Understand Others
Resources for parents, partners, siblings, friends, and caregivers. Because understanding someone is how support begins.
Whether you're a parent whose child has changed, a partner feeling shut out, or a friend who doesn't know what to say, this guide has resources built for your situation.
Use the links above to jump to your role, or scroll through. Each section has resources specific to that relationship. Keep in mind that culture shapes how people experience mental health and what support feels safe. A section on that is woven in below.
Starting the Conversation
Every hard conversation starts with someone willing to say the first word. You don't need to be a therapist. You don't need to have the perfect script. You just need to show up and try.
Mental Health First Aid
Training and practical guides for supporting someone experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis.
NAMI: How to Talk to Someone
What to say, what not to say, and how to listen well without trying to solve everything.
Active Minds: Be There
Conversation starters and listening guides for being present with someone who needs support.
Helping safely means knowing your role.
You can show up, listen, and help connect someone to professional support. You cannot force change, and trying to be their only source of support often makes things harder for both of you over time.
If a conversation feels beyond what you can hold, calling a professional is not a failure. That includes situations where they are in crisis, unresponsive, or things are escalating. That is exactly what professionals are for.
Your own safety matters. If you feel unsafe at any point, remove yourself and call for help.
If You're Worried They Might Hurt Themselves
Asking someone directly about suicide does not plant the idea. Research shows the opposite: asking directly opens a door that may have felt too heavy to open alone. If you're worried, say something. You could save a life.
Crisis lines for you and for them
Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), available to supporters in distress, not only people in crisis. Text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line). These are free, confidential, and available 24/7.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988. Available to supporters in distress too, not only people in crisis themselves.
Call or text 988AFSP: Talk Away the Dark
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's guide for supporters: how to have the conversation, what to say, what to do next.
Safe Messaging Guidelines
Messaging guidelines to reduce risk when discussing suicide with a loved one. Written for non-clinicians.
QPR Institute
"Question, Persuade, Refer." Free training in the basics of suicide intervention for anyone, in any relationship.
Crisis Text Line
Text HOME to 741741. Also a resource for supporters who are unsure what to do and need guidance in the moment.
Text HOME to 741741AFSP: If You've Lost Someone
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's support for loss survivors. If someone you loved died by suicide, this is for you.
Requesting a Wellness Check
If you genuinely cannot reach someone and fear for their immediate safety, you can request a wellness check. This means asking law enforcement or emergency services to physically check on a person at their location. Knowing how this process works before you call helps you make the right choice for your situation.
How to request one
Call your local police non-emergency number (search your city name plus "non-emergency police number"). Explain your concern and provide the person's address. Officers will go to the location, knock, and attempt to make contact.
If the situation is an immediate, life-threatening emergency, call 911.
What to expect
Officers will speak with the person. If they believe the person is in immediate danger of harming themselves or others, they may transport them for a psychiatric evaluation, and in some states this can happen involuntarily. The person may not know you were the one who called.
This experience can feel frightening and disorienting, particularly for people with trauma history, people of color, or anyone who fears losing control of their situation. It is not without consequences. Use it when you genuinely believe there is no safer option.
Non-police alternatives
Many areas now have mobile crisis teams or co-responder programs that send a mental health clinician, alone or alongside an officer. Call 988 before escalating: 988 dispatchers can tell you what crisis resources exist in your area and may be able to coordinate a non-police response directly.
If going there yourself is safe to do, your presence and a calm conversation may accomplish more than a police visit. If you are unsure what to do, the NAMI Helpline at 1-800-950-6264 can walk you through your options.
Call 988 First
Before requesting a police wellness check, call 988. They can tell you what crisis options exist in your area and help you decide what to do next.
Call or text 988NAMI: Navigating a Mental Health Crisis
A guide for families on what to do when someone is in crisis, including information on involuntary treatment, hospitalization, and what to expect from each step.
Mental Health First Aid
Training that teaches you how to recognize and safely respond to a mental health or substance use crisis, including when and how to call for help.
Understanding Your Child's Mental Health
Children don't come with a manual. And the child in front of you might look different from the one you thought you knew. This isn't failure. It's the start of understanding. What looks like defiance is often distress. A child who acts out, shuts down, or refuses to engage is usually communicating something they don't have words for yet. The resources here are for parents of kids who are 7, or 27, or anywhere in between, including children with learning differences, physical disabilities, and chronic illness.
