicing self-compassion, optimism, and gratitude; and connecting with other people and with nature.
How to Support a Loved One Going through a Tough Time during COVID-19 – This web page from Mental Health First Aid provides tips for reaching out to someone who may need emotional support.
Tips for Supporting Others during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic – This sheet from the National Center for PTSD contains a table listing simple ways to talk with others that show support. It includes examples of statements and questions that can be adapted for the specific person and situation. Available in Spanish.
Managing Family Conflict While Home during COVID-19: Intimate Partners – This information sheet from the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) provides strategies that may help partners manage conflict during periods of confinement at home.
Coronavirus: Building Mental Health Resilience – This blog post from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) suggests ways to build resilience, which means learning healthy ways to adapt and cope with adversity and distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also discusses growing emotionally beyond simply coping.
Building Resiliency to Isolation & Loneliness: How to Increase Our Resiliency during the COVID-19 Crisis (Archived Webinar) – This webinar from Mental Health America enables participants to learn the impact of crisis situations, loneliness, and isolation; understand what resiliency is and where it comes from; and learn practical and achievable ways to increase one’s resiliency.
Managing Our Fears and Stress: Strategies to Cultivate Emotional Agility (Archived Webinar) – In this webinar from the Schwartz Center, Susan David, PhD, discusses how to cultivate agility in coping with our emotions within ourselves and organizations in the context of the rapidly changing landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mental Health Professionals

Responding to COVID-19: Provider Well-Being – This section of the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center’s (MTTHC) website has a list of resources that address the well-being of mental health providers. It includes webinars, presentations, toolkits, and information sheets.
Responding to COVID-19: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Child Abuse – This section of the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center’s (MTTHC) website has a list of resources that can help mental health providers address IPV and child abuse with the clients they serve. It includes webinars and print materials.
Treating Suicidal Patients during COVID-19: Best Practices and Telehealth (Archived Webinar) – In this webinar from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), experts discuss three best practices for treating people at risk of suicide that can be delivered effectively via telehealth: safety plans, treatment that directly targets suicidal thoughts, and DBT-based self-help skills. Also available is a series of three brief videos made from this webinar.
Safe Suicide Care During a Pandemic – This web page from the Zero Suicide Institute (ZSI) contains descriptions of, and links to, resources for health care leaders and mental health professionals on providing safe suicide care.
Trauma Informed Clinical Care during COVID-19 (Archived Webinar Series) – This series of four webinars for mental health clinicians from the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide includes lessons learned from previous mass trauma events translated into practical suggestions for the current pandemic. The webinars are:
- Part 1: Unpacking the Impact of COVID-19 Trauma
- Part 2: Supporting People through Grief and Trauma
- Part 3: Understanding Suicide Risk during COVID-19
- Part 4: Surviving and Thriving—Finding Your Own Path to Wisdom and Healing
For Mental Health Providers: Working with Patients Affected by the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Outbreak – This sheet from the National Center for PTSD provides information on the challenges patients may face during COVID-19, how to talk with patients in the context of COVID-19, ways to modify treatment, and a framework to help patients manage their reactions related to COVID-19.
Tools for Behavioral Health Professionals During a Public Health Crisis – This sheet from the Northeast and Caribbean Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network (MHTTC) provides information for behavioral health professionals on maintaining wellness, recognizing signs of burnout, supporting staff, and using telehealth.
Supportive Practices for Mental Health Professionals During Pandemic-Related Social Distancing – This sheet from the South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network (MHTTC) contains information on challenges mental health professionals face with social distancing, and suggestions for how to support oneself and work with supervisees.
Providing Culturally Relevant Crisis Services (Part 2): Culturally Responsive Factors in COVID-19 (Archived Webinar) – In the context of COVID-19, this webinar from the Great Lakes Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network (MHTTC) discusses how cultural factors impact the experience of a crisis, cultural idioms of distress, the benefits and challenges of telehealth, and the Cultural Formulation Interview techniques to effectively use in telehealth.
Taking Care of Patients During the Coronavirus Outbreak: A Guide for Psychiatrists – This sheet from the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) provides information on some common psychological and behavioral responses to expect and suggestions for how to work with patients.
Telehealth Tips: Managing Suicidal Clients During the COVID-19 Pandemic – This information sheet from the Center for Practice Innovations at Columbia Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute provides tips for evaluating and treating people who are suicidal using telehealth. It also includes steps and a template for developing a safety plan.
Notification of Enforcement Discretion on Telehealth Remote Communications during COVID-19 Nationwide Public Health Emergency – This web page from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provides information on what is now allowed for the use of telehealth in relation to the regulations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Telepsychiatry in the Era of COVID-19 (Archived Webinar) – This webinar by SMI Adviser provides an overview of how to use telemental health and video visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes information on the legal, clinical, cultural, and practical aspects of using technology to deliver care. It covers topics such as which telemental health platform to use, licensure, consent, online prescribing, and billing.
COVID-19 Tips: Building Rapport with Youth via Telehealth – This article by Van Dyk, et al. at the UCLA Pediatric Psychology Consultation Liaison Service provides tips on how to introduce telehealth to children and adolescents, build rapport with them, and keep them engaged.

