Mental Health Resources and Tools

When experiencing an emotional/mental health crisis, it can be helpful to talk to someone trained to support people in your situation. Here are some popular American and international lines that offer free support for up to 24 hours a day. More international and state-based lines can be found at Suicide.org.

International

• International Association for Suicide Prevention – Lists crisis centers & lines in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America.
• International Suicide Hotlines – OpenCounseling’s list of Emergency and Suicide Hotlines from all over the world.
• Silakbo PH – Crisis Lines & Resources in the Philippines

United Kingdom

• Samaritans – 116 123 (UK) | 116 123 (ROI): UK-based helpline for mental health support, suicide prevention, and other issues.

Australia

• Lifeline Australia – 13 11 14: Australian crisis support and suicide prevention. Offers online support chat as well as phone chat.

United States/Canada

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255: American crisis support and suicide prevention.
• Games and Online Harassment Hotline – The Games Hotline no longer provides the hotline but still has great resources.
• Stack Up – A military charity supporting veterans’ mental health through gaming. Stack Up’s trained suicide prevention volunteers, Overwatch, are online to help veterans and civilians 24/7 if you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to turn.
• Trans Lifeline – 877-565-8860 (US) | 877-330-6366 (CANADA): Crisis support line staffed by transgender volunteers offering support for transgender people. Available 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. PST.
• The Trevor Project – 1-866-488-7386: American crisis support and suicide prevention for LGBT youth ages 13-24.
• Veterans Crisis Line – Call 1-800-273-8255, Text 838255: Support line for U.S veterans, staffed 24/7 by Department of Veterans Affairs responders. Online chat is also available.
• Crisis Text Line (Canada) – Text 686868: Canadian message-based crisis support and suicide prevention
• Warmlines (US) – A warmline is a peer-run listening line staffed by people in recovery themselves and listed by state.

Considering looking for a therapist? We have an infographic and a US-based flowchart that may help you decide what you need. We also have a several country-specific articles on How to Find a Therapist: United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada (coming soon).

Below are searchable databases that list oodles of mental health professionals, and they can make finding a therapist much easier. They typically allow you to filter your search by a number of preferences, such as zip code, type of therapy, specialties, and insurance provider. Some even let you filter out things like the providers who are not taking new patients or those who provide services on a sliding scale. Once you’ve located some therapists in your area, our guide can help you find a good match.

• Asian Mental Health Collective
• BeingSeen
• Choosing Therapy
• GoodTherapy
• Inclusive Therapists
• International Therapist Directory
• Latinx Therapy
• National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network
• Open Path
• OpenCounseling
• Psychology Today
• South Asian Therapists.org
• TherapyTribe
• Theravive

Online therapy is an alternative to face-to-face therapy that’s often chosen because it can be less expensive, more accessible or less intimidating. Before choosing online therapy over in-person therapy, read the American Psychological Association’s recommendations. Below are some popular online therapy services that may be available in your area.

• 7 Cups of Tea: Free online text chat with trained non-clinician listeners and paid online therapy with licensed therapists.
• Doctor On Demand: Paid video chat with psychologists, psychiatrists and primary care physicians
• TherapyDen: A mental health directory and resource making finding the right therapist or counselor as painless as possible.

But Is Therapy for Everyone? Glad You Asked host Fabiola Cineas explores why we don’t prioritize our mental health and how you can seek out the mental health care that’s right for you.

• Asian American Psychological Association: Community of Asian American psychologists and other mental health professionals who advocate on behalf of Asian Americans as well as advancing Asian American psychology.
• Asian Mental Health Collective: Non-profit that aspires to make mental health easily available. approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide.
• Columbia Engineering STEM Program: 50 Anti-Racism and Mental Health Resources Supporting Asian American and Pacific Islanders.
• Ethel’s Club: A social and wellness club designed to celebrate people of color, online and IRL. ⁣
• Friendship Bench: Provides sustainable community based psychological interventions that are evidence based, accessible and scalable.
• Latinx Therapy: Bilingual therapist directory and podcast working towards destigmatizing mental well-being in the Latinx community.
• National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network: Works to increase direct access to queer and transgender mental health practitioners, provide resources rooted in social justice and liberation, as well as technical assistance for social justice organizations.
• South Asian Mental Health Initiative & Network: Non-profit that addresses the mental health needs of the South Asian community in the U.S. with education, resources, and services.
• Therapy for Black Girls: An online space committed to encouraging the mental wellness of black women and girls. It features a directory of therapists as well as a weekly podcast highlighting all things mental health for black women.

