Helplines
If you or someone you love is in crisis, please reach out. These lines are free, confidential, and staffed by people who understand.
24/7 support for anyone in emotional distress or suicidal crisis.
Free, 24/7 text-based support connecting you with a trained crisis counselor.
24/7 crisis support for LGBTQ+ young people.
24/7 emotional support for parents, caregivers, and youth up to age 25, in 240+ languages.
24/7 confidential support for parents navigating stress or crisis with their kids.
Therapist-staffed helpline offering referrals for eating disorder recovery.
Peer-run eating disorder helpline; not a crisis line.
24/7 confidential treatment referral service for mental health and substance use disorders.
Books
Addiction & Recovery
A classic book exploring the thinking patterns that often fuel addiction and how individuals can begin changing them.
Explains common mistakes people make when trying to help someone with addiction and offers healthier ways to respond.
A direct, compassionate guide for families stuck in the exhausting cycle of addiction and relapse, offering clarity on how to set boundaries, interrupt enabling patterns, and choose your own healing instead of waiting for a loved one to change first.
Explores the powerful connection between trauma and addiction, and how healing trauma can support recovery.
A widely recommended book for understanding codependency and learning to create healthier boundaries in relationships.
A daily meditation book offering reflections and encouragement for those healing from codependency and relationship challenges.
Parenting
A compassionate guide encouraging parents to focus on their own growth while supporting children through emotional or behavioral struggles.
Honest reflections that offer reassurance and perspective to parents navigating the complexity of raising teens today.
Explains how parents' emotional growth can positively influence their child's therapeutic and developmental journey.
Personal Growth & Self-Reflection
A powerful book about letting go of perfectionism and cultivating self-compassion, courage, and authenticity.
Explores belonging, vulnerability, and how to remain authentic even when we feel alone or disconnected.
Focuses on resilience and how people can learn, grow, and recover after setbacks or failures.
A practical and transformative approach to communication built on empathy, clarity, and mutual understanding.
A practical handbook of concepts, stories, and exercises for building more compassion, understanding, and harmony in daily life, rooted in Nonviolent Communication.
A mindful approach to communication that blends mindfulness, somatics, and Nonviolent Communication to help you listen more deeply, speak with honesty, and stay grounded in difficult conversations.
A classic guide to understanding anger as useful information and using it to set boundaries and build healthier relationships.
A symbolic story about emotional defenses, vulnerability, and the journey toward self-awareness.
A short illustrated parable about letting go of the beliefs that keep us stuck, and discovering the freedom that was there all along.
A concise and influential book outlining four guiding principles for living with greater personal freedom.
A beloved novel about following one's purpose and listening to the wisdom of the heart.
Websites
Addiction Support
Offers education, tools, and support for families navigating substance use and recovery.
Support groups for families and friends affected by alcoholism and substance use disorders. (See also Nar-Anon.)
Educates parents and teens about the dangers of today's high-potency THC products and their impact on adolescent brain development, mental health, and suicide risk.
Helps parents understand the developing teenage brain's vulnerability to substance use including the hidden risks of household medications and offers tools to help prevent substance use disorder.
Mental Health Support
Offers two free educational programs:
- Family Connections – Support for loved ones of individuals with emotional dysregulation or BPD traits
- Managing Suicidality and Trauma Recovery
Programs include breakout groups that often continue as peer support communities. A formal BPD diagnosis is not required.
Provides free support groups, education programs, and mental health advocacy resources.
Eating Disorder Support
Offers free peer support groups, mentorship, and recovery resources.
A free, therapist-staffed helpline offering referrals and support for individuals and families at any stage of eating disorder recovery.
Provides education and support for families helping a loved one recover from an eating disorder.
Provides parent-focused education, resources, and a widely respected newsletter about eating disorder awareness and recovery.
Insurance Support
Provides guidance and advocacy resources for navigating insurance coverage related to mental health and autism services.
Therapeutic Consultants
A therapeutic consultant (also called an educational consultant) helps families find the right treatment program and coordinate care for complex mental health, behavioral, or educational challenges.
Program Directories
Directory of programs that support young adults in developing independence, life skills, and transition to adulthood.
Professional association and directory of therapeutic schools, residential treatment programs, and behavioral healthcare providers.
A comprehensive online directory of therapeutic programs, including wilderness therapy, residential treatment, therapeutic boarding schools, and young adult transition programs.
A free, nationwide searchable directory from SAFE Project and Partnership to End Addiction, connecting families with vetted addiction treatment, family support services, and recovery housing.
Paid Support Options
A community platform where parents can connect with others facing similar challenges and access educational resources.
A supportive online community for parents navigating addiction and mental health struggles.
Articles & Reading
A research-backed fact sheet from SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) that debunks common claims about marijuana's safety, potency, and effects on teen mental health.
A well-known essay by Emily Perl Kingsley about adjusting expectations and finding meaning in unexpected life journeys.
Explains the relationship dynamics of victim, rescuer, and persecutor — and how to shift toward healthier interactions.
By Heather Hayes.
An OB-GYN reflects on how girls learn early to restrict their eating, and how that hidden hunger quietly drains focus, patience and clear thinking for decades. A thoughtful read for parents on the messages we send kids about food and bodies.
Podcasts
Conversations about parenting, personal growth, and supporting young people through emotional and behavioral challenges.
A podcast focused on redefining success for young adults and supporting alternative paths to growth and independence.
Stories, expert insights, and encouragement for parents navigating addiction and mental health challenges with their children.
Videos
A documentary tracing cannabis from prohibition through legalization, examining what today's high-potency products mean for youth mental health — including Johnny Stack's story, told by his mother and Johnny's Ambassadors founder, Laura Stack.
Watch on YouTubeA short film portraying a young girl's internal struggle with an eating disorder.
thewrestler.orgA brief animated video illustrating the difference between empathy and sympathy.
Watch on YouTubeA short talk explaining how blame prevents accountability and growth.
Watch on YouTubeA powerful animated short about resilience, perspective, and acceptance.
Watch on YouTubeA documentary exploring Joseph Campbell's concept of the Hero's Journey and its connection to personal transformation.
Watch at bouldercrest.org