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DCC offers comprehensive psychological and consulting services for Deaf people and their families.

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Counseling in ASL

Deaf Counseling Center offers comprehensive psychological and consulting services for Deaf people and their families. Learn about our approach.

Your partner in:

One-on-one therapy

Couples and marriage counseling

Family mediation

When necessary, we coordinate treatment with your psychiatrist and primary care physician to make sure the whole picture comes together.
Get Started!

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National Deaf Counseling Services | Deaf Counseling Center

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Deaf Counseling Center offers comprehensive psychological and consulting services for Deaf people and their families. Learn about our approach. Your partner in: One-on-one therapy Couples and marriage counseling Family mediation When necessary, we coordinate treatment with your psychiatrist and primary care physician to make sure the whole picture comes together.

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This is a website that creates a place where deaf individuals can FEEL connected to themselves, then feel connected and accepted to their family and the outside world as a deaf person.

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Last week I introduced the idea of Maslow's Hierarchy and focused on the need to create a sense of belonging. It is important to create that sense of belonging in the family. Today we'll look at outside the family to foster a sense of belonging in the youth around us. Both deaf children and hearing children that are connected to the world of deafness in some way need to develop this "Deaf Sense."

A sense of belonging is a sense of unity, a connection with others who are like you. A Deaf Sense is when that belonging is felt as a deaf individual. This is actually where the name of our business came from. When individuals can FEEL connected to themselves, they can start to belong to something outside of themselves. The first place this usually happens is in the family, as I described last week.

However, there is another place that belonging is needed. And if the belonging in the family is struggling, youth look to the larger community to feel belonging. Individuals need to belong to a group in society. For Deaf children, that group is Deaf people. Sure, deaf youth can be a part of other groups: sports, church, etc. but the belonging that will come from a group that shares the same experiences, challenges, values and language will be so beneficial in their lives.

I have also seen the value of having CODAs and SODAs come together and share common experiences. They support each other and gain common understanding. It's important for them to understand their place in the Deaf community and also feel a sense of belonging to their hearing world.

Research shows that identity is important!

Research has shown that those who can identify themselves in the world have a more positive sense of well-being. This well-being increases when the children can identify themselves in their family and then in the w

orld at large, and even more when they can do so bi-culturally with both the deaf and hearing cultures.

Celebrating Deaf History Month can give deaf youth a sense of belonging to the deaf community: A Deaf Sense. This identity and acceptance of his or her own Deaf Sense will then allow each individual to continue onto the next level of Maslow's hierarchy: a strong Self Esteem, accomplishments and Self-actualization. Children who belong are more likely to become successful citizens who contribute to society and give back in a way only they can.

Going back to Maslow's Heirarchy

If a young teenage girl does not feel like she belongs in society or her family, she may try to fit in by losing weight and cause an eating disorder. When the level of belonging is gone in the triangle, the lower levels also suffer.

Once this teen can feel a sense of belonging, she will be more likely to take steps to get help with the eating disorder. With help, the basic needs of survival and safety can be taken care of and the teen can move onto achieving goals and becoming the person desired.

For the teen that still does not feel any sense of belonging , she continues to search for it. This search for belonging leads children to gangs, to drugs, to sex... and for some, to suicide. "If I don't belong, why am I here?" They ask themselves.

Finding an identity within the Deaf community CAN and WILL make a difference.

What can you do?

You can make a difference by helping a youth feel that sense of belonging!

As a parent; as an educator, we have the power each day to help a child feel like he or she belongs in this world. A smile, a chat, a video of a story, a word of encouragement, a lesson about another deaf person, or an experience in meeting other deaf youth is all it might take to let that youth know that you care, that there are others out there just like him or her and that he or she is important.

Please! Reach out today! Reach out to that child who is struggling. Help him feel a sense of belonging in your family. Help her feel a sense of belonging in your classroom. Help him find his hearing sense and make sense of the hearing world he is a part of. Help her find her Deaf Sense through the fun of Deaf History.

Sign up for more great ideas to build self esteem in your child or students today: www.deafsense.com

Our posters are a great way to help youth feel that sense of belonging!
Get your Deaf American Time Line and the We Succeed Because We Can posters today!

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A Deaf Sense: a Sense of Belonging - Deaf Sense

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Last week I introduced the idea of Maslow's Hierarchy and focused on the need to create a sense of belonging. It is important to create that sense of belonging in the family. Today we'll look at outside the family to foster a sense of belonging in the youth around us.

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A service by a Certified Elite Mentor ready to assist you in improving your parent/child relationships, and create a positive home environment. You will be empowered to thrive as a parent, moving forward to become who you were meant to be.

