Mental health affects us all year, and the holidays can be particularly stressful. The library's offering some programs for adults to come together and create or learn something new and find some community.
Check out these drop-in Improv for Anxiety workshops offered in partnership with The Second City. The West Belmont program on Thursday, December 4th at 6pm is sponsored by Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. Chinatown is hosting a session on Wednesday, December 10th at 6pm and Rogers Park will be offering this program on Wednesday, December 17th at 6pm.
The Portage-Cragin branch is having a Cocoa, Canvas, and Connecting to Art and Joy program on Saturday, November 15th at 10am. This program will be led by an art instructor from Lutheran Social Services. All supplies will be provided.
A local artist will be hosting 2 sessions of a workshop where you can make art and destress at the Richard J Daley branch on Sunday, December 10th at 2pm and the Lozano library on Sunday, December 17th at 2pm. All supplies will be provided.
Staff from local mental health organizations visit some libraries regularly. Call to confirm schedules before visiting.
See below for some local and national organizations. Please contact them directly to learn more about their BIPOC and LGTBQIA+ mental health services. The lists are not comprehensive.
To find additional Chicago resources, please visit Find Help, opens a new window or 211 Metro Chicago, opens a new window.
Chicago and Regional Organizations
Here are some local organizations who offer BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ mental health and other resources and services.
- Chinese American Service League, opens a new window CASL provides behavioral health resources for people at all stages of life.
- Center on Halsted provides therapy and other mental health services for the LGBTQIA+ community.
- Casa Central connects people to social services.
- Inner City Muslim Action Network, opens a new window offers therapy, counseling, and other services.
- American Indian Health Service, opens a new window has a behavioral health department with "culturally informed clinical and support services."
- Esperanza Health Center, opens a new window provides therapy, groups, and other services.
- JCFS Chicago, opens a new window offers mental health and other resources.
- Howard Brown Health provides psychiatric service to current patients.
- Sista Afya Community Care, opens a new window provides "culturally centered" mental health support with a focus on Black women.
- Brave Space Alliance, opens a new window "is a Black trans-led LGBTQ+ Center on the South Side of Chicago that creates and provides affirming and culturally competent services" including mental health.
- Trilogy, opens a new window strives to "enable people in mental health recovery to build meaningful and independent lives through comprehensive and integrated care."
- Trellus supports immigrants and refugees and offers behavioral health services.
- CTS Community Development provides "trauma-informed care, community support, and behavioral health services."
- The Foundation for Black Women's Wellness is based in Madison, WI.
- Loyola University's Outside Resources for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and Minoritized Students More local and national mental health resources.
National Resources
- Mental Health America, opens a new window has a toolkit with robust information for BIPOC mental health.
- NAMI, opens a new window has information and resources about National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month which started in honor of Bebe Moore Campbell.
- National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network, opens a new window "is a healing justice organization actively working to transform mental health for queer and trans Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QTBIPOC)."
- Inclusive Therapists, opens a new window is a directory to find therapist and provides resources for therapists.
- Coalition for Immigrant Mental Health, opens a new window "works to promote awareness of and access to culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services through education, advocacy and resource sharing in order to improve and facilitate access to services for all immigrants."
- Welcome to BWHI! - Black Women's Health Imperative, opens a new window offers resources to Black women
- BIPOC Mental Health Resources Find more resources and directories using this resource from the Davenport Public Library.
Hotlines
- 988 National Crisis and Suicide Lifeline. Call 988 to speak to someone 24/7 in English or Spanish.
- Call Blackline provides hope and promote social justice for individuals, families and communities through immediate crisis counseling and collecting information on negative consumer, police (which includes stop and frisk of youth and young adult BIPOC individuals) and vigilante contact. Call 1-800-604-5841.
- The Trevor Project has a hotline, chat, and other resources for LGBTQIA+. Call 1-866-488-7386 or text "START" to 678-678.
Books
Check out some of these books about mental health suggested by the adult services collection team.