Mental Health Support During COVID-19
COVID Cares Support Services: Licensed mental health and substance use disorder personnel are available to talk for free with individuals on the front lines and provide them with support over the telephone. These special 20-minute support calls are offered to serve Minnesota health care workers, first responders and essential personnel.
Stay Connected
- Spend quality time with your household. Get creative and find new ways to connect with your love ones in your household. Try out a family game night, movie viewing, or try out a new recipe together.
- Use technology to stay connected. We have access to a variety of ways of staying connected with our loved ones right now. Consider opportunities like video chatting, texting, phone calls, or snail mail to foster your relationships.
Focus on the Basics
- Ensure your basic needs are met. We need access to food, medication, and mask accessibility to stay healthy. Find food resources in Washington County.
- Establish schedules and routines. Many individuals’ lives look different right now, and those shifts can impact our mental health. Consider ways to build a flexible but supportive schedule for you and your family to help establish some consistency and structure in your day to day life.
- Maintain physical and mental activities. Exercise is known to support our physical and mental well-being. Find ways to incorporate regular physical activity into your routine. Also consider different well-being activities to support your mental health like mindfulness, journaling, or goal setting.
- Get outdoors while following social distancing guidelines. Outdoor activities and exposure to sunlight are great for your overall health. Take breaks throughout the day to get fresh air and see others in a socially distanced manner.
Pay Attention to Shifts in Behaviors and Emotions
- Take a free training on QPR. The QPR Gatekeeper online course teaches participants how to Question, Persuade, and Refer a person who may be considering suicide through a one hour session that can be accessed at any time. Learn more (see Trainings and Webinars tab.)
This resource will support you and your community in having important conversations about grief, loss, and mental health during difficult times. These conversations help build resilience and provide an opportunity for individuals or community groups to develop a plan to support their well-being.
Este recurso te ayudará a usted y a su comunidad a tener conversaciones importantes sobre el dolor, la pérdida y la salud mental durante tiempos difíciles. Estas conversaciones ayudan a desarrollar la resiliencia y brindan una oportunidad para que las personas o los grupos comunitarios desarrollen un plan para apoyar su bienestar.
The 24/7 emergency service is available if you or someone you know is experiencing a psychiatric or mental health crisis.
Washington County Crisis Contacts
Adult Mental Health Crises Response - 651-275-7400
Children Mental Health Crises Response 651-275-7400
Red Cross Virtual Family Assistance Center
Support hub with virtual programs, information, referrals, and other services to support families struggling with loss and grief due to COVID-19. All support is provided virtually and is completely confidential and free.
Minnesota Warmline: Call 651-288-0400 or text "Support" to 85511
Are you an adult needing support? Talk to a specialist who has firsthand experience living with a mental health condition.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
The 24/7 lifeline provides support when in distress, has prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and resources for professionals.
SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline: Call 1-800-985-5990
Provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to a disaster.
How Right Now
How Right Now is a communications campaign designed to promote and strengthen the emotional well-being and resiliency of populations adversely affected by COVID-19–related stress, grief, and loss.
- CDC: How Right Now (English)
- CDC: Qué Hacer Ahora (Español)
NAMI COVID-19 Resource and Information Guide
In this guide, you will find answers to questions ranging from how to manage anxiety during this difficult time, to how to access medication while in quarantine, to how to deal with the loss of a loved one to COVID-19.
Contact Us
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Public Health and Environment
Email
Phone: 651-430-6655