In light of the COVID-19 epidemic, as a practitioner I am recognizing the need for my clients to have behavioral health resources at their fingertips. To meet this need I have assembled this list of resources to augment our clinical work together.
This list of resources should not be considered as an endorsement of the respective organization or the services they provide.
Similarly, should you have a resource you would like listed or if you have feedback on those already included, please email [email protected] . Resources presented will be selected based on the reputation of the organization or provider as well as the quality of the resources and its relevance to behavioral health needs.
Information for supporting families:
- Community Legal Aid provides assistance for applying for Unemployment Benefits needing help overcoming application barriers such as English language proficiency or lack of access to technology. People seeking assistance can start the process by calling CLA at 1-855-252-5342 or applying for services online . For more information, please see the English flyer ; Spanish flyer .
- USDA : Find Meals for Kids When Schools are Closed . USDA is working with states to continue providing meals to students. USDA was able to make temporary changes so that meals may be taken home, and parents or guardians may pick meals for their children if the state allows. Families can use this tool to find directions to nearby sites as well as hours of operation and contact information
- Migration Policy Institute : Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources . Research and analysis relative to coronavirus pandemic and immigration is updated frequently; topic includes: testing without healthcare coverage, financial relief, frontline jobs, and more.
- Migration Policy Institute: Vulnerable to COVID-19 and in Frontline Jobs, Immigrants Are Mostly Shut Out of U.S. Relief
- Fiscal Strength for Nonprofits : Paycheck Protection Program Toolbox
- AAP : Guidance on Providing Pediatric Well-Care During COVID-19
- Kaiser Family Foundation : The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use
- NPR : How To Get Therapy When You Can't Leave The House , If you need to talk to someone now, the Department of Health and Human Services has the National Helpline. That's 1-800-662-4357
- Mother : 9 Ways To Address Postpartum Mental Health During Covid-19
- The Conversation : New study shows staggering effect of coronavirus pandemic on America’s mental health
- NPR : Advice For Dealing With Uncertainty, From People Who've Been There
- Medical Xpress : One-third of U.S. families struggling to meet basic needs
- HuffPost : How Coronavirus Is Affecting: The Latinx Community’s Mental Health . The COVID-19 crisis has heightened the stress on Latinxs and highlighted the widespread lack of mental health care.
- The Conversation : How to build children's resilience, and your own, amid coronavirus unknowns
- CDC : Keeping Children Healthy While School’s Out
- Globe Magazine : The ‘fourth trimester’ and plight of new mothers during a pandemic
- Boston Globe : New mothers, don’t fear: You were made for times like this . Giving birth provokes profound changes in a woman’s brain. Those adaptions may be especially helpful now, as women grapple with the realities of a world in turmoil.
- The Lily : The pandemic may be intensifying postpartum depression. But there are resources to help . One woman says she’s ‘mourning the loss of my village’
- The Lily : Missing out on prenatal care is leading to pregnancies ‘riddled with anxiety . ’‘This is supposed to be a happy time. Instead, we are dealing with living in constant fear.’
- Study Finds : Gross! Biases Against The Sick & Dirty Begin As Early As Age Five
- Study Finds : Lockdown Life: Exhausted Parents Don’t Get Minute To Relax Until Nearly 9 P.M.
- First Steps Together : Tip Sheet For “Family Time In The Current Landscape”
- First Steps Together : Resources Sheet For “Family Time In The Current Landscape”
- New York Times : ‘I Know You’re Angry With Me Right Now Because You’re Hungry.’ How parents in food-insecure households are stretching meals and struggling to nourish their kids during the pandemic.
- Washington Post : How to eat on $4 a day, according to the author who wrote the book on SNAP cooking Free E-Book in English Free E-Book in Spanish
- New York Times: The Challenge of Feeding Kids During Coronavirus. It’s OK to let children indulge in their favorite foods while riding out the crisis.
- Mindful : Zoom Exhaustion is Real. Here Are Six Ways to Find Balance and Stay Connected
- Pop Sugar Family : The Pandemic May Have Long-Term Effects on Our Kids' Mental Health
- New York Times : How to Keep Children’s Stress From Turning Into Trauma . Parents can help children use the stress of coronavirus shutdowns as an opportunity for growth, experts say.
