Communities are important!  By combining our ideas, resources, and passion, we can form an unstoppable team to create positive change.  We encourage you to contact the many resources available to learn more and find help for yourself, your family, and your friends.  Here are some great places to start, arranged by national and then regional organizations below.

Remember, there is no shame in reaching out on behalf of yourself or others.  Talking takes courage, and talking creates a better future free from stigma.  For help developing outreach programs for children in your area or organization, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

LETS Educational Foundation does not provide mental health services in any capacity.  If you are seeking help, please refer to the crisis hotline for emergencies, or local and national organizations for more resources.

Our National Friends:

	American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) — This nonprofit helps children, adolescents, and their families through research, treatment, and support for mental health needs.  They want to make information, treatment, and services accessible to all children and adolescents, and part of that is erasing the stigma of mental illness.  AACAP’s webpage has all kinds of information about resources, advocacy, and help, including an easy-to-understand guide called “Facts for Families,” which you can download for free to learn more about how mental illness affects youth.  Learn more here: www.aacap.org
	Child Mind Institute — The Child Mind Institute improves the mental health of children and teens everywhere.  They advocate for youth and their parents and teachers through outreach, improving access to information, research, evidence-based treatment.  They provide clinical services in New York, but if you can’t make it there they still have many useful resources like... How to choose the right treatment team for your needs: www.childmind.org/en/who-else-can-help A "Symptom Checker" to help you think about concerns you may want to discuss with a mental health professional: www.childmind.org/en/health/symptom-checker To learn more about how the Child Mind Institute can help with resources, research, information, and support, visit them here: www.childmind.org
	Minding Your Mind Foundation — This nonprofit has set out "to improve the lives of adolescents with mental health issues by eliminating the negative attitudes and behaviors perpetuated by stigma of mental health problems." With this goal in mind, Minding Your Mind supports stigma-reducing opportunities like peer-based awareness programs, speaking events, an annual public forum, research on mental illness, early identification and intervention, and public awareness. To read stories of hope, learn about the early warning signs of mental illness, and get involved in "Empowered Minds" (a free program!), visit them online: www.mindingyourmind.org
	National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) for Teens —NIDA for Teens is preventing drug abuse by conducting research, promoting early education, and distributing information about drug abuse and health. If you want to learn the straight facts and science about how drugs affect the brain and body, read real life stories, download cool artwork for your computer or t-shirts, or even play some games online, visit: www.teens.drugabuse.gov You can learn more about NIDA’s research and initiatives here: www.drugabuse.gov
	Mental Health America (MHA) — Here you can find a nearby local chapter that can help you connect with resources for your specific situation. Please click on this link to find the MHA chapter near you: www.nmha.org
	Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) — SAMHSA provides an extensive list of mental health care facilities across the United States, including your area. You just put in the state and city and the type of service you are looking for, and it will provide you a list: www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov
	National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) — NAMI has local chapters around the country that provide support for caregivers and those in need. We have worked with NAMI for many years and they have excellent classes such as "Family-to-Family" that can help caretakers understand mental illness and how they can help their family member and themselves. Here is NAMI's link for mental health support in your area: www.nami.org
	Abraham Low Self-Help Systems — If you experience mental illness or simply wish to lead a more peaceful and productive life, you may benefit from cognitive-behavioral, peer-to-peer, self-help programs. Abraham Low Self-Help Systems provides groups, resources, and materials that can help. We especially like the colorful Power Tools Cards! For more information, visit: www.lowselfhelpsystems.org To learn about how The Power to Change can help youth ages 12-18 learn to manage impulses, anger, and fears, visit: www.lowselfhelpsystems.org/change/schools-and-children.asp Meetings take place in your community, online, and over the phone. While donations are appreciated, nobody is turned away due to inability to contribute. To start practicing the skills taught by Dr. Low today, search for a meeting here: www.lowselfhelpsystems.org/meetings/find-a-meeting.asp
	MySahana — In Sanskrit "My Sahana" means "my fortitude or patience," and this nonprofit is dedicated to reducing stigma and increasing awareness about mental health in the South Asian community. MySahana is based in the San Francisco Bay area but is accessible nationally through online resources, where you can get culturally sensitive, easy-to-understand information and help in an anonymous setting: www.mysahana.org
	Break the Silence — This nonprofit is here to Break the Silence surrounding suicide and hold hospitals and inpatient facilities accountable for consumer care and safety. Break the Silence talks openly about suicide, including the 1,600 suicides that happen in United States hospitals each year. For more information, visit: www.break-the-silence.org

Our California Friends:

	The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LAC DMH) — They exist to help you and your family and friends. There is help in your neighborhood, and a great place to search for mental health providers is: www.dmh.co.la.ca.us. Or, you can call their Access Center 24/7 Helpline: 800.584.7771. They also have a Network of Care, where you can find help by category and language: www.losangeles.networkofcare.org
	Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services — With 10 sites across Los Angeles County, Didi Hirsch Community Mental Health Centers provide comprehensive mental health and substance abuse services in communities where stigma or poverty make seeking help a challenge. To learn more about services, trainings, and volunteering at Didi Hirsch, visit: www.didihirsch.org Didi Hirsch also operates a Suicide Prevention Center that provides a 24-hour Crisis Line, toll free in LA and Orange Counties. If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, get help by calling: (877) 727-4747.
	National Alliance on Mental Illness, Westside Los Angeles (NAMI LA) — Learn what NAMI LA can do for you to help you cope with having a family member with mental illness. People who come to NAMI meetings learn how to create a safe environment for themselves and their relative with mental illness, improving prognosis. Come and hear the wisdom of other family members in your shoes. Fight stigma and get the help you deserve! Here is NAMI LA's great local resource listing of local LA numbers for local support: www.namila.org
	National Alliance on Mental Illness, Urban Los Angeles (NULA) — NULA is NAMI's urban affiliate advocating for people with mental illness in communities of color. They provide education, support, and advocacy for those with mental illness in the family. To connect with others who are passionate about helping, visit: www.namiurbanla.org
	National Mental Health Association of Greater Los Angeles (MHA LA) — The National Mental Health Association of Greater Los Angeles works to ensure that people with mental illness reach their rightful place as participating, productive community members. MHA's follows four cornerstones: advocate for quality care for people with mental illness, demonstrate services models that help people recover to self-reliant lives, work with professionals through training and replicating the "integrated services" model, and educate about mental illness to increase public awareness and access to care. For more information, visit: www.mhala.org
	Pacific Asian Counseling Services (PACS) — With several sites in Los Angeles County, PACS enriches the lives of children and families through culturally sensitive services, counseling, caring, and groups in many languages, with expertise in immigrant Asian Pacific Islander populations. They can help you deal with mental illness through individual, couple, family, and group counseling, and they also offer a variety of classes that include healthy relationships, nutrition, and parenting. For more information, visit: www.pacsla.org
	Pacific Clinics — These nonprofit clinics provide behavioral health care services for diverse populations across the California counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura. They serve all ages, but they have a special focus on programs for children and families. To learn more about their psychosocial therapies and case management services that emphasize abilities instead of illness, visit: www.pacificclinics.org
	Exodus Recovery, Inc. — The Exodus Recovery Center provides psychiatric and chemical dependency treatment to Southern Californians in San Diego County and Los Angeles County. Their health care emphasizes each client's dignity and self-determination through services that address physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. If you or a loved one can use some help with mental health or substance abuse, including urgent care needs, you can learn more here: www.exodusrecoveryinc.com