Police responses to mental health crisis calls are reexamined

The Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium in partnership with Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute is working to train healthcare providers on how to identify and begin treating mental health concerns. The training program began in 2022 and about 74 providers participated in its first year.

CAHOOTS offers counseling, conflict resolution, mediation and referral and transportation to social services and/or basic emergency medical care to people experiencing a mental health crisis. CAHOOTS is available 24/7 and sends out crisis workers and medics as an alternative to uniformed police officers. CAHOOTS has significantly lightened law enforcement’s load, allowing officers to focus more on other public safety issues while preventing unnecessarily sending people through the criminal justice system.

Healing trauma has never been an easy process but programs like Healing Hurt People help to promote recovery in traumatized, angry young men. This program, in partnership with local medical services, aims to provide therapy in place of violence, which would only cause more trauma down the road. Those who stick with the program have found great success in overcoming their pasts.

The Cleveland Clinic’s pediatric emergency room uses iPads loaded with peer-to-peer educational mental health videos from youth who have gone through the emergency room visit and inpatient admission process to help support other young people as they sit in the waiting room. The videos help reduce fear and anxiety, and research shows that peer support for people in crisis can also reduce re-hospitalization rates and promote recovery.

LandLogic Model trains mental healthcare providers to use farmers’ relationships to their land to identify and treat depression, anxiety, and other emotional issues. Virtual and easily adaptable training models have helped the LandLogic Model support this notoriously hard-to-reach population.

Sonar Mental Health, the developer of the AI-powered “wellbeing companion” named Sonny, is offering its services to schools that struggle to meet students’ demand for mental health services. Sonny’s algorithm also has trained humans working behind the scenes to ensure students receive proper care. The hybrid bot is available in more than 4,500 public middle and high schools across the country, many of which are in rural and low-income areas.

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.

After the pandemic, many teens are still opting for telehealth therapy rather than in-office care. Telehealth makes therapy more accessible for those who need it, particularly through collaboration with mental health platforms like Daybreak that partner with school districts across the U.S. to provide access to virtual therapy in schools. Daybreak’s data shows that 92% of families see behavioral improvements and 80% of school staff see attendance and grade improvements in students who participate in therapy.

The Gonzales Youth Council, which consists of middle and high school students, took matters into their own hands when it comes to helping their peers address mental health. Through surveys and meetings with school and local government administrators, the Council started facilitating mental health check-ins on Instagram, sharing self-care and coping tips and even seeking training for youth on how to respond when their peers are experiencing a mental health crisis.

As counseling and therapy sessions increasingly move online in order to comply with national stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic, a group of mental healthcare professionals in Philadelphia are offering free mini-sessions to medical professionals who are on the frontlines. A number of provisions and protocols have been removed in order to make the transition to telehealth easier, which has helped allow for sessions to be booked and structured more efficiently for both the patient and the doctor.