The holidays can be challenging for mental health. 64% of people living with a mental illness felt it worsened around the holidays, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. For those who are having a tough time getting through the holidays, there are free resources and counseling available in the community.
Emma Gabriela is a part time crisis counselor at 2-1-1 Big Bend. People who are in need can call for support and resources 24/7.
Gabriela works to support those who are calling and then tries to direct them to resources they might need beyond mental health such as food housing assistance.
She says when you call, the counselors are real people who genuinely want to help. "2-1-1 Big Bend is made up of real, incredible, caring people. These are people that want to help. We have volunteers and part time people, but you know these are people who want to help and want to be there for somebody," said Gabriela.
Another resource is TPD's TEAM unit. They provide a crisis intervention trained officer that is paired up with a licensed mental health professional to respond to mental health crisis calls in the community. "They will talk to the individual and assess them and see what their needed are and then help to provide them with those resources," said Sergeant Corey Hale.
Hale has seen an increase in calls during the holiday season and is happy to be able to help those who need it. "For most of us it's a joyous time of year but, unfortunately for some, that's when they get down and out and need that extra hand to help them," Hale added.
Another helping hand reaching out is Katie Kleiner, a grief and loss counselor at Big Bend Hospice who works with people who have family members in hospice or who have recently lost a loved one.
Kleiner said she usually sees an increase in people seeking help this time of year because of how difficult it can be for those going through the grief process. "We do offer individual grief counseling for those who have a loved one in our hospice program. We also have grief support groups who are open to anyone in the community," said Kleiner.
The next support groups are starting in January. Anyone interested in joining can do so on their website at BigBendHospice.org.
