Mental Health Resources for Crises (Climate, Pandemics, and Personal Crises)

Welcome!

This site of resources for coping and emotional health has been developed for the benefit of our whole community - UCSF staff, faculty, students, patients, providers, Bay Area families, and the public at large. Please share it with others. We live in challenging times and we must all step up our strategies to maintain our well-being and help one another. We are here to support you.

This is an evolving, living website that will continue to be updated to respond to the emerging demands of our modern era (pandemics, climate crises, and personal crises). Our UCSF faculty offer their best advice and resources on how to maintain good mental health during crisis. We are all flooded with information and advice, so we have curated the information for you and your loved ones, and provided links to online wellness resources, prioritizing those that are free. If you have suggestions for additional content, please let us know us at [email protected].

Medical information about COVID-19 can be found at coronavirus.ucsf.edu.

Protecting your own wellness will also help those around you. Together we can become a more stress resilient community during difficult periods. Stay well and safe.

With warm regards,
UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

A note to frontline providers

Those of you who are working with patients need extra support. Further resources for UCSF community members can be found at coronavirus.ucsf.edu/emotional-health-wellbeing-resources. UCSF Health faculty, staff, and learners can also request to speak with a trained peer supporter to help you or your team through the Caring for the Caregiver Program.

The San Francisco VA Health Care System has also assembled a comprehensive mental health resource list for health care providers, including these quick self-care tips for you as a provider and as a human being. You can see videos from our monthly webinar series.

Many patients are come to non-mental health clinical settings to report mental health issues (e.g., anxiety, insomnia). In addition, during times of crises we see an increase in interpersonal violence and alcohol/drug misuse. Here are some resources and recommendations for your patients:

• Conduct an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) screening at each clinical visit
• Provide interpersonal violence resources to all women in the after visit summary
• Provide self-management tools for anxiety and insomnia
   

As health care providers, we know that you may be struggling yourself with these issues. Please remember how important it is to care for yourself as well during this difficult time.

Site contents

• Re-entering the workplace in 2021: A manager's guide
• Seeking help: Resources for clinical anxiety, mental health issues, and addiction
• Emotional well-being and coping during crises
• Dealing with fatigue and burnout
• Trauma, moral injury, and grief
• Coping with wildfires and climate change crises
• Families with mental health challenges
• Social equity and inclusivity
• Maintaining wellness for older adults and caregivers
• Practical resources for low-income and other groups
• UC health plan mental health resources
• COVID-19 specific resources
   

Webinars and short resource videos

• Emotional Well-Being Webinar Series
• Resilience and Emotional Well-Being Video Series
• Serie de Videos sobre Resiliencia y Bienestar Emocional
   

Website design and maintenance is provided by department communications director Nicholas Roznovsky. Content development and resource curation are provided by Elissa Epel, PhD; Elena Fromer; and Bresh Merino of the UCSF AME Center. Please email any comments or suggestions to [email protected].

Special acknowledgements to those who contributed content and resources, including David Bullard, PhD (grief); Nicole Bush, PhD (children); Whitney Ence, PhD (autism); Elissa Epel, PhD (emotional well-being and coping, wildfires, pandemic fatigue, stigma); Sharon Epel, LMFT (family); Jennifer Felder, PhD (pregnancy); Elena Fromer (family, resources, wildfires, pandemic fatigue, anti-racism); Lauren Haack, PhD (ADHD); Elissa Hamlat, PhD (resources); Steve Hinshaw, PhD (children, COVID stigma); Mardi Horowitz, MD (grief); Bryan King, MD, MBA (family); Alicia Lieberman, PhD (children); Jennifer Ly (ADHD); Shira Maguen, PhD (moral injury); Christina Mangurian, MD (resources); William Martinez, MD (social needs and mental health); B.J. Miller, MD (grief); Aric Prather, PhD (sleep); Margo Pumar, MD (stigma); Mike Rabow, MD (grief); Danielle Roubinov, PhD (children); Jason Satterfield, PhD (resources); Samantha Schilf (family, resources); Andrea Seritan, MD (geriatrics); Esme Shaller (children); Marina Tolou-Shams, PhD (resources); Lowell Tong, MD (resources); and Michael Trujillo, PhD (COVID stigma).