Health Care Workers and First Responders

Emergency Responders: Tips for Taking Care of Yourself -This web page from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides signs of burnout and secondary traumatic stress as well as self-care techniques and tips for setting up a buddy system with another emergency responder for mutual support.
Strategies to Support the Health and Well-Being of Clinicians During the COVID-19 Outbreak – This web page from the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) includes strategies health care leaders and managers can use to support their clinical staff and self-care strategies for clinicians.
Managing Healthcare Workers’ Stress Associated with the COVID-19 Virus Outbreak – This sheet from the National Center for PTSD provides information on possible causes of stress for health care workers during COVID-19, ways to manage stress through preparedness, and ways to cope with stress during the pandemic and its aftermath.
Tips for Healthcare Professionals: Coping with Stress and Compassion Fatigue – This sheet from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) contains information on stress and signs of distress and compassion fatigue after a disaster. It describes strategies to cope and enhance resilience, including instructions for relaxation exercises, and lists resources for more information and support.
Tips for Disaster Responders: Preventing and Managing Stress – This sheet from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) contains information on preparing for a disaster and coping during and after it. Suggestions for planning with loved ones are included.
First Responders First: Sustaining Yourself During the Coronavirus Crisis – This tip sheet from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Thrive Global provides small steps that first responders can take throughout their work day as well as outside of work to manage stress and maintain well-being.
Caring for Yourself & Others During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Managing Healthcare Workers’ Stress (Archived Webinar) – In this webinar from the Schwartz Center, Patricia Watson, PhD, of the National Center for PTSD, discusses ways that health care workers can manage stress—theirs and others’—during COVID-19. It is accompanied by handouts for health and mental health care providers on managing stress and on using the seven steps of Stress First Aid for self-care and peer support.
Leading with Compassion: Supporting Healthcare Workers in a Crisis (Archived Webinar) – In this webinar from the Schwartz Center, Patricia Watson, PhD, of the National Center for PTSD, and Richard Westphal, PhD, RN, of the UVA School of Nursing discuss what health care leaders can do to support their teams during the COVID-19 crisis. It is accompanied by four handouts for health care leaders.
Caring with Compassion: Supporting Patients and Families in a Crisis (Archived Webinar) – In this webinar from the Schwartz Center, Patricia Watson, PhD, and Richard Westphal, PhD, RN, discuss strategies health care professionals can use to address the five essential human needs that support recovery from adversity and stress. They also explain how to use the Stress First Aid framework to assess for stress injury, discuss patient needs, and make referrals to other supports.
Supporting a Family Member Who Is a Health Care Worker – This information sheet from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) offers practical guidance for addressing the emotional needs of a family member who is a health care worker. It is modeled on the NOVA Crisis Response Program.
Supporting the Children and Teens of Health Care Workers – This information sheet from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) offers practical guidance for addressing the emotional needs of children and teens of health care workers. It is modeled on the NOVA Crisis Response Program.

