As we recognize Mental Health Month, we see the impact all across the globe.  So many are facing war-either fighting or fleeing, natural disasters and  ongoing ramifications from the pandemic. Let’s focus on strengthening our own mental health, and support those around us.

Mental Health Crisis Among Azerbaijani Veterans

David McKay: Mental health care in a crazy world

Mental Health: Get Support. Take Control. Feel Better

First Responders and Mental Health: When Heroes Need Rescuing

Providing suicide prevention services to first responders

As suicides rise, US military seeks to address mental health

COVID-19 presents an opportunity to strengthen mental health in the Americas

September is National Suicide Prevention Month and it is vital that we create a dialogue in our communities to support each other.  When we truly care, and acknowledge that it is okay not to be okay, then we create an environment of empathy and open the lines of communication.

Practicing self-care is a strategy we can all employ to reduce suicidal thoughts and actions. Engaging in a self-care routine has been clinically proven to reduce or eliminate anxiety and depression, reduce stress, improve concentration, minimize frustration and anger, increase happiness, and improve energy.  Regular self-care in which we do the things that make us feel taken care of mentally, physically, and emotionally doesn’t always happen, and we may need to stop and take the time to remind ourselves we are important, too.

• Suicide Prevention Awareness Month And Self-Care Highlights Basic Tips For Better Mental Health
• Self-care is not self-indulgent, and you can start now with these tips
• There Are Six Types Of Self-Care — Here’s How To Practice Each One
• The importance of self-care heading into fall and winter months
• National Suicide Prevention Month – September 2022
• When Uncertainty is Our New Normal: Managing Feelings of Helplessness Over the Course of Continuing Challenges
• Veteran Suicide and Project 2025: Reflecting and Finding Purpose
• First responder suicide rates increase; firefighter support team offers services to help
• Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Response Services: What They Are and How We Can Support Them

PTSD is prevalent in our society among first responders, the military, and now more than ever, many citizens that have survived trauma.  Natural disasters, epidemics, wars around the world and mass shootings can ignite the feelings and symptoms of PTSD. Here is some information on how to support those with PTSD.

• Understanding and addressing PTSD
• June recognized as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month
• Useful Tips For Veterans On Dealing With PTSD
• The Link Between PTSD, Support, and Exercise in Military Veterans
• First responders call for more support for them and their families living with PTSD
• The Definition of Trauma Is Evolving—Here’s How That Can Help Us Heal
• What Happens When Kids Experience a Traumatic Event?
• The way out of the darkness: How can we better serve men, women in uniform when it comes to mental health?
• The Trauma of Ukraine’s Civilians Will Haunt Them, and Us, for Generations

In May we recognize Mental Health Awareness nationwide. After two years of dealing with Covid, multiple national disasters and now the Russia-Ukraine war, we look for ways to support each other’s mental health journey. In the USA we also acknowledge May as Military Appreciation month and we celebrate our nurses, our firefighters, our EMS personnel and our police who sacrifice so much for their communities.

• When Tragedy Strikes, Remember the First Responders; May is Mental Health Awareness Month
• Mental Health Awareness Month: Supporting your loved ones who are suffering
• Defining mental health and the difference between acute, chronic stress
• Firefighters worldwide recognised
• First responders are human. We must take care of their mental health and well-being
• For Military Appreciation Month, recognizing and supporting those who serve
• Nurses Month 2022 – You Make a Difference
• National Police Week: Support Your Local Law Enforcement

National Teacher Appreciation Week

This week, May 2-6, 2022, we acknowledge and honor teachers, educators and school administrators.  The ICISF offers several courses and resources for these professions to assist with maintaining resiliency and managing school crises.

ICISF Courses

• Assisting Individuals in Crisis & Group Crisis Intervention in Colleges and Universities
  • Live Training: June 6 – 8, 2022

• Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) in the College and University Setting
  • Live Training: May 25, 2022

Videos

• Pandemic Crises As It Affects Schools (CISM Live Series)
• A Counselor’s Response to the Unthinkable (The Marjorie Stoneman Douglas School Shooting)

Articles

• How Do College Students Perceive University Crises? Cognitive Processing of Crisis Management