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The Early Interventionist comes and gives you great language and communication tools to use with your baby. You are excited. Then life kicks in and the two weeks have gone by. She's at the door again and you haven't tried the tools she gave you!

You feel guilty because deep down inside you just wish your child wasn't deaf. You say it's cool and everything is ok; but really, it's not. You wonder how you will be the parent your child needs. You wonder if he will be able to succeed.

You really are trying to learn how to communicate with your child, but the signs get all jumbled up. Why won't my child respond to me? I just don't feel like we are not connecting.

I remember those feelings. Even having a background in Deaf Education didn't prepare me for what I would feel and experience as a hearing mother of Deaf children.

I remember feeling guilty as I went through the grief cycle.

I remember being overwhelmed with life that I didn't make the changes I wanted to.

I still wonder what some people might think of the decisions we've made.

And I still work on connecting with my children every day.

You see... I have been where you are.

I have struggled and learned; laughed and cried; tried and failed, then tried again.

Finally, I am in a place where I am ready to support you! I am a parent of Deaf and hearing children. I am an educator of the Deaf. And I am a Certified Elite Mentor.

A mentor is someone who has can guide you through your challenges and help you see your way forward. Each mentoring appointment is action focused and empowering. You are bombarded with ideas and suggestions at the Doctor and specialists appointments. You get great tips on language and pre-literacy from your Early Intervention Specialist.

You put everything together into an action packed plan to make things happen in your life with ME.

With my help you will:

Discover where you are in your parent/child relationship and where you want to go.

Learn information, tools and techniques to eliminate the weaknesses and provide you with new strengths as a person and as a parent.

Find ways to complete the grief cycle and heal.

Set and accomplish goals that will improve yourself and your parenting.

Learn to connect with your child on a higher level.

Learn strategies and principles of success that will push you and your child to thrive and live the life of your dream

All sessions done in ASL or English as desired.

Not a parent of a Deaf child and still want help? No problem!

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The Early Interventionist comes and gives you great language and communication tools to use with your baby. You are excited. Then life kicks in and the two weeks have gone by. She's at the door again and you haven't tried the tools she gave you!

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An online agency that connect-to-heal deaf people with professionals who can aid in different types of therapy. They offer services with qualified personnel who use ASL. They also offer a service called ‘The Compassion Tool’ which is presented in a module through ASL videos.

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National Deaf Center on Post-Secondary Outcomes Mental Health and Well-Being Webpage

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National Deaf Center on Post-Secondary Outcomes Mental Health and Well-Being Webpage

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Deaf individuals experience the same mental health concerns as their hearing peers and, as such, seek out the same services to address these concerns. However, studies have discovered that deaf people experience mental health issues at nearly twice the rate of the general population and do not always find equitable access to mental health services.

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Deaf individuals experience the same mental health concerns as their hearing peers and, as such, seek out the same services to address these concerns. However, studies have discovered that deaf people experience mental health issues at nearly twice the rate of the general population and do not always find equitable access to mental health services.

As deaf individuals transition from high-school to postsecondary life, mental health and well being are important areas for professionals and families to focus on prior to graduation. Considerations should be made as to what support the deaf individual may need post-high school to lead a healthy, independent life. The following resources highlight the challenges that deaf individuals have with mental health and accessing care.

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Deaf individuals experience the same mental health concerns as their hearing peers and, as such, seek out the same services to address these concerns. However, studies have discovered that deaf people experience mental health issues at nearly twice the rate of the general population and do not always find equitable access to mental health services.

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American Sign Language Coronavirus Hotline

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American Sign Language Coronavirus Hotline

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Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) and its Connect Direct launched a hotline. CSD’s free hotline brings the deaf community important and accessible information on COVID-19 in both American Sign Language (ASL) and English.

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Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD)

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CSD is the world's largest deaf-led social impact organization and Connect Direct is the leading provider of comprehensive ASL customer contact center solutions, providing organizations with one-to-one customer service directly in ASL.

"On behalf of all us at CSD, I extend my deepest concern and compassion to all those impacted by the COVID19 coronavirus," said Chris Soukup, CEO of CSD. "Protecting the welfare of our community right now remains paramount in the face of this unprecedented global pandemic. This is exactly why we are providing our free hotline, to help ensure that our community is getting equal access to critical information on COVID-19 in their own language."

CSD's COVID-19 ASL Now hotline, administered by Connect Direct, has a team of deaf agents who are both fluent in ASL and trained to provide important information about coronavirus and to help curb confusion and misinformation.

Individuals may contact the ASL Now hotline anytime Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CST either by visiting CSD and clicking "ASL Now" or by dialing 833-682-7630 on any videophone (VP).

