Below is a list of helpful resources you can lean on if you’re struggling with mental health issues. These resources have been used by the people who shared their stories with us. Remember – you are not alone, and together we can #DoMore to end suicide.
Crisis Resources
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National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
988
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States. Call or text 988.
"It took me years before I called a suicide helpline for the first time, and I wish I had way sooner." - Erica Johnson
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Helpline Center In South Dakota
Call 211
The Helpline Center in South Dakota can be contacted for information and support – whether financial, family, health, or disaster-related. The call or text is free and confidential.
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Urgent 24-Hour Behavioral Health Care
24/7 access to services if you find yourself in a mental health crisis situation
Professional Mental Health Care
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Avera Behavioral Hospital
The Avera Behavioral Health Hospital is a state-of-the-art 154-bed psychiatric facility offering both inpatient and outpatient behavioral health care.
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Avera Addiction Center
The Avera Addiction Care Center, a department of Avera Behavioral Health, has more than 60 years of history as the Upper Midwest’s leader in behavioral health services.
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Finding Clinicians in South Dakota
If you are seeking help for mental health or behavioral health in South Dakota, you can use the Helpline Center’s 2-1-1 search tool. This resource requires you to enter your zip code or city and separate needs by category. Categories include mental health where you can choose individual counseling or psychiatry to find a clinician nearest you.
"After researching and a few phone calls, I had my first appointment with my therapist. He was very open and made me feel very comfortable and safe. ... (He) he also made me grow into a more self-aware person, and taught me how to better manage stress." - Adaya Plastow
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Abbott House
Therapeutic support services for South Dakota youth.
"I was sent to Abbott House, where I lived for 1 year, 10 months, and 18 days. I successfully left the program and moved into their foster homes in December of 2013." - Cherokee McAlpine
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Cognitive behavioral therapy
Learn what cognitive behavioral therapy is
"I've found cognitive behavioral therapy a valuable way to open your mind to new patterns of thinking. I’ve come to see my mind was very narrow and closed in certain areas. A shift in mindset literally can change your life." - Mary Ellen Wolfe
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Trauma counseling
Learn what trauma counseling is
"I’ve found the trauma therapy tools nearly miraculous. It helped release me recurring, intrusive fears through what seemed pretty straightforward techniques." - Mary Ellen Wolfe
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Avera McKennan Hospital
Behavioral & Mental Health
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Southeastern Behavioral Health
Emphasizing emotional wellness; serving Lincoln, McCook, Minnehaha and Turner counties
"I currently am at Southeastern Behavioral Health." - Jake Danielson
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Lake Area Technical College Counseling Services
Confidential counseling for students at no charge
"I was able to reach out to Lake Area Technical College’s campus counselor. Jessi was able to meet with me on a weekly basis until I felt I was in a better place." - Stefanie Plummer
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Dr. James Chui
Psychiatrist at Concordia Mind Health in Sioux Falls
"I also worked with Dr. James Chiu from Sioux Falls, S.D., to adjust my medications to a dose that worked better for the time being." - Stefanie Plummer
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Vocational Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation Services by SD DHS
"During my depressive episodes, I kept in contact with Heidi, my vocational rehabilitation specialist. She was able to help advocate for my situation with LATC and provide an extra sounding board when I needed to talk." - Stefanie Plummer
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Rising Hope Counseling
Mental health services in rural South Dakota
"I have also gone to counseling at Rising Hope Counseling, LLC, in Burke South Dakota. Talking about my loss helped me a lot." - Billie Sutton
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Medication
Find a clinician
“My kids and I would not be where we are right now—happy, healthy, and thriving—without the support of mental health professionals and lifesaving medications. ... Medication doesn't change your personality. It provides balance." - Susan Kroger
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USD's Student Counseling Center
Free resources for USD students
That service, and a determination not to hurt my parents by dying, saved my life. - Jackie Hendry
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SMART Recovery
SMART Recovery is a fresh approach to addiction recovery. SMART stands for Self-Management and Recovery Training.
