Mental Health at the Y

Mental health is how we think, feel and act. At the Y, we recognize that we all have mental health, and mental health is an important part of our overall health and social-emotional well-being, as well as a core component of our identity.

The Y supports the mental health of individuals and communities in all the work we do to help people reach their full potential—whether that’s teaching life skills in our youth development programs, supporting our staff, or helping people achieve their best physical health. This type of non-clinical support is called “community care”. Through this work, we can reduce the risk and impact of mental illness, provide early intervention, and support the process of healing and recovery. We also provide a critical bridge to formal mental health care providers when needed.

Everyone can play a role in mental health community care. The Y encourages you to identify simple ways you can care for yourself and others, such as:

• Use your powers of observation to notice when someone may be struggling with a hard day, moment, or situation.
• Intentionally asking “How are you?” and encouraging honest answers so others can share and feel heard.
• Bringing empathy, compassion, and kindness to your daily interactions.
• When you notice someone struggling, connect them to mental health resources like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-8255 or https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org).

Visit www.ymcadallas.org/mentalhealth to learn more about resources available to support mental health community care.