Child Mind Institute
Guides for parents on virtually every childhood mental health condition. Warm, written for parents rather than clinicians.
NAMI Family Support Group
Peer-led support groups for families of people with mental health conditions. Free, nationwide, and run by people who've been there.
Mental Health First Aid (Youth)
Training for adults who want to help young people in mental health crisis. Learn what to recognize and how to respond.
PFLAG
For parents of LGBTQ+ children. The gold standard guide for families with LGBTQ+ children, covering both identity and mental health.
Understood.org
For parents of children with ADHD, dyslexia, and other learning differences. Clear, encouraging, and family-centered.
YoungMinds (UK)
UK's leading charity for children and young people's mental health. Practical guides written for parents.
headspace (Australia)
Australia's national youth mental health foundation, with guides for parents and families of young people going through a hard time.
NEDA for Parents
National Eating Disorders Association guides and helpline for parents of a child with an eating disorder.
Good Inside
Dr. Becky Kennedy's approach to parenting built around connection over correction. Especially useful for parents trying to understand what's driving their child's behavior before responding to it.
CHADD: For Parents of Children with ADHD
The leading organization for ADHD support. Guidance for parents on managing behavior, navigating school systems, and caring for your own mental health while raising a child with ADHD.
Autism Speaks: Family Support
Resources for families across the full span of an autism diagnosis: first questions, school planning, transition, and adult life. Includes a helpline and community guides.
NORD: Rare Diseases Parent Community
For parents of children with rare or complex diagnoses. Connection, advocacy, and support when the condition your child has is hard to find resources for anywhere else.
When to consider an evaluation
If a child is struggling in school despite extra support, or teachers are raising concerns they can't explain, an evaluation is worth considering. There's no perfect age, and no reason to wait until things fall apart. Most schools will conduct one for free if requested in writing. A private neuropsychological evaluation goes deeper, looking at how a child thinks, processes, and learns across multiple areas.
Learning Disabilities Association of America
Detailed guides on evaluation timing, a school's legal obligation to assess, and what an IEP actually covers. A good starting point if you're not sure whether to ask for an evaluation or wait.
National Center for Learning Disabilities
Guides on identifying learning disabilities and understanding the evaluation process, from first concerns through diagnosis and school planning.
Parent Center Hub
Explains parent rights under federal law to request a school evaluation, what the process looks like, and what comes next after eligibility is determined.
Supporting a Partner or Spouse
Supporting a partner's mental health is a loving act and a demanding one. If you're trying to understand what they are going through, find ways to stay close, or figure out how to care for yourself at the same time, these resources can help.
NAMI Family-to-Family
Free 8-session program for families, partners, and caregivers of adults with mental health conditions. Taught by people who've been through it.
Al-Anon
Support for families and friends of people with alcohol problems. Meetings worldwide, free, and deeply community-based.
Codependents Anonymous
12-step program for people whose relationships have been affected by someone else's mental health or addiction. Focus on your own recovery.
Psychology Today: Help a Loved One
Advice on helping a partner or family member get treatment when they're resistant.
NAMI: Family Members & Caregivers
Guidance for when a partner is in crisis: what to expect, what to do, and where to find support.
The Gottman Institute
Tools for couples navigating mental health challenges together. Their guides on staying connected and managing conflict are useful when one partner is struggling.
For Children & Siblings
Growing up next to someone who is having a hard time, or being raised by a parent who was, leaves its own mark. That mark doesn't have to define you. These resources are for the people who often get forgotten in the conversation: the brothers, sisters, and adult children.
NAMI Family Members & Caregivers
Resources for family members dealing with a loved one's diagnosis, including siblings and adult children.
COPMI (Children of Parents with Mental Illness)
Australia-based and globally useful. For children and adult children of parents with mental illness.
Adult Children of Alcoholics / Dysfunctional Families
Support for those who grew up in difficult or traumatic family systems. Meeting-based, free, and widely available.
Sibling Support Project
Resources for the brothers and sisters of people with disabilities and mental health conditions. Siblings carry their own weight in all of this, and it rarely gets talked about.
Mental Health America
Broad family mental health resources, self-screeners, and tools to understand what you or a family member might be experiencing.
NAMI Peer-to-Peer
Free education program for adults with mental illness, taught by trained peers. Useful for siblings who want to understand what their family member is experiencing from the inside.