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Employee Assistance Programs
Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are benefits that some employers use to help their workers get access to short-term counseling or therapy services as well as provide some types of psychological assessment. This article describes EAPs. Ask your employer's HR department if you have this benefit, which could be available at no cost to you.
"I accessed mental health services through my Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This was an easy way for me to find a therapist and access services without having to worry about costs of therapy initially." - Jana Boocock
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Therapy techniques: "Mirrorwork" and "Shadow Work"
What "shadow work" is
"I needed to do a lot of 'mirrorwork' and 'shadow work,' and I continue to do these practices. 'Mirrorwork' is confronting the things that make us uncomfortable about others and examining why and what wounding they are reflecting to us. 'Shadow work' is taking a deep look at the parts of ourselves that we hide away, are ashamed of or try to repress and instead trying to understand." - Niko Hathaway
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Challenging beliefs
Uncovering core beliefs can be a part of cognitive behavioral therapy.
Really, that is the most powerful work I have done—to challenge the systems, beliefs, and values that were impressed upon me since birth so that I could access my truth vs. what I've been conditioned or told was my 'truth.'” - Niko Hathaway
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Touch therapy
Learn about touch therapy
Trauma Touch Therapy ... provides a slow application of touch that helps bring the client back to themselves after a traumatic event – to take residence, if you will, back in their bodies.
"It is true that our bodies, as well as our minds, hold on to the experiences we have in life, and I was triggered regularly after my assault because my spouse looks very similar to the perpetrator, so my body was in a constant state of fight, flight, freeze, or faint leading me to seek out a massage therapist regularly to work the muscles as well as asking my husband to engage in touch therapy, which is a form of non-sexual touching that allows my brain and body to gain understanding that I’m not in danger when this human is near." - Sam Houser
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Grounding
Learn about grounding
Grounding is a technique that helps keep you in the present and helps reorient you to the here-and-now and to reality.
"I made it a daily practice, before my journaling, to pour myself a cup of coffee and step out onto my backyard barefoot so that I could be physically reminded that the world is vast, and while my experience of assault matters, there is more to life and more to me than that experience." - Sam Houser
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Forest Therapy
Inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing,” forest therapy is a guided outdoor healing practice.
"My spiritual director is trained in forest therapy and offered instruction as well as education on the benefits that come with grounding oneself in nature." - Sam Houser
Support Groups
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Telling Your Own Story
L&F Advocates program teaches this
Lost&Found's Advocates program helps people find ways to share their own stories. The program is currently available for college students at several post-secondary institutions in South Dakota and Minnesota.
100% telling my story as often as I can has been a BIG piece of my healing! - Heather Kittelson
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To Write Love on Their Arm website
A non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide
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Accountability partner
Finding an accountability partner
"Talking with my family and having an accountability partner who pays attention when I seem withdrawn has helped." - Willette Capers
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Alcoholics Anonymous
Find a meeting near you
"I did spend some time with AA/NA, and having that network of people was very nice." - Jessica Cline
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Narcotics Anonymous
Find a meeting near you
"I did spend some time with AA/NA, and having that network of people was very nice." - Jessica Cline
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WeCan Movement
Creating a community that can be open and honest about our struggles while also coming together to find healthy ways to deal with these problems
"At the WeCan Movement we are holding events to bring people of struggles together. The website allows us to connect with people who need to talk. There are people out there who do want to learn about you and your struggles and help you overcome." - Jake Danielson
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Support network
Find a support group (choose that category in the listing on the left)
"was especially thankful for the people who had lost children that reached out to us and the group of local mothers who had had similar experiences making space for grieving together." - Kelsey Kenzy Sutton
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Front Porch Coalition
Prevention, intervention, and postvention services
"I attend the Front Porch support group and try to attend other gatherings with people who have experienced the same thing. This has been critical in helping me see beyond my present moment to how it might look for me after a few years. This support is essential to the hope that I carry." - Shastin Gerbracht
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NAMI
National Alliance on Mental Illness
NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.