- Children’s Trust : "good enough" is the best kind of parenting during coronavirus
- Children’s Trust : Creating a family care plan during coronavirus
- Children’s Trust : How to manage screen time for young kids during coronavirus
- Children’s Trust : Co-parenting during coronavirus
- The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has published a new series of fact sheets: Coping in Hard Times . Some are in Spanish.
- CNN Health: Should you take your child to the pediatrician during a pandemic
- Washington Post : Why the tooth fairy — and other imaginary friends — are essential personnel right now
- Washington Post : 5 ways to teach our children empathy in these challenging times
- HuffPost : 5 Ways Parents Are Getting Their Kids To Talk About COVID-19 Feelings . Creative ways real moms and dads are helping children to recognize their coronavirus-related emotions — and open up about them.
- Science Daily , University of Cambridge: 'Terrible twos' not inevitable : With engaged parenting, happy babies can become happy toddlers
- Parents with Confidence : Here’s the Magic Phrase to Use with Fighting Kids
- Pop Sugar : Learn to Draw Your Favorite Star Wars Characters, Like Baby Yoda or BB-8, For Free!
- The Conversation : For parents of color, schooling at home can be an act of resistance
- Mommy Poppins : Home Haircut Tips by Experts: How To Cut Kids' Hair in a Pandemic
- Mommy Poppins : Best Free Online Workouts: Sports and Fitness Classes for Kids and Families
- PBS: 11 Easy Recipes for Playdough, Gak and Slime
- PBS : Why Are People Wearing Masks? Answering Your Child's Questions
- Parents : They Need Me-Time, Too: A Self-Care Checklist to Do With Your Kids
- The Conversation : Comics and cartoons are a powerful way to teach kids about COVID-19
Other news:
- Study Finds : Study: A Troubled Childhood Linked To Serious Heart Problems Years Later
- New York Times : The Pandemic May Change How We Treat Low-Income Parents. Will the outbreak shift long-held attitudes about Americans in poverty?
- Washington Post : What white Americans can learn about racism from the coronavirus
- Washington Post : Hispanics are almost twice as likely as whites to have lost their jobs amid pandemic
- Boston Globe : A new analysis: Coronavirus death rate surged in Massachusetts locations that already faced challenges . Harvard analysis finds mortality rate surged higher in communities with more poverty, people of color, and crowded housing.
For Self-care:
- 30 Seconds : 3 Ways to Keep Your Energy & Mental Health in Check During COVID-19 Quarantine
- Medical Xpress : Working from home? Why detachment is crucial for mental health
- GGSC : How Our Brains Can Find Peace in a Crisis; Psychologist Rick Hanson discusses how to strengthen our capacity for wisdom, peace, and enlightenment.
- HuffPost: 14 Small Self-Care Tips That Will Make A Big Difference During The Coronavirus . These healthy habits and activities will help you cope with pandemic stress.
- New York Times : In Defense of a Good Cry, and Other Options for ‘Losing It’
- The Atlantic : Don’t Fight the Boredom. Monotony may be one of the hardest things about living in lockdown, but it has its upsides.
- Vox : Why time feels so weird right now . March was 30 years long and April was 30 minutes long. What gives?
- StoryCorps Connect: A new technology developed quickly in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic , that enables you to record an interview with a loved one remotely using video conference technology. The audio and a still photo from each interview goes into The StoryCorps’ archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Your interview becomes part of American history, and hundreds of years from now, future generations will listen in.
- HuffPost : How To Act Like A Teacher — So Your Kid Actually Listens To You . Remote learning is the pits, and it's not ending anytime soon. Here's how to push through.
- New York Times : How to Draw in Six Steps
- HuffPost : The Peanut Butter Bread Recipes Everyone's Searching For
- NPR: Coronavirus Panic: How To Get Your Thinking Brain Back Online 14 minute podcast
- NPR : Anxious Thoughts? 5 Tips To Help You Sleep 20 minute podcast
- NPR : Feeling Anxious? Here’s A Quick Tool To Center Your Soul 15 minute podcast
- NPR : Screen Time Overload? Here's How To Find Balance 12 minute podcast
- BBC : Why are some people better at working from home than others?
- University of Kentucky : Pandemic got you stressed? How losing sleep affects your health
- New York Times : Smash a Coronavirus Piñata. You’ll Feel Better. Buy one or make one, then destroy it.
