Nonprofit organizations help youth with mental health problems

Author: Aziah Siid

Spotting anxiety and depression isn’t as easy as it seems in the movies or on TV. Young people in difficult emotional situations do not always turn to drugs or alcohol abuse. A K-12 student may or may not have to deal with the consequences of significant events, such as a fight at school or an aggressive parent.

This can make it difficult to read depression, anxiety or other mental health issues in young people. And because schools lack sufficient resources, providing them with help is a challenge.

Fortunately, there are many local nonprofit organizations that work literally around the clock to provide them with support and emotional tools to deal with their problems. Here are some of these resources.

The Jed Foundation is a nonprofit suicide prevention program for teens and young adults. (Photo courtesy of the Jed Foundation)

Jed Foundation

For teens and young adults who are still learning to process their emotions, describing how they feel can be difficult. That’s why the Jed Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to youth suicide prevention, provides an easy-to-use mental health checkup website that describes emotional health in basic language.

The site encourages users to click buttons to answer simple “I feel” and “I experience” questions. The answers – “Grief and Loss,” “Trauma,” “Relationship Problems” and even “Political Anxiety” – direct young people to the resources they need to deal with their problems.

Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM)

The Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective, or BEAM, is a collective of individuals with various specialties and expertise who are committed to the emotional and mental healing of the Black community. (Photo courtesy of BEAM)

The Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective describes itself as a “non-profit organization comprised of advocates, yoga teachers, artists, therapists, attorneys, religious leaders, educators, psychologists and activists committed to the emotional/mental health and healing of Black communities.” A coast-to-coast network, BEAM hosts monthly in-person healing circles in Los Angeles and Atlanta and partners with networks to provide funding for events and in-person training in cities across the country.

Through their work – and that of a group of Black therapists, healers, wellness professionals, community leaders and mental health professionals – BEAM is helping build mental health care ecosystems for Black and underserved communities. The organization trains, finances and provides alternative wellness and care systems for youth.

Black girls’ smiles

Black Girls Smile focuses on providing support for the mental and emotional well-being of Black girls and women. (Photo courtesy of Black Girls Smile)

Research shows that young black girls struggle with emotional issues. The suicide rate among black teens has surpassed the suicide rate among white teens for the first time and is rising faster among girls than in any other racial group. To stop this trend, Black Girls Smile focuses exclusively on the well-being of young Black women through culturally and gender-responsive programs, innovative initiatives and connections.

Since its founding in 2012, BGS has grown to support over 10,000 Black women and girls across the country through mental health literacy programs, intersectionality workshops and therapeutic fellowship programs.

AAKOMA project

Project AAKOMA focuses on youth and young adults of color, providing mental health access and support as an ongoing process. (Photo courtesy of the AAKOMA project)

Working with students’ mental health while creating an inclusive space for young people of color to discover their most authentic selves is at the heart of the AAKOMA project.

With a focus on self-awareness, self-esteem and the awareness of prioritizing mental health, AAKOMA provides accessible tools for young people and their caregivers. The organization also trains young advocates in suicide prevention. It forces mental health researchers and research institutions to consider race and systems of change to be more accommodating to young Black people.

Trevor’s project

For over twenty years, The Trevor Project has provided LGBTQ+ teens and young adults with safe spaces where they can find many of the resources they need. (Photo courtesy of Trevor Project)

Nearly 4 in 10 LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, a troubling sign of the mental health crisis among queer students, especially students of color. Emotional distress has been exacerbated by anti-gay and transgender laws in states such as Florida, Tennessee and Texas.

In response, the Trevor Project offers 24-hour crisis counseling for gay, lesbian and transgender youth, as well as suicide prevention training and peer-to-peer support groups and counselors. They also conduct research on the emotional well-being of young queer people, advocate for their inclusion in public policy, and educate society on the need to support young LGBTQ+ people by building a safer, more inclusive world.

This article was originally published on WordinBlack.com.