Birmingham students form club, talk solutions after classmates' deaths

Kokhanyi, ya zhyvu! (Beloved, I Live!) is a free, community-run support program for widows and partners of fallen soldiers. The program combines structured group therapy with physical and ritual activities. Small groups of eight women meet weekly for eight weeks, participating in therapy sessions followed by activities like yoga, archery and art therapy, all led by women with similar lived experiences. Since its launch, 56 women have completed the program.

Minds United Football Club hosts weekly sessions for people to join together and play football, while also addressing their mental health and well-being. Minds United, and similar sports clubs, aim to create a “we-agency,” providing people with a sense of being part of something bigger than themselves that allows them to feel empowered and supported. Sports groups like Minds United foster community among people who may be experiencing loneliness or mental health issues and are in need of a healthy outlet, particularly for men who face significant mental health stigma.

Black Men Heal Yoga is a free yoga class that provides a safe, healing space for Black men looking to explore tools like meditation, mindfulness and movement to combat stigma and take care of their mental health. Black Men Heal Yoga is funded by money raised through social media. 10 classes have been held so far, with more than 50 men being served and about $2,000 in donations being raised.

Kalamazoo’s Group Violence Intervention program works to interject itself into the cycle of gun violence to stop it. Members of the group, and those similar to it, often have lived experience with gun violence and this work can be emotionally draining and traumatic. To combat this heaviness, some group members have stepped up to teach healthy coping mechanisms and encourage participants to disregard stigma and seek mental health care when necessary.

The Uvalde Together Resilience Center run by The Ecumenical Center provides mental health services to students, parents, and teachers impacted by school shootings and living with trauma. The center provides mental health resources, and professional help, as well as a sense of community for those affected to heal.

With pressures of depression, anxiety, and suicide on the rise, teenagers in the United States are challenged to find the comfortable outlet and accessibility for emotional support. The Crisis Text Line offers a counseling service through mobile texting, which reduces the shame that can occur when approaching an in-person counselor, and expands access to professional mental health counseling nationwide.

Communities and states across the U.S. are implementing peer support programs to address first responders' mental health challenges. The most notable comes from the New York City Fire Department, which formalized peer support by training firefighters to support one another rather than relying on outside clinicians. This model has expanded nationwide, with approximately 15,000 International Association of Fire Fighters members now trained in peer support.

Sources of Strength is a student-led mental health prevention program operating in about 35 Maine middle and high schools, coordinated by NAMI Maine and the state CDC. The program trains peer leaders to act as "connectors" who listen to struggling classmates and guide them to trusted adults before problems escalate. Students report that peer support makes it easier to discuss struggles with someone experiencing similar pressures.

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.

To address mental health challenges faced by first responders, a variety of organizations throughout the state are using Native Hawaiian cultural healing practices, such as lomilomi massages and ocean-based healing. Participants in the programs report reductions in PTSD symptoms, less stress and deeper peer connections.