Community Leaders

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Reducing Stigma – This web page from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides basic information about stigma related to COVID-19 and ways that public health officials and other community leaders can reduce it.
Social Stigma Associated with the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) – This information sheet from several organizations including UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) explains what social stigma is, why it is occurring so much with COVID-19, its impact, and how to address it. The sheet suggests preferred language and messages to use when talking about COVID-19 and provides examples of actions that can counter stigmatizing attitudes.
For Providers and Community Leaders: Helping People Manage Stress Associated with the COVID-19 Virus Outbreak – This web page from the National Center for PTSD offers five key principles for community leaders, health care providers, and others addressing the public’s psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as steps they can take to help.
Psychological Effects of Quarantine During the Coronavirus Outbreak: What Public Health Leaders Need to Know – This information sheet from the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) describes some of the factors relevant to senior public health officials, such as local, state, and tribal health authorities, in addressing the psychological effects related to quarantine.
Mental Health and Behavioral Guidelines for Preparedness and Response to Coronavirus and other Emerging Infectious Outbreaks – This information sheet from the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) describes steps that public health officials and other community leaders can take to address the coronavirus pandemic during the phases of preparedness, early pandemic response, later response and recovery, and mental health intervention planning.
How Leaders Can Maximize Trust and Minimize Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic – This web page from the American Psychological Association (APA) provides suggestions for how leaders, including government officials, business managers, educators, and parents, can maximize their ability to communicate well during COVID-19.
The Critical Role of Prevention During and Post Pandemic (Archived Webinar) – This webinar from the Great Lakes PTTC is a starting point for a regional dialogue as organizations start preparing for recovery from the many effects of COVID-19 including on substance misuse, mental health, suicide, and domestic violence, and the important role that prevention professionals will play in the response.

American Indians and Alaska Natives

NEWLY ADDED! Staying Safe and Mentally Well During COVID-19 – This sheet from the Center for American Indian Health provides suggestions for how to relieve stress that are tailored for American Indian and Alaska Native people.
NEWLY ADDED! COVID-19 and Anxiety (Archived Webinar) – This webinar from the National Indian Health Board includes general background on anxiety, how feelings of anxiety may be heightened during the pandemic, resources and coping mechanisms that may help, and questions and answers with attendees. This webinar is designed for community members, Tribal health and behavioral health professionals, Tribal leaders, and partners.
NEWLY ADDED! Suicidality and COVID-19: How to Help (Archived Webinar) – This webinar from the National Indian Health Board includes general background on suicide in Indian Country; intervention and prevention; what is unique about COVID-19 that may contribute to suicide risk; resources and suggestions that may help; and questions and answers with attendees. This webinar is designed for community members, Tribal health and behavioral health professionals, Tribal leaders, and partners.
Physically Distant but Socially Close: Indigenous Resilience and COVID-19 – This information sheet from the Urban Indian Health Institute suggests adaptations of some common native cultural practices so that they can be safe and fulfilling. These include ways of greetings each other, enjoying food and community, dancing, and engaging in ceremony.
Managing Stress during COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – This sheet from the Center for American Indian Health provides information on the signs of stress, how to manage stress, and support for people at risk of violence in the home.
A Historical Trauma-informed Approach to COVID-19 – This information sheet from the Urban Indian Health Institute shares ways that urban Indian organizations can support the people they serve, their staff, and their communities experiencing both current and historical trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recommendations for Tribal Ceremonies and Gatherings during the COVID-19 Outbreak – This web page from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) contains recommendations to assist in reducing the spread of COVID-19 during tribal ceremonies and practices such as sweat lodges, social gatherings, and seasonal ceremonies. These events are important in protecting the health and well-being of tribal members.
Elder Mental Health During COVID-19 – This information sheet from the Center for American Indian Health provides information on ways to support American Indian elders during COVID-19. It includes suggestions for managing stress, activities to help maintain well-being, ways to support elders with medical needs, and steps residential care facilities can take to ensure elders’ safety.
Tips for Health and Wellness for Elders – This information sheet from the National Indian Health Board for Native elders contains health and wellness tips to help cope with COVID-19.
Stress and Anxiety Management for Community Health Workers during Coronavirus – This sheet from the Center for American Indian Health contains information on the signs of stress and anxiety and how to cope with them.
Positive Parenting during COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – This sheet from the Center for American Indian Health contains information on how parents can reduce their stress and how to help their children cope during COVID-19.
Talking to Kids about Coronavirus (COVID-19) – This information sheet from the Center for American Indian Health for parents and other family members provides tips for talking with kids about COVID-19, including how to get the conversation started.

Colleges and Universities

Students Struggle but Don’t Seek Colleges’ Help – This article from Inside Higher Ed describes the low use of college counseling services compared to student needs, the possible reasons, and where else students are getting support. Then it provides 12 suggestions for improving college mental health services now and after the pandemic.
Supporting Vulnerable Campus Populations during the COVID-19 Pandemic – This set of guidelines from the American College Health Association (ACHA) provides information on how to support college and university populations that are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and economic downturn. It covers Black, Asian, first generation/low income (FGLI), international, Latinx, LGBTQ+, Native American, undocumented students, and students with disabilities.
COVID-19 Resource Guide for Higher Education Professionals – This webpage from the Jed Foundation has suggestions for how higher education professionals can help their students and links to other resources.