How to Be There for a Friend
Being there for a friend matters, even when you don't know what to say. Research shows that consistent presence counts for far more than finding the perfect words. You don't need a script. You just need to keep coming back.
Active Minds: Be There
Guidance for starting conversations and being present for a friend who needs support.
NAMI: How to Talk to Someone
Plain language guide for what to say, what not to say, and how to listen without trying to fix.
Crisis Text Line (for supporters)
Friends can text in to learn what to say in a crisis. Not just people in crisis themselves. Text HOME to 741741.
Mind UK: How to Support a Friend
UK charity's guide for supporting a friend with a mental health problem. Honest and plain-spoken.
You Are Not Alone (NAMI)
NAMI's guide written for anyone new to supporting someone with mental illness. A warm, accessible place to start.
Seize the Awkward
A guide for friends on how to start the hard conversation about mental health. Honest, direct, and built for the specific awkwardness of trying to ask someone if they're okay.
When Culture Shapes the Conversation
Mental health doesn't look the same in every culture. The stigma around asking for help, what it means to be strong, whether therapy is seen as a last resort or a betrayal of family privacy. These aren't small details. They shape whether your loved one will reach out, what they'll say, and what kind of support they can accept. Understanding that context is part of being there for them.
The resources below are organized so you can find organizations that understand your loved one's cultural background. For resources your loved one can use themselves, Find Your Light has a full section built from their perspective.
Black Community
Black Mental Health Alliance
Training and resources for mental health in the Black community. Helps you find a therapist who understands your loved one's experience.
Aakoma Project
Mental health research and community for young people of color and the families around them.
Therapy for Black Girls
A therapist directory focused on Black women and girls. Helps you find someone who truly understands your loved one's experience.
Hispanic & Latino
National Alliance for Hispanic Health
Resources and advocacy for mental health in the Hispanic and Latino community, including family-focused guides.
Alma
Helps connect people with therapists who share their cultural background or language, useful if your loved one needs that match.
NAMI: Hispanic & Latino Communities
NAMI's resources, guides, and support groups tailored to the Hispanic and Latino community, including bilingual services.
Asian & Pacific Islander
Asian Mental Health Collective
Focused on normalizing mental health in Asian communities where stigma and silence are common. Useful for understanding the cultural world your loved one is living in.
SAMHIN
South Asian Mental Health Initiative. Addresses the specific stigma and barriers in South Asian families.
NAAPIMHA
National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association. Advocacy, training, and resources for families in AAPI communities.
Indigenous, First Nations & Native
Strong Hearts Native Helpline
Confidential crisis and mental health support for Native Americans, available for both the person in crisis and the people around them.
1-844-7NATIVEThunderbird Partnership Foundation
Indigenous-led mental health and wellness resources across Canada.
Native Hope
Storytelling and resources that center Indigenous voices and healing. Helps supporters understand the specific historical context their loved one carries.
Arab, Middle Eastern & South Asian
Arab American Family Support Center
Services for Arab, Middle Eastern, and Muslim communities. Useful for supporters working within family dynamics where mental health is rarely discussed openly.
Desi Mental Health
Community and resources for the South Asian diaspora, where family expectations and stigma can make it very hard to seek help.
iCall (India)
Professional counseling and psychosocial support based in India. If your loved one is in South Asia or looking for culturally grounded counseling, this is a good starting point.
Global & Multilingual
Befrienders Worldwide
A global directory of crisis support centres. Find help in your loved one's country or language.
Find a Helpline
Free global directory of mental health helplines. Search by country, issue, or language.
IASP Crisis Centres
Crisis support centres organized by country, from the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
Supporting Someone Who Is LGBTQ+ or Questioning
If someone in your life has come out to you, is questioning, or is navigating a trans identity, the most important thing is that they feel safe with you. You don't need to understand everything immediately. You do need to be willing to learn and to listen without judgment.
For parents especially: research consistently shows that family acceptance is one of the strongest protective factors for LGBTQ+ youth mental health. Your willingness to be there, even when you don’t have all the answers, matters more than getting everything right.
For Parents & Families
PFLAG
The essential starting point for families of LGBTQ+ people. Local support groups, guides on coming out conversations, and a community of parents who've been there.
Gender Spectrum
For families of gender-diverse children and teens. Online groups for parents, resources on puberty, school, and social transition.
GLSEN
For parents and educators supporting LGBTQ+ youth at school. Research, guides, and tools for creating affirming environments.