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Empire Mental Health Support
Empire Mental Health Support (EMHS) exists to: serve individuals with a mental illness diagnoses and their families, educate the community and its leaders, bridge the gap between individuals and health care providers, and advocate for an improved system of care.
Educational Resources
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Asking for help
Advice for starting a conversation
Lost&Found's Let's Talk About Mental Health Guide has a wealth of resources, including advice about starting a conversation about your own or other's mental health with a trusted friend or family member.
"Truthfully, the resource that has truly helped me address life's challenges has been taking that initial step in asking for help through my friends, teachers, and other adult role models in my life." - Lena Tran Schaeffer
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Book: Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma
A Workbooks for Survivors
Traumatic experiences leave a “living legacy” of effects that often persist for years and decades after the events are over.
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Book: Retrain Your Brain
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in 7 Weeks
Research has shown that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective techniques for finding relief from depression and anxiety.
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Book: Radical Self-Acceptance
By Tara Brach
"I would highly recommend the books Radical Self-Acceptance by Tara Brach, Belonging by Toko-Pa Turner, and Untamed by Glennon Doyle." - Niko Hathaway
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Book: Belonging
By Toko-Pa Turner
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Book: Untamed
By Glennon Doyle
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Instagram: The.Holistic.Psychologist
Other Strategies
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Journaling
Learn why journaling can be helpful to mental health.
"I also like to write and draw my emotions so I journal and write songs, poems, and books." - Corey Kennedy
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Creativity
The connection between mental health and creativity
"Creativity is a surprising and profound healing outlet. ... I've learned literally to paint my way to peace." - Mary Ellen Wolfe
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Living an authentic life
Some ideas on living authentically
"To me, the ability to live authentically as myself has been the most healing process. I can be fully who I am and know that others will love me for it." - Cody Ingle
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Music
Music can help with many mental health conditions
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Self-affirmation
How self-affirmations connect to mental health
"It's important to be confident in ourselves. When you have confidence, you can become much more resilient because you are confident in who you are as a person." - Gabe Dannenbring
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Gaming
Gaming can have mental health benefits
"Friends and family are big resources, but other outlets for me were gaming and sports. I needed to find ways to release those feel-good chemicals." - Michael Tromp
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Sports
Benefits of sports on mental health
"Friends and family are big resources, but other outlets for me were gaming and sports. I needed to find ways to release those feel-good chemicals." - Michael Tromp
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Self-care, including sleep
Why our brains need sleep
"My most important self-care goal is getting enough sleep. I can see a big difference in my coping skills when I am tired versus when I am well-rested." - Shastin Gerbracht
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Finding a hobby
How hobbies can improve mental health
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Having an animal
How pets affect mental health
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Project to honor lost loved one
Ways to honor a loved one after death
"I also found much purpose in a community project that would honor our Lenny." - Kelsey Kenzy Sutton
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Re-embodiment practices
What embodiment practices are
"I found my way back to myself with re-embodiment practices like weight lifting, walking in nature, and making rest a top priority." - Kelsey Kenzy Sutton
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Meditation
Meditation can provide many benefits: lowering stress levels, improving focus, relieving anxiety, reducing brain chatter, and more. Learn the basics at this site.
"(A resource that helped was) meditation and a lot of work learning how to use positive self-talk to replace many of the negative thought patterns I didn’t even realize I had." - Eliza Blue
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Faith
The intersection of faith and mental health
"I renewed my faith, started going to church and even volunteered my time at church so I could think less about poor me and instead focus on how I could help others." - Jeff Pickett
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Stoicism
What Stoics Can Teach Us About Mental Health
"I may get a tattoo of the Stoic phrase Amor Fati (lover of fate). It is the embrace of your fate, even if things go bad, because we learn from our mistakes and failures. If we see past failures as learning times, then we can come out on the other side a better person." - Jeff Pickett