"Equal access to information for our community is a societal imperative each and every day, but especially right now as we all strive to cope with this health pandemic," said Craig J. Radford, Director of Strategy and Business Development for Connect Direct. "Our free hotline gives deaf people a great added resource in their native language to ask questions and get clarification on an array of issues and concerns related to COVID-19. Getting well informed is one of the fundamental steps we all can take during a crisis like this to help minimize our fears and the spread of this deadly virus."

As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting the deaf community during this health crisis, CSD also has established a dedicated and comprehensive COVID-19 webpage providing extensive and accessible resources and important information.

The CSD's COVID-19 ASL Now hotline is not a medical organization, it does not provide medical advice and its agents are not medical professionals.

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CSD is the world's largest deaf-led social impact organization and Connect Direct is the leading provider of comprehensive ASL customer contact center solutions, providing organizations with one-to-one customer service directly in ASL. "On behalf of all us at CSD, I extend my deepest concern and compassion to all those impacted by the COVID19 coronavirus," said Chris Soukup, CEO of CSD.

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Talking to Kids about Coronavirus: ASL & English Resources (American Society for Deaf Children)

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Talking to Kids about Coronavirus: ASL & English Resources (American Society for Deaf Children)

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ASDC has some resources from trusted sources, both in English and ASL, to help you get the information you need to have open, informative, and comforting conversations with your child.

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As our nation takes steps to slow the spread of the coronavirus, children may worry about how the situation will affect them - and you. Here are some resources from trusted sources, both in English and ASL, to help you get the information you need to have open, informative, and comforting conversations with your child.

Coronavirus Info in ASL

Coronavirus Info for Parents in English

Hand Washing Fun

Funny ASL video about washing your hands!
Source: The Endless Show

Source: Quang Đăng. Listen to this Vietnamese song (with English subtitles) and learn the dance moves in this "viral" video about hand washing. Fun for all ages 🙂

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Talking to Kids about Coronavirus: ASL & English Resources - American Society for Deaf Children

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As our nation takes steps to slow the spread of the coronavirus, children may worry about how the situation will affect them - and you. Here are some resources from trusted sources, both in English and ASL, to help you get the information you need to have open, informative, and comforting conversations with your child.

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Ideas/Hints for Families--Social Emotional Skills Strategies

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Ideas/Hints for Families--Social Emotional Skills Strategies

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Tips & suggestions on how to address and manage social emotional skills at home. They give you concrete ways to communicate appropriate feelings and behaviors and develop coping skills.

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First Aid for Feelings: The Moodsters Life Lessons for Children

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First Aid for Feelings: The Moodsters Life Lessons for Children

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“First Aid for Feelings” is a workbook for children designed to help do just that. By using the simple coping strategies found in this workbook, you can encourage children to express thoughts, questions, and feelings. These life skills may help reduce and manage children’s stress or anxiety, and provide some sense of control within their changing lives.

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A 5 minute video about the Coronavirus interpreted in ASL.

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Various topics covered in ASL for children and adults explaining COVID-19 

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Various topics covered in ASL for children and adults explaining COVID-19 

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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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7 tips to improving communication with your Deaf teenager

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7 tips to improving communication with your Deaf teenager

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For regularly updated information and resources in response to COVID-19, visit: nationaldeafcenter.org/covid19
[ Disponible en español] [ Download PDF]

Video description: https://tinyurl.com/s4m42uk

For many deaf teenagers and young adults, their lives suddenly changed when they were told by high schools and colleges to finish out the spring semester online due to the coronavirus crisis.

Some are at home with parents. Others have to stay with family members, friends, or a new temporary place. For all involved, communication can be a challenge.

Here are seven quick tips for hearing parents, guardians, and hosts to improve communication with deaf children and guests, understand them better, and create a household that's happier for everyone.

1. Check In and Ask Questions

First and foremost: Check in with your deaf teenager, express your desire and hope to improve communication, and ask them how this can work. Start the conversation with questions, such as "How do you prefer to communicate?" or "What can I do differently to better communicate?" Deaf people know what is best for them. Let them take the lead, then keep checking in periodically.

2. Reduce Assumptions

If the deaf teenager in your home is a guest, don't assume they can read lips. Deaf people are asked this all the time. Even if they have some residual hearing and can read lips, they have to work harder to understand, which can be exhausting - especially during the stress of a pandemic. Sometimes it can be tempting to ask a deaf person to teach you American Sign Language (ASL). Instead of putting the burden on them, take the initiative to learn basic ASL signs through online tutorials, smartphone apps, or books.

3. Create Space

If space in your home is tight, it will add to everyone's stress, especially when isolating or sheltering in place. For a deaf college student who lived on campus and was used to their independence, this can be especially difficult. If they don't have their own room, try to create a private space in your home for them to study and work, as well as unplug. Then, respect their privacy. It will also give you a much-needed break.