Schools

NEWLY ADDED! COVID-19: Resource Center: Guidance and Supports This part of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) website includes links to numerous resources under the categories of “Return to School,” “Crisis & Mental Health,” “Families & Educators,” and “Service Delivery & Special Education.”
NEWLY ADDED! Five Ways to Talk with Students Returning After Pandemic Closures This brief guide from Kognito provides information and five specific examples of how educators can have the most helpful one-to-one conversations with students when trying to understand what’s underlying their behavior.
Responding to COVID-19: School Mental Health – This section of the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center’s (MTTHC) website has a list of resources that address educator well-being and a list of other COVID-related school mental health resources. Both lists include webinars, presentations, toolkits, and information sheets.
COVID-19 Resources – This web page from the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) provides many resources on mental health and coping, with sections specifically for school staff and administrators and for students and families. It also has a section on technology to support school mental health, and a webinar for school mental health clinicians on using telemental health to provide services and support to students and families.
Supporting Students Experiencing Trauma During the COVID-19 Pandemic – This blog from the Regional Educational Laboratory Appalachia (REL Appalachia) lists common trauma symptoms and provides preventive strategies that can be used virtually to create a safe and predictable environment, build relationships, and help students with self-regulation. It also provides links to other resources to use in supporting students.
Tools for Educators during a Public Health Crisis – This sheet from the Northeast and Caribbean Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network (MHTTC) provides information for educators on self-care, signs of distress, and strategies for working parents and students.
How to Cope with Uncertainty: Safety, Predictability, Control (Archived Webinar) – This webinar from MindWise Innovations and Riverside Trauma Center provides school personnel with information on how to cope with the uncertainty of COVID-19 using a framework of safety, predictability, and control. It offers tips on how to increase your sense of control in your life and how to help students cope.
Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention during COVID-19: What School-Based Staff Need to Know (Archived Webinar) – This webinar from the School-Based Health Alliance and the National Center for School Mental Health provides information and resources to support school staff as they manage current or emerging suicidal thoughts and behaviors in students during COVID-19. It covers safety planning, identifying and responding to youth who may be at risk, and postvention.

Parents and Caregivers

NEWLY ADDED! COVID-19 Resource Guide for Parents and Guardians – This webpage from the Jed Foundation has links to resources to assist parents and guardians in helping themselves and their teenage and young adult children cope with the mental health effects of COVID-19.
Talking with Children: Tips for Caregivers, Parents, and Teachers during Infectious Disease Outbreaks – This tip sheet from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides caregivers, parents, and teachers with information on reactions children and youth may have during an infectious disease outbreak and how to support them. Some of the information is tailored for different age groups.
Helping Children Cope Emotionally with the Coronavirus – This web page from the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress (AAETS) provides parents with specific suggestions for helping children cope with COVID-19.
Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) – This sheet from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) provides parents and caregivers with information related to the health and mental health aspects of coping with COVID-19. It includes a list by age groups of some typical reactions and ways to help children cope.
Countering COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Stigma and Racism: Tips for Parents and Caregivers - This information sheet from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) contains tips for parents and caregivers on addressing stigma and racism related to COVID-19 with children. It also provides suggestions to help children feel safe and deal with stigma they may encounter.
COVID-19: Five Helpful Responses for Families – This web page from Conscious Discipline provides information on five ways to help children feel safe and connected during COVID-19. Each section includes links to activities, examples, stories, and webinars for children and parents to help incorporate the strategies.
Supporting Families During COVID-19 – This resource list from the Child Mind Institute includes links to a large number of resources, including ones specifically for children with anxiety disorders, ADHD, autism, and PTSD. There are also links to resources relevant for all children on managing anxiety, discipline and behavior, and dealing with loss.
How to Avoid Passing Anxiety on to Your Kids – This web page from the Child Mind Institute provides information and strategies to help parents deal with their own anxiety and keep from passing it on to their children.
Supporting Teenagers and Young Adults During the Coronavirus Crisis – This web page from the Child Mind Institute provides tips specifically for parenting teenagers and young adults home from college during the pandemic.
Teachers and Parents: Working Together to Make Distance Learning Work – This web page from Mental Health America briefly describes ways that parents and teachers can work together to increase the success of distance/virtual learning for school-age students.
Co-Parenting during a Pandemic – This information sheet from Parents Lead.org contains a checklist with items that can help in adjusting co-parenting plans. It also provides information on what to do if one parent thinks the other parent is a risk due to COVID-19.