Online harassment is endemic in our gaming communities, and harassment can contribute to mental health issues. These resources seek to provide practical and emotional help for anyone who is being harassed.

• GamesHotline: The Games and Online Harassment Hotline is a free, text message-based, confidential emotional support hotline.
• IGDA’s Online Harassment Resource: A directory of tools and articles available to those dealing with online harassment.
• Online Harassment Field Manual: A comprehensive manual for those who are targeted, witnesses, or employers. It offers concrete strategies for how to defend yourself and others.
• Speak Up & Stay Safe: A checklist for securing online and offline information to help avoid doxxing, or having your home address shared online.
• Tall Poppy: Personal digital safety for everyone that helps employees take control of their personal digital safety.
• Fear of False Accusations
• Responding to Disclosures

• Burnout 101 and Burnout for Content Creators: A multi-part, educational series on burnout created by Take This’ Dr. Kelli Dunlap and Dr. Raffael Boccamazzo and especially tailored for content creators.
• Managing Chat When People Bring Up Self-Harm: A new series of videos providing mental health education to content creators on a variety of topics, sponsored by Rainbow Six. 
• How Streamers Can Respond When Viewers Need Help: Addressing mental health needs on Twitch and other streaming platforms has been a growing concern, especially given the lack of research that exists on the topic.
• Creating a Culture of Support in the Gaming Community: A collection of tips for streamers from Take This, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and AdCouncil.
• Twitch Cares: Mental Health Support & Information Mental health resources for the Twitch community.
• YouTube Safety Center: Information on how to report self-harming or suicidal users to YouTube’s safety team.
• How to Stay Safe from a Hate Raid: This guide from GamesHotline was created as a way to bring together the vast community knowledge and tools that have surfaced in response to the increasing hate raids on Twitch.

Daily self-care can be difficult, particularly when you’re dealing with mental health issues. These supplementary resources were created to make remembering important self-care steps easier.

• Everything is Awful and I’m Not Okay: A one-page, printable list of questions to ask yourself when you’re feeling bad.
• Help Yourself. Help Others.: A self-report screener for feelings like sadness and overwhelm.
• Self-Care Starter Kit: University at Buffalo’s guide to starting a self-care routine that prioritizes wellness.
• You Feel Like Sh*t: An Interactive Self-Care Guide: As described, a choose-your-path guide to taking care of yourself on days when that’s difficult.

There are thousands of mental health, self-care, and wellness apps available. Below are a few examples.

Note: Mental health apps and tools are not a substitute for qualified mental health care from licensed providers. Mental health apps and tools listed here are listed for informational purposes only. The use of any mental health apps or tools is at the sole discretion of the user. Take This makes no claims as to the efficacy or applicability of any of these apps or tools, nor does Take This endorse any of them. For information such as the user experience and data transparency of various mental health-oriented apps, please check out the nonprofit project One Mind PsyberGuide.

• 5 Minute Journal (iOS, Android): Daily journal for gratitude, positive reflections, and photos.
• Calm (Web, iOS, Android): Guided meditations accompanied by natural soundscapes.
• Calm Harm (Android, iOS): DBT-based app designed to help users manage the urge to self-harm.
• Daylio (iOS, Android): Daily mood tracker and microjournal.
• DBT Diary Card and Skills Coach (iOS): Coaching and ongoing support for users who are currently engaged in DBT with a therapist.
• Habitica (Web, iOS, Android): Gamified habit tracker and to-do list. Includes monthly self-care challenges from Take This.
• Headspace (iOS, Android): Paid guided meditation program.
• Mightier (Web): Paid clinically based games for kids with ADHD, ODD, or anxiety.
• MindShift (iOS, Android): Anxiety resources and coaching for teens and young adults.
• SleepCycle (iOS, Android): Sleep tracking and alarm clock.
• Start Your Recovery – Easily digestible, relatable information for people who are facing substance use issues — and for their support networks, too.
• Stress and Anxiety Companion: Simplified CBT tools for dealing with anxiety and stress.
• SuperBetter (Web, iOS, Android): Gamified app designed to increase resilience and encourage good habits.
• Taming Gaming List of games that are helpful for mental health – includes games that have been helpful for specific mental health challenges, as well as games that help us understand the challenge faced by the people we love.
• Virtual Hope Box: Provides coping methods and tools for veterans and others. Designed for the U.S. Department of Defense.
• What’s Up (iOS, Android): CBT and ACT-based tools for dealing with anxiety and depression.