4. Take Advantage of Technology

You probably already realized that texting is sometimes the best way to reach any teenager, even when they are at home. You can also use voice-to-text apps on your iPhone or Android devices that transcribe what you say, although they can be imperfect. Or go low-tech: Use a notepad and pen or a small whiteboard to write down messages and questions. When watching television, don't forget to turn on the captions (even hearing teens love them).

5. Play Deaf-Friendly Games

Finding ways to relax and play together is important in any household. Avoid any games or group activities that are heavily dependent on speaking or listening. Instead, choose deaf-friendly games that rely more on visual cues or physical competition.

6. Make the Most of Your Downtime

Have extra time in your day and already watched too much Netflix? Learn more about deaf people and culture. Take a free online course called Deaf 101, which in just a few hours provides basic knowledge and tools necessary to communicate effectively with deaf people, or check out other online resources.

7. Set Reasonable Expectations

This is a tough transition period - not just for your deaf teenager, but for you, too! Be sure to set reasonable expectations, make time and space for yourself, and continue to have open and honest conversations that respect everyone's values, perspectives, and uniqueness.

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Seven Tips to Improve Communication with Your Deaf Teenager During COVID-19

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For regularly updated information and resources in response to COVID-19, visit: nationaldeafcenter.org/covid19 [ Disponible en español] [ Download PDF] Video description: https://tinyurl.com/s4m42uk For many deaf teenagers and young adults, their lives suddenly changed when they were told by high schools and colleges to finish out the spring semester online due to the coronavirus crisis.

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Videos from CDC on explaining different concerns with the spread of Covid-19.

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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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Communications Service for the Deaf (CSD) Covid-19 ASL Hotline

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Communications Service for the Deaf (CSD) Covid-19 ASL Hotline

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For Covid-19 questions and answers in ASL.

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Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD)

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The Unites Foundation is proud to support non-profit organizations that have been impacted by COVID-19. This includes organizations that are currently struggling with resources, funding shortages, or adapting their services in response to the pandemic. This week, CSD announced the six organizations within the deaf community that will receive these micro-grants to support their efforts.

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The Unites Foundation is proud to support non-profit organizations that have been impacted by COVID-19. This includes organizations that are currently struggling with resources, funding shortages, or adapting their services in response to the pandemic. This week, CSD announced the six organizations within the deaf community that will receive these micro-grants to support their efforts.

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Get up-to-date medical and scientific knowledge in American Sign Language from Zach Featherstone, DO, and Ian DeAndrea-Lazarus, MPH, MD-PhD Candidate. also follow on facebook and Instagram.

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The purpose of Deaf in Scrubs is to make up-to-date medical and public health information more accessible to the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

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To promote and advocate for the health, health equity, and health access for the deaf community, including persons who identify as DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, Hard of Hearing, Late Deafened, and American Sign Language (ASL) users nationwide, by providing direct linguistically and culturally accessible education, advocacy, and resources. Also you can follow on social media.

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We're tired of not having full access to health information and health communication.

Because of this, the Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, Hard of Hearing, and Late-Deafened community are at a higher risk for adverse health outcomes compared to hearing (non-deaf) Americans. There is one simple but significant thing that causes inequity and creates barriers: the lack of meaningful and effective communication.

Process has been slowly made, but the healthcare and medical systems still view us as something that needs to be fixed. We're actually proud of who we are with our beautiful language, community, and culture. We don't need to be fixed, we just need access.

The goal for Health Signs Center is to make health information accessible to YOU.

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a center for all things public health in american sign language. health signs center is a nonprofit organization to provide accessible information for the deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, deafdisabled, and late deafened community with asl videos, captions, and transcripts.

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Updates and news from the CDC and state guidelines on the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation.

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We use cookies to improve our customer experience and to help us provide a better service. By continuing to use this website, you consent to the use of cookies.

Learn more about cookies here

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We use cookies to improve our customer experience and to help us provide a better service. By continuing to use this website, you consent to the use of cookies. Learn more about cookies here

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State of Florida Resource Guide (Not DHH specific) 

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State of Florida Resource Guide (Not DHH specific) 

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Florida Local Youth Mental Health Resource Guides

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A Collection of resource guides from Florida school districts

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Stories can help ALL children understand what is going on around them.  Information about their new routines can reduce anxiety and fear.  This will lead to smoother transitions into the new routine.

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More and more states and cities have put together plans for going back to school for the 2020-2021 school year. Each area in the country has somewhat different plans. Some are starting out with 100% distance learning, some are implementing a hybrid model and others are going back to in person learning with modifications. As we start to go back, using any of those approaches, children are going to need INFORMATION. What will they see that is different? What are the new norms? Are masks required? What about on the bus?