Teenagers

NEWLY ADDED! Mental Health Advocacy Online – This webpage from Active Minds includes a short video of high school students sharing their experiences during COVID-19. It also has links to free self-care resources for teens and young adults and a network where student leaders can chat about promoting mental health during COVID-19.
How to Maintain Your Social Relationships during Online School (For Kids and Teens) – This web page from Mental Health America contains ideas for teenagers and kids on how to keep up relationships with their friends when school is online.
What Can I Do When I’m Afraid? – This web page from Mental Health America for teenagers briefly describes what fear is and some ways to deal with it.
Teen Voices: Coping with the Pandemic – In this short video from MindWise Innovations, teens talk about the challenges they’re experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic, how they’re learning to cope, and what they need from adults.

Older Adults

Reducing Loneliness and Social Isolation among Older Adults – This sheet by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) provides information on the risk factors for and impact of loneliness and social isolation on older adults, tools to identify loneliness in older adults, and interventions and resources to reduce loneliness and isolation.
Seven Ways to Cope with Anxiety during the Coronavirus Outbreak – This web page from AARP for older adults briefly describes seven things to do to help cope with anxiety during COVID-19. Also available in Spanish.
COVID-19: We Must Care for Older Adults’ Mental Health – This web page from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) covers key risk factors that impact mental health and well-being in older adults and how they can be worsened by COVID-19. It also includes steps that everyone can take to support older adults during COVID-19.
7 Ways to Boost Your Loved One’s Morale during the Coronavirus Epidemic – This web page from AARP for loved ones of older adults briefly describes seven ways to help keep older adults engaged and decrease their feeling of isolation even when you cannot be with them in person. It includes a section with tips for thanking the staff at a care center. Also available in Spanish.
Older Adults & Isolation during COVID-19 (Archived Webinar) – This webinar from Mental Health America for older adults and people who support them describes challenges faced by many older adults that can be worsened by COVID-19 and ways that peer support specialists can help. It also provides specific suggestions for older adults living in isolation on how they can connect with other people, including online.
How to Introduce Seniors to Video Chatting to Combat Loneliness – This blog post from Family Matters In-Home Care provides tips for helping older adults get set up using video chatting on whatever platform is easiest for them.
Encouraging Older Adults to Stay Active and Safe during the Coronavirus Pandemic – This web page from the National Council on Aging (NCOA) provides tips for older adults on how to safely stay active and exercise at home. Staying active can help with mental health and coping. Also included is a link to some exercise videos specifically for older adults.
Feeling Good and Staying Connected: An Activity Guide – This guide from the California Department of Aging contains suggestions for a wide variety of activities that older adults can do safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also has some worksheets to help plan activities each week.

Hispanics/Latinos

NEWLY ADDED! Stress Management: The Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic for Latino Families This webinar from the National Hispanic and Latino MHTTC reviews stressors that have been intensified due to the COVID pandemic. It also identifies stress management tools that can be used for school-aged children and those who provide services to them in school-based settings. Special considerations for Latino youth mental health are also discussed.
For information sheets in Spanish for a general audience, see the General Audience section above.
Strategies to Support the LatinX Community – In this presentation by the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network and the Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) Network, four presenters discuss ways substance misuse providers can support Latinos during COVID-19, including those with substance misuse problems.
Stress Management during Quarantine for Mental Health Providers Serving Latino Clients (Archived Webinar) – This webinar from the National Hispanic and Latino MHTTC identifies stressors in the Hispanic and Latino population that can be exacerbated during quarantines for infectious disease outbreaks. It covers tools for stress management tools that mental health providers can use with their Hispanic and Latino clients. Special considerations regarding telemental health and for working with Latino youth are also provided.
Providing Culturally Relevant Telehealth Services for Latino Populations during a Pandemic (Archived Webinar) – This webinar from the National Hispanic and Latino MHTTC covers the challenges of treating Latino clients during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to assess and provide interventions to meet the needs of Latino individuals using telehealth modalities.
Therapeutic Interventions for Hispanic and Latino Populations with Trauma Experiences: Considerations during the Pandemic (Archived Webinar) – This webinar from the National Hispanic and Latino MHTTC focuses on the common treatment barriers when working with Hispanics and Latinos who are traumatized. It provides practical strategies for overcoming these barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic, strategies for trauma processing, and a concrete model for rapid crisis de-escalation.
COVID-19 and the Impact on Intimate Partner Violence for Latinos (Archived Webinar) – This webinar from the National Hispanic and Latino MHTTC addresses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including shelter in place practices and isolation, on Latino/Hispanic individuals who experience intimate partner violence (IPV). It also covers cultural resilience and coping strategies relevant to Latino families, and ways to reduce stress and IPV.

