Art therapy helps family caregivers cope with hard times

ACCESS Open Minds connects youth and young adults to mental health support, including therapists, caseworkers and peer navigators to help them get the care they need. One of ACCESS’s main goals is to bridge the gap between the complexities of the mental health care system and the community. By creating these youth wellness hubs and connecting people with the appropriate services, ACCESS has decreased the number of hospitalizations and emergency room visits and increased the number of people getting mental health care.

The Me-We program is an app-based approach to providing support to young people who have taken on the role of caregiver for their parent or guardian. The program offers group sessions aimed at teaching teens to manage difficult emotions and their mental health, education resources and a private journal. The app is targeted toward teens ages 15 to 17 and is available in several European countries, though there are plans to implement it in the U.S.

Centers like Brattleboro Retreat are emerging to provide specialized recovery programs for healthcare workers battling addiction. Programs offered are similar to those at standard recovery centers, except here healthcare workers are surrounded by their professional peers, allowing them to find community and express vulnerability.

Teen Line operates a peer-to-peer mental health hotline where trained teenage volunteers provide support to other teens struggling with stress, depression, relationships, and suicidal thoughts. High school volunteers have been completing rigorous 3-month training in active listening, crisis response, and emotional regulation as part of this program since 1980. Over 40+ years of operation, Teen Line has logged 10,000+ annual contacts with a 98% caller satisfaction rate.

Mental health therapists in Colorado and the UK independently developed Minecraft-based therapy sessions during the pandemic when traditional play therapy moved online. Therapists create secure virtual worlds where children and teens can engage in therapeutic activities through gameplay. Those who participate are more animated and engaged, and typically never miss a Minecraft session, unlike traditional therapy.

Nuci’s Space aims to prevent suicide by providing a safe space for people of all ages, particularly youth, to connect and play music. They also offer affordable practice spaces and mental and physical health care services for participants, including affordable counseling.

Central City Neighborhood Partners developed culturally-tailored "healing programs" to address mental health challenges in the Latine community. The program offers Zumba classes, art therapy, sewing circles, gardening, and women's healing circles, integrating mental health care into everyday community activities rather than isolating it in clinical settings. The approach builds on family and community values and provides services in colloquial Spanish, indigenous languages like K'iche', and Korean to meet the linguistic needs of residents.

Raw Art Works is a nonprofit youth development organization that provides art therapy services to 290 youth each week. Studies show art therapy can reduce psychiatric readmission rates for patients, and those who participated in the program say it has been life-changing, teaching them coping skills that supported them into adulthood.

Music therapy is helping teens identify, verbalize and cope with their emotions, and is emerging as a solution to bridge the gap in the national shortage of adolescent mental health professionals. Michigan State University alone has credentialed more than 9,000 music therapists since the degree program emerged in 1944. Studies show that when used in conjunction with medical treatement and traditional talk therapy, music therapy can improve health outcomes and reduce levels of depression and anxiety.

The youth-led Foundation for Younger Generation gives young people a platform to talk about their mental health with peers and licensed therapists. The group hosts events in-person and online through platforms like WhatsApp and has since reached about 400 people.