As humans, we all thrive on routine. Children's (and adults) routines have been disrupted over these past several months. Stories can help ALL children understand what is going on around them. Information about their new routines can reduce anxiety and fear. This will lead to smoother transitions into the new routine.

I've listed all of the COVID-19 stories that relate to schools here for easier access for parents and educators. When I write more stories that pertain to school, I will add them to this list. I wish you all well as we embark on this new school year. Stay well!
Riding the Bus Will Be Different Coughing, Sneezing and More Coronavirus, What Is It? Distance Learning, What Is It? Distance Learning Tips Expectations For Online Learning How To Video Chat With Other People Going Back To School What Is Social Distancing? What Is Hybrid Learning? Getting My Temperature Taken Wearing A Mask Wearing A Mask To School When Can I Stop Wearing A Mask? Putting A Mask On My Toys Why Does My Teacher Look Different? My Teachers Are Wearing Face Shields Greeting My Teachers and Friends (during COVID19) Masks, Face Shields and Gloves, Oh My! Who Should Wear A Mask? Mask Etiquette Story

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More and more states and cities have put together plans for going back to school for the 2020-2021 school year. Each area in the country has somewhat different plans. Some are starting out with 100% distance learning, some are implementing a hybrid model and others are going back to in person learning with modifications.

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Stories can help ALL children understand what is going on around them.  Information about their new routines can reduce anxiety and fear.  This will lead to smoother transitions into the new routine.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
More and more states and cities have put together plans for going back to school for the 2020-2021 school year. Each area in the country has somewhat different plans. Some are starting out with 100% distance learning, some are implementing a hybrid model and others are going back to in person learning with modifications. As we start to go back, using any of those approaches, children are going to need INFORMATION. What will they see that is different? What are the new norms? Are masks required? What about on the bus?

As humans, we all thrive on routine. Children's (and adults) routines have been disrupted over these past several months. Stories can help ALL children understand what is going on around them. Information about their new routines can reduce anxiety and fear. This will lead to smoother transitions into the new routine.

I've listed all of the COVID-19 stories that relate to schools here for easier access for parents and educators. When I write more stories that pertain to school, I will add them to this list. I wish you all well as we embark on this new school year. Stay well!
Riding the Bus Will Be Different Coughing, Sneezing and More Coronavirus, What Is It? Distance Learning, What Is It? Distance Learning Tips Expectations For Online Learning How To Video Chat With Other People Going Back To School What Is Social Distancing? What Is Hybrid Learning? Getting My Temperature Taken Wearing A Mask Wearing A Mask To School When Can I Stop Wearing A Mask? Putting A Mask On My Toys Why Does My Teacher Look Different? My Teachers Are Wearing Face Shields Greeting My Teachers and Friends (during COVID19) Masks, Face Shields and Gloves, Oh My! Who Should Wear A Mask? Mask Etiquette Story

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
More and more states and cities have put together plans for going back to school for the 2020-2021 school year. Each area in the country has somewhat different plans. Some are starting out with 100% distance learning, some are implementing a hybrid model and others are going back to in person learning with modifications.

# data[].attributes.body
Stories can help ALL children understand what is going on around them.  Information about their new routines can reduce anxiety and fear.  This will lead to smoother transitions into the new routine.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
More and more states and cities have put together plans for going back to school for the 2020-2021 school year. Each area in the country has somewhat different plans. Some are starting out with 100% distance learning, some are implementing a hybrid model and others are going back to in person learning with modifications. As we start to go back, using any of those approaches, children are going to need INFORMATION. What will they see that is different? What are the new norms? Are masks required? What about on the bus?

As humans, we all thrive on routine. Children's (and adults) routines have been disrupted over these past several months. Stories can help ALL children understand what is going on around them. Information about their new routines can reduce anxiety and fear. This will lead to smoother transitions into the new routine.

I've listed all of the COVID-19 stories that relate to schools here for easier access for parents and educators. When I write more stories that pertain to school, I will add them to this list. I wish you all well as we embark on this new school year. Stay well!
Riding the Bus Will Be Different Coughing, Sneezing and More Coronavirus, What Is It? Distance Learning, What Is It? Distance Learning Tips Expectations For Online Learning How To Video Chat With Other People Going Back To School What Is Social Distancing? What Is Hybrid Learning? Getting My Temperature Taken Wearing A Mask Wearing A Mask To School When Can I Stop Wearing A Mask? Putting A Mask On My Toys Why Does My Teacher Look Different? My Teachers Are Wearing Face Shields Greeting My Teachers and Friends (during COVID19) Masks, Face Shields and Gloves, Oh My! Who Should Wear A Mask? Mask Etiquette Story

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More and more states and cities have put together plans for going back to school for the 2020-2021 school year. Each area in the country has somewhat different plans. Some are starting out with 100% distance learning, some are implementing a hybrid model and others are going back to in person learning with modifications.