- Volunteer Match : Help with COVID-19 (Coronavirus) by Volunteering Remotely or On-Site
- HuffPost : How COVID-19 Is Changing Sex, Dating And Our Relationships Live Q&A, taking your questions about dating, intimacy, relationships, human touch and making connections at a time when we’re socially distancing from everyone who doesn’t live with us.
- NPR Life Kit : If you're thinking this might be a good time to adopt a dog, you're not the only one. 5 things to know before adopting a dog . 15 minute podcast.
- Washington Post : Bartering is back: When life gives you lemons, trade them for a neighbor’s hand sanitizer
- ArtsAlive: The Boston Globe celebrates the arts with exclusive content provided by local theaters, musicians and museums. New videos added every Thursday.
- Brass Ring : Christy Altomare | "A Cockeyed Optimist"
- HuffPost : Daniel Radcliffe Reading ‘Harry Potter’ Is The Magic We Needed . Harry Potter at Home , an initiative to bring Hogwarts to all.
- Scary Mommy : 35 Best Riddles For Kids That Won’t Be Too Hard To Solve
- MBG : A Beginner's Guide To Reading Palms
- PBS : PBS KIDS Backgrounds for Your Next Video Chat
- The Verge : Free Zoom backgrounds you can use to disguise your messy remote work rooms
- NPR : How To Prevent Glasses From Fogging Up While Wearing A Mask , 1 minute PSA
Live webinars & open meetings:
- Brazelton Touchpoints : Mindful Self-Compassion: Heart Skills for Our Families and Ourselves in Challenging Times , May 13
- Story Center : The Role Of Digital Storytelling In Public Health , May 13
- MDPH : Building and Sustaining Hope Virtually: Reshaping the Conversation to Reduce Suicide , May 13
- Mental Health America : Scope of Work, Skills, and Roles of Community Health Workers , May 13
- Office of Head Start : Partnering with Families to Address Domestic Violence, May 14
- EmbraceRace : Asian Americans, racism, and antiracism in the COVID era , May 14
- Early Childhood National Centers : Supporting Home Safety During COVID-19 , May 15
- GGSC : Bridging Differences: A Virtual Summit for Dialogue and Understanding, May 15 (scholarships)
- SAMSHA : Leadership in Times of Chaos , May 18
- NIHCM : Growing Challenges of Substance Use, Treatment & Recovery During COVID-19 , May 18
- Children’s Health : Virtual Town Hall – The (Not So) Great Equalizer: The Disparate Impact of Covid-19 on Marginal Communities , May 19
- National Office of Women’s Health : Stress and Mental Health among Pregnant and Parenting Mothers during COVID-19 , May 19
- Early Childhood National Centers : Helping Parents Manage Stress During COVID-19
- UNC Gillings School Of Global Public Health: Cultural Humility and Black Maternal Health in Historical Context, May 20
- PICCK: How to Make EC EZ – For Your Patients and Your Practice , May 21
- Office of Head Start: Supporting Families Impacted by Substance Use Disorders , May 21
- Children’s Safety Network : Play it Safe: Playground Safety for Everyone , May 26
- National Center on Early Childhood Development : Coaching Corner Series, A Day in the Life of a Coach : Part 2, May 27
- IECMHC: Culture, Identity, and History as Sources of Strength and Resilience for Tribal Communities, May 28
- Office of Head Start: Family Engagement and Child Welfare , May 28
- StoryCenter : Storytelling In The Time Of Covid-19 Webinar , May 29. Occurs every Friday. Sign up quickly; these fill up fast
- NAEYC Institute : will offer six weeks of weekday webinars to support your professional development. Each session is open to anyone at no charge, our gift to you for all that you give to young children and their families. Beginning June 1
- PICCK: Get Paid For Your Work: Guidance on LARC Billing , June 2
- Community Engagement Webinar Series : Community Partnerships with Child Welfare , June 2
- Brazelton Touchpoints : Learning to Listen Webcast Series, Marriage Equality and Same Sex Parenting: Families on the Frontlines , June 3
- Child Trends : Updates to the Healthy and Ready to Learn Measure , June 11
- Fathers and Families Coalition of America: Advanced Practitioner Credential Summer Online Course , June 16, 18 & 23.