LGBTQ

How LGBTQ Youth Can Cope with Anxiety and Stress during COVID-19 – This blog post from The Trevor Project provides information for LGBTQ youth on what they may be experiencing and feeling during the COVID-19 pandemic and ways to manage the intense emotions that may occur.
9 Strategies for Quarantining in a Non-LGBTQ+ Affirming Environment – This article from the LGBTQ+ community platform, them., provides suggestions for LGBTQ+ youth on how to live in isolation with people who may not accept one’s LGBTQ identity. Therapists and crisis management experts from The Trevor Project helped compile the information.
Queer Lives Worth Living (Archived Open Conversation) – This conversation with two staff from The Trevor Project and the president of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is directed toward providers serving LGBTQ youth. The focus is how to address the needs of LGBTQ youth as they face the issues of COVID-19 and the recent increased attention on racism and police brutality.

Faith Communities

Strengthening Faith Community Connectedness during the COVID-19 Pandemic (Archived Webinar) – In this webinar from the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) a diverse group of faith leaders discuss how they are using technology to strengthen connectedness virtually through holding online religious services, convening groups, and providing support to people who are struggling.
COVID-19: Recommended Preventative Practices and FAQs for Faith-based and Community Leaders – This information sheet from the Partnership Center of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests how faith leaders can provide connection, support, ways to continue worship, and other services for their faith community and other people in their local community.
Mental Health in a Time of COVID-19: When Trauma, Fear, and Anxiety Become Overwhelming (Archived Webinar) – This webinar from the Partnership Center of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services helps faith and community leaders acknowledge and respond to individuals’ fear and anxiety and ask appropriate questions to consider the impact of trauma. It also suggests strategies for how leaders can respond, including a new program called Spiritual First Aid.

Workplaces

NEWLY ADDED! Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Unemployed Individuals, Parts 1 and 2 – This two-part webinar series from the American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) provides information on the potential impact of job loss and unemployment on mental health. It features evidence-based strategies that can be used to decrease the negative effects of unemployment on mental health and substance use.
Employee Mental Health & Well-being During & Beyond COVID-19 – This sheet from the American Psychiatric Association Foundation’s Center for Workplace Mental Health provides information on how employers can support the mental health and well-being of their employees. It includes sections on employee needs and how employers can lead and communicate well, adapt to the changes needed, and support employees in accessing care.
Working Remotely During COVID-19: Your Mental Health & Well-Being – This sheet from the American Psychiatric Association Foundation’s Center for Workplace Mental Health provides information on how employees can maintain their health, mental health and well-being during COVID-19 and what managers and human resources professionals can do to support employees.
COVID-19 Resources for Organizations and Employees – This web page from the KonTerra Group contains links to information sheets and archived and upcoming webinars on a variety of topics for managers and employees related to coping during COVID-19.
Promoting Workplace Mental Health in The Age of COVID-19 – This blog from SHRM provides suggestions for how workplaces and employees can support employees’ mental wellness efforts during COVID-19.
Leading during COVID-19: How Anxiety and Depression Impact Teams (Archived Webinar) – This webinar from MindWise Innovations helps business leaders and managers understand and support their employees who are experiencing anxiety and depression, especially during COVID-19.
What to Know about Behavioral Health for Remote and Onsite Teams (Archived Webinar) – This webinar from MindWise Innovations helps business leaders and managers understand and support their employees cope with working remotely and/or onsite during COVID-19.

COVID-19 Resource Lists from Our Partners

The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) has developed a list of resources on safe messaging and for some specific populations.
The Zero Suicide Institute (ZSI) has developed a resource list for health care leaders and mental health professionals that addresses safe suicide care.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has developed a resource list for individuals, providers, communities, and states focused on behavioral health care.
Education Development Center (EDC) has developed a list of resources related to health, mental health, and education.

Last updated: August 25, 2021