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A social story on what to do and not do when riding the bus during social distancing and wearing masks.

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How returning to school this year may look very different and why.

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Story about how and why we must wear masks.

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The reason students wear a mask to school.

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The need for Social Distancing explained in a basic social story.

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Who, When and Why we wear masks explained in basic ways with cute pictures to help represent the places and people where you will see masks.

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Why is My Teacher Wearing a Face Shield? 

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Why is My Teacher Wearing a Face Shield? 

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A social story on why a teacher may be wearing a face shield instead of a mask.

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Texas Initiative for Mental Health for Deaf Youth: Session One - Deaf Culture

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Texas Initiative for Mental Health for Deaf Youth: Session One - Deaf Culture

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In 3 three sessions, author and professor Thomas K. Holcomb Ph.D. discusses Deaf culture and its impact on mental health and treatment for deaf individuals.  He expounds on the 5 stages of cultural awareness in the context of the Deaf community. This information is an important basis on which to build an understanding of the unique needs and challenges that exist in addressing mental health in this population.

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Texas Initiative for Mental Health for Deaf Youth: Session One - Deaf Culture

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Texas Initiative for Mental Health of Deaf Youth - Session 2: Communication

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Texas Initiative for Mental Health of Deaf Youth - Session 2: Communication

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In this this second of three sessions, Roger C. Williams, LMSW, QMHI-S, CT, NAD V, discusses communication issues that impact the provision of mental health services to deaf individuals. Roger reviews that we know about language acquisition in deaf children along with a discussion regarding what we know about cochlear implants and what is most effective in helping deaf children develop and use language.  He then goes on to review dysfluency and language disorders, as well as discussing various mental health issues and what they look like in deaf individuals.

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Texas Initiative for Mental Health of Deaf Youth - Session 2: Communication

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Session 3: Introduction to Counseling with Deaf People with Language and Learning Challenges

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Session 3: Introduction to Counseling with Deaf People with Language and Learning Challenges

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In this third in the series of three videos by Texas Initiative, Neil Glickman, Ph.D. presents information about deaf individuals that can and does impact providing counseling services to this population.  He covers a number of issues including language deprivation, appropriate communication supports, development and others.  He also provides some very specific information and suggestions for working with this population in the counseling setting.

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-Texas Initiative for Mental Health of Deaf Youth - Session 3: Counseling

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National Counselors of the Deaf Association

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National Counselors of the Deaf Association

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The National Counselors of the Deaf Association connects School Counselors and related professions working with deaf children in the school setting. Membership applications have been temporarily paused, as we are refreshing the association's structure to better serve you, so please stay tuned!

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National Counselors of the Deaf Association

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The National Counselors of the Deaf Association connects School Counselors and related professions working with deaf children in the school setting. Membership applications have been temporarily paused, as we are refreshing the association's structure to better serve you, so please stay tuned!

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Book - "Something Bad Happened to Me: A Kid's Guide to Coping With Events in the News"

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Book - "Something Bad Happened to Me: A Kid's Guide to Coping With Events in the News"

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"Something Bad Happened" guides children ages 6 to 12 and the adults who care about them through tough conversations about news of large-scale disasters, addressing questions such as: "Where did it happen?" "Why did it happen?" And, "Will it happen again?" Feelings such as sadness, fear and confusion are normalized, and coping tools provided.

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BOOK - "A Little SPOT of Courage: A Story About Being Brave"

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BOOK - "A Little SPOT of Courage: A Story About Being Brave"

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What is courage? You might think of super hero when you hear COURAGE, but all of us can do small and big acts of COURAGE everyday! A Little SPOT of Courage will show you some ways you can grow your COURAGE SPOT From trying out for a basketball team to helping someone when they are being treated unkind too much more!

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a little spot of courage: a story about being brave

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A Little SPOT of Courage: A Story About Being Brave

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A Little SPOT of Courage: A Story About Being Brave [Alber, Diane] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A Little SPOT of Courage: A Story About Being Brave

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SAM is an application to help you understand and manage anxiety. The app has been developed in collaboration with a research team from UWE, Bristol It won Healthline's 2018  Award for Best Apps.

SAM will help you to understand what causes your anxiety, monitor your anxious thoughts and behaviour over time and manage your anxiety through self-help exercises and private reflection.

The "Social cloud" feature will enable you to share your experiences with the SAM community while protecting your identity

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An app to help you manage down anxiety, depression and loneliness. Join our wellbeing community

SAM is a non-profit, community-backed wellbeing app to help you monitor and manage your mental health, with self-help techniques to help with anxiety, depression, loneliness and coping. SAM is informed by clinical best practice and academic research.