For Partners, Friends & Anyone
National Center for Transgender Equality
If someone you love is trans, this helps you understand the legal and practical landscape they face. Clear, factual, and thorough.
Trans Lifeline
Peer support for trans people. As a supporter, you can read their resources to better understand what the person you love is going through.
Trevor Project: Ally Resources
Guides for friends, families, and allies of LGBTQ+ youth. How to be a genuine source of support rather than an additional source of stress.
When Someone In Your Life Is Grieving
When someone you love is grieving, your presence is what matters most. Most people worry about saying the wrong thing. The truth is that being there, even quietly, counts for far more than finding the right words. These resources help you do that.
What's Your Grief
Hundreds of free articles and guides. Includes a section specifically for people supporting a grieving friend or family member.
The Dougy Center
Resources for supporting grieving children and teens, including guides for parents and teachers.
Modern Loss
First-person stories from grieving people. Reading this gives you a window into what grief actually feels like from the inside.
When Someone You Love Has an Addiction
Loving someone through addiction is hard. It's common to feel responsible, confused, angry, and full of love all at once, sometimes in the same hour. These resources are for you, the person who wants to help without losing yourself in the process.
Note: Al-Anon (alcohol) and Codependents Anonymous are listed in the Partners section above. The resources here cover a broader range of addictions and relationship dynamics.
Nar-Anon Family Groups
Support groups for families and friends of people with drug addiction. Free, peer-led, and available worldwide. The family counterpart to Narcotics Anonymous.
Partnership to End Addiction
Free helpline and guides for families dealing with a loved one's drug or alcohol use. Includes one-on-one coaching for parents.
1-855-378-4373SMART Recovery: Family & Friends
Support for family members and friends of people with addictive behaviors. Covers healthy limits and communication skills.
When You Suspect Someone Is Being Abused
Abuse rarely looks like what people expect. It often starts gradually, with patterns of control, criticism, or isolation that are easy to explain away. If something feels off, it's worth learning more. You don't need certainty to reach out for guidance.
Warning signs can include: withdrawing from friends and family, flinching or seeming afraid of their partner, apologizing constantly for their partner's behavior, having restricted access to money or transportation, and unexplained injuries. One sign alone isn't a diagnosis. A pattern is worth taking seriously.
National DV Hotline: Warning Signs
Guides on recognizing the warning signs of abuse, how to talk to someone you're worried about, and how to help safely.
1-800-799-7233RAINN: How to Help a Friend
What to say, how to listen, and how to support a friend or family member who has experienced sexual violence.
NCADV: Recognize Abuse
Clear breakdown of the types of abuse, warning signs, and why people stay in abusive relationships.
When Someone You Know Is Burned Out
Burnout can look like withdrawal, irritability, or just going through the motions. When someone you care about seems hollow or unreachable, it often isn't depression or disinterest. It's exhaustion that's gone too deep. The most helpful thing is usually not advice. It's presence, and not adding to the load.
HelpGuide: Burnout Recovery
Read this yourself so you understand what burnout actually is before trying to help. Knowing the signs makes it easier to offer the right support.
Family Caregiver Alliance
Practical guides for supporting someone through long-term stress or depletion, including how to avoid taking on so much that you burn out too.
Mind UK: Work & Mental Health
Guides for supporting someone dealing with work stress, including how to have the conversation and what not to say.
When Social Media or Screen Use Is a Concern
Screen habits affect all of us, and talking about them isn't always easy. These resources help you understand what is happening and how to have the conversation, gently, without it becoming a battle.
Center for Humane Technology
Understand how social platforms are designed to be compelling, so you can have an informed, non-judgmental conversation about what's going on.
Common Sense Media: Digital Wellbeing
Tools for parents, educators, and families managing screen time and social media questions with children and teens.
Screenagers
Documentary and family resources on how to talk about screen time together. Something a parent and teenager could watch and discuss.
Caring for Yourself While Caring for Others
Taking care of yourself isn't selfish. It's what allows you to keep being there for the people you love. Your mental health matters too, not after everyone else is okay, but right now. These resources are for you.
Family Caregiver Alliance
Self-care guides for caregivers covering burnout, limits, and sustainability. One of the best resources out there.
Caregiver Action Network
Tools, community, and peer support for family caregivers in long-term care situations.
NAMI Caregiver Resources
NAMI's resources for caregivers of people with mental health conditions, including support groups and family education.
When you need support for yourself, Find Your Light has resources built for that too.