- IECMHC: Culture, Identity, History as Sources of Strength and Resilience for African American Children and Families June 25
- Boston Associaton for Childbirth Education and Nursing Mothers' Council (BACE): Breastfeeding Foundations for Perinatal Health Workers , June 26
- Story Center : Strategic Distribution Of Public Health Stories , July 8
- IECMHC: Culture, Identity, History as Sources of Strength and Resilience for Latino Children and Families , July 30
Recorded webinars, courses and other learning opportunities:
- First Steps Together : FIRST Steps Together Webinar: Supporting Family Time in the Current Landscape
- The Boston Globe OP-Talks : Pregnancy and parenting during a pandemic
- Georgetown University Center of Excellence for Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health: COVID-19 Interviews: Stories from the Field . Chris Pond, MA Dept. of Early Education & Care is one of the 1 st interviews.
- NIHCM : The Science of Happiness, Health & Well-being during COVID-19
- Rational Middle : Wendy Cervantes and the Children of Immigrant Families discusses the rights that these children have and what gaps, risks, and trauma exist due to their status or the status of their family members. 22 minute podcast.
- Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation : Recognizing and Addressing Trauma in Infants, Young Children, and their Families , multipart tutorial
- CDC Learning Connection : Storytelling for Public Health , you will need to open an account; no fees
- ECLKC: Understanding Trauma in an Early Childhood Context
- ECLKC : Head Start Heals Campaign focuses on healing and addresses topics such as resilience, recovery, how to incorporate mental health consultation effectively, how to address challenging behaviors, and ways to have difficult conversations with families.
- Neurosequential Network , Dr. Bruce Perry: COVID-19 Stress, Distress & Trauma Series 9 part video series
- The Institute for Family Support Professionals : Rapid Response Virtual Home Visiting , multiple recorded webinars, including: Home Visiting Models and COVID 19 Response , Virtual Visit Readiness , Engaging Families in Virtual Visits: A Protective Factors' Approach , Screening in Virtual Visits , Using ASQ-3 in a Virtual Environment
- Community Health Training Institute: Health Equity Tool Kit
- Children’s Trust : Online Resources For Family Support Professionals
- Center for the Developing Child , Harvard U ., COVID-19 Resources : Guides, Activities, Infographics, E-books and podcasts; some in multiple Languages.
- Center for the Developing Child , Harvard U., A Guide to COVID-19 and Early Childhood Development
- Center on the Developing Child , Harvard U: The Brain Architects Podcast: COVID-19 Special Edition: Creating Communities of Opportunity . Some communities—especially communities of color—are feeling the brunt of the virus more than others, in terms of higher rates of infection as well as economic fallout, among many other ways. Part 3 Podcast.
- Brazelton Touchpoints: New Catalogue
- Perinatal-Neonatal Quality Improvement Network of Massachusetts (PNQIN) and the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety : past virtual town halls for maternal health care professionals confronting the challenges of COVID-19.
- Addiction Technology Transfer Center: Addiction Recovery and Intimate Violence
- National Hispanic and Latino ATTC: Intersection of Domestic Violence or Intimate Partner Violence and Addiction
- National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health : Supporting Survivors’ Access to Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health Services During the COVID-19 Emergency
- Children’s HealthWatch : Immigration & Equity Webinar
- NCTSN: Health Care Toolbox - Addressing the Psychological and Emotional Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic for Children, Families, and Healthcare Staff
- Vaya Consulting; A Crash Course in Remote Management , You Tube video
- Center for Creative Leadership , On Demand Webinars
- The Center for Early Childhood Mental Health : Introduction to the Best Practice Tutorial Series, 10 modules
- GPS: Intro to Bringing Your Support Group Online, All the basics and tips on how to lead successful online support groups
- New England Public Health Training Center , a wide range of training programs and services that strengthen the public health workforce.
- Office of Head Start , My Peers is a virtual learning network where you can brainstorm, exchange ideas, and share resources with early childhood colleagues from across the country. It was created by the Office of Head Start (OHS) to help you connect and learn with people who share your interests and program responsibilities.
- The Ounce , trainings designed specifically with the needs of home visitors and supervisors in mind. Developed by home visitors for home visitors. Applicable across all national models.
- SAMHSA Center of Excellence for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation, podcasts and webinars
- HRSA : The MCH Navigator is a centralized portal for pursuing continuous learning in maternal and child health (MCH) and is designed to help emerging and established MCH professionals and students map professional growth pathways. (New trainings added)
- T he Best Start in Life: Early Childhood Development for Sustainable Development