SAM provides a range of self-help techniques organised into several main wellbeing themes, together with tools for recording and monitoring changes in your mood. The social cloud feature allows users to give and receive support from others.

SAM was developed by a team of researchers from the University of the West of England working with Bristol-based digital studio MyOxygen. The development was based on clinical evidence and followed a user-centred design process to successfully deliver a mobile app that helps you to:

Monitor your feelings and chart mood levels over time.

Discover guided self-help techniques including games and multimedia for challenging unhelpful thoughts.

Share advice and ratings with the SAM community through the Social Cloud.

SAM is currently unfunded and ad-free for all users.

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SAM is a non-profit, community-backed wellbeing app to help you monitor and manage your mental health, with self-help techniques to help with anxiety, depression, loneliness and coping. SAM is informed by clinical best practice and academic research. SAM provides a range of self-help techniques organised into several main wellbeing themes, together with tools for recording and monitoring changes in your mood.

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Wellness is the first mental health journal of its kind. It's the only app to privately keep your moods and health data in one place. It has everything you need to keep track of your mental health.

You can track the medications, vitamins, and supplements you're taking. 4.4 Star Rating

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Wellness is the first mental health journal of its kind. It's the only app to privately keep your moods and health data in one place. It has everything you need to keep track of your mental health.

You can track the medications, vitamins, and supplements you're taking.

You can see your Health data from other apps:
- Sleep
- Mindfulness
- Workouts
- Menstrual Cycles
- Insulin Delivery
- Blood Sugar
- Blood Pressure
- Water Intake
- Activity (Apple Watch required)
- and we keep adding more!

Best of all, no sign up required! Wellness is totally private.

Wellness is regularly featured in the App Store and our customers love it! Here's what they have to say:

"I never rate anything. Ever. And I'm a bit of an app collector. I have only been using the free version of this app and not only does it do exactly what it should but it's the only one I've found that does it for free. Actually this app does for free what many don't even achieve in premium."
Rayedee8 - 5 star review

"I love the simplicity and features of this app. It's amazing and I use it daily. It's an undiscovered gem that needs to gain popularity. The development team is a top notch too. They support the app and fix the bugs immediately. Please download it and support the team!"
KadirOrcun - 5 star review

"This is the perfect way to track my mood and I haven't missed my meds since I got it. I have depression and my parents are always asking how I've been and I never really remember and so this app is perfect!"
shellieLuv - 5 star review

LEARN MORE

# Always know how you've been feeling
With Wellness, you'll always have the data to describe how you've been feeling. The mood chart shows your moods over time, so you can see every change in your mood - big or small.

# Understand your medication use
Some medications help, some don't. Wellness knows when you plan to take your medication and remembers when you haven't, painting a clearer picture of your adherence.

# See your overall health
When you connect Wellness with Apple Health, you'll see health data from your other apps in your timeline. Wellness can even check in with you when new data arrives, so you can see connections between your moods and sleep, workouts, mindfulness, period cycles, and blood sugar.

# Private and secured with your touch
Your mood, medication, and health history is sensitive information. You can always secure your data in Wellness with Face ID or Touch ID and a passcode.

Terms & Conditions:
https://getwellness.co/terms

Privacy Policy:
https://getwellness.co/privacy

Version 1.7.4

- Fixes an issue that caused the "Edit" button to become unresponsive or hidden from you when viewing a medication's details
- Fixes an issue that can cause Wellness to show the "Welcome to Wellness" screens when opening Wellness
- Improves app launch time for users that don't use Wellness daily
- Customer Support is now email support instead of chat support

<3

Great and simple

Update: There is a bug where you can't delete current reminders; when you try to the app crashes.

Original Review:
It's a well designed straight forward app. One thing that the app needs though. Is different statistical charts and graphs based on the moods inputed everyday. For example a graph showing what mood was inputed the most, and a calendar view that portrays different colors for each date based on the average mood of that day. I think these additions would make this an absolutely incredible app. Everything else is amazing, from the ui design to the health utilities. Thank you for making such a beautiful app. I hope to see many great updates in the future.

Hi there

Thank you for writing a review, they really help out our tiny team a lot.

Firstly, I wanted to let you know that we've fixed the bug that made the Wellness crash when deleting reminders.

Secondly, we're working on some great new features that will help provide more insight into the causes of mood fluctuations among other great new features in the next few weeks and months.

We're excited to share them with you.

Until then, feel free to get in touch with us in the all new and streamlined Wellness support in Wellness 1.2 by going to Wellness > Settings > Support

Best regards
Ruben Santiago
Founder

P.S. Wellness 1.2 has some great new features and improvements worth checking out!

Everything it should be

I never rate anything. Ever. And I'm a bit of an app collector. I have only been using the free version of this app and not only does it do exactly what it should but it's the only one I've found that does it for free. Actually this app does for free what many don't even achieve in premium. There is a premium version (which I haven't tried yet) but I most likely will in the near future entirely because of how much they give you for free. This app has a lovely design and is so easy to use. I'm grateful I found this app, it has been so helpful. Totally recommend trying it. Free versus premium aside, I tried about 15 mood tracking apps and this was the winner. Thanks developers!

Great potential, but ultimately a buggy disappointment

The app looks beautiful and the ideas behind it are great. I love having a trend of my mood with a timeline of the factors that could affect it. abut this is marred by several issues.

For example, the app crashes frequently on startup. It often won't pick up health data like sleep or workouts until you force quit the app and restart it. Crashes are also typical while editing the pillbox. If you delete a reminder, it deletes a different reminder than the one selected.

Additionally there are tons of interface issues that make it hard to use. For example, the button to log a dose in the pillbox has such a small hit area that I frequently wind up in the details of a pill rather than logging (please read about Fitt's law). You can't edit notifications, you have to delete them and add them again. Or there's the days of the week chooser, where Saturday is near impossible to toggle because the tap area is partially off the screen.

I bought the lifetime membership because this app is precisely what I, and I suspect a lot of others, would find super helpful. But the lack of stability and interface polish make are frustrating impediments. A mood tracker shouldn't make its user irritable.

Information

Compatibility

Requires iOS 10.3 and watchOS 4.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch.

Infrequent/Mild Medical/Treatment Information

Copyright

© 2019 Wellness Intelligence LLC

In-App Purchases

1. Wellness Monthly $4.99

2. Wellness Forever $49.99

Family Sharing

With Family Sharing set up, up to six family members can use this app.

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‎Wellness is the first mental health journal of its kind. It's the only app to privately keep your moods and health data in one place. It has everything you need to keep track of your mental health. You can track the medications, vitamins, and supplements you're taking. You can see your Health dat...

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Serentia - Lower and Manage Stress Within Minutes

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Serentia - Lower and Manage Stress Within Minutes

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Award winning Serenita solves this problem by providing a clinically validated stress test, using nothing but a Smartphone. Serenita offers the most time- efficient solution to lower stress by  using AI Driven personalized breathing exercises, the engine assists the body in shutting down the release of stress hormones into the bloodstream, and promoting the release of anti-stress hormones and enzymes such as acetylcholine, prolactin, vasopressin, and oxytocin. Serenita records and organizes all measured stress & treatment data.

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The medical gold standard for measuring stress is Cortisol level. This stress hormone lab test is rarely conducted as it is expensive and takes along time to turn around, and also is not suitable for continuous monitoring. Without access to stress measurements overtime, doctors often rely on their patients to assess their own stress level.

Those assessments are notoriously inaccurate, and as a result, doctors often misdiagnose the cause of a particular medical condition, which leads to prescribing the wrong treatment. Serenita solves this problem by providing a clinically validated stress test, using nothing but a Smartphone. In a clinical study, we showed our stress reading using the app has a high correlation (0.93) with the standard lab stress test (Saliva Cortisol).

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The medical gold standard for measuring stress is Cortisol level. This stress hormone lab test is rarely conducted as it is expensive and takes along time to turn around, and also is not suitable for continuous monitoring. Without access to stress measurements overtime, doctors often rely on their patients to assess their own stress level.

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Worry Watch -Record, Reflect, Reason & Refute

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Worry Watch -Record, Reflect, Reason & Refute

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Write down what is bothering you and set a reminder to revisit it later. Analyze your thought patterns logically with the help of statistics dashboard. Once past the worry, note whether the outcome was as bad as worried. Based on your own statistics, realize that your worries may be mostly unfounded. Picked as one of the BEST anxiety apps 4 years in a row.

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Put your anxiety & stress into perspective with Worry Watch app. It is built on the foundations of cognitive science where awareness of one's thoughts has a profound effect on one's emotions and behaviors.

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The tool, created by leading mental health and design specialists, assists users to both share how their day is tracking in a gamified way while also keeping a close eye on those they care about. Be A Looper is a world first daily mental health check-in and peer support app to keep users "in the Loop" with up to five people globally.

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Be A Looper is a world first daily mental health check-in and peer support app to keep users "in the Loop" with up to five people globally.

The tool, created by leading mental health and design specialists, assists users to both share how their day is tracking in a gamified way while also keeping a close eye on those they care about.

Spreading to 87 countries since December 2017, the proprietary application is a testament that social support, chain-diffusion and role modelling vulnerability plays a significant role in chronic disease self-management and in lowering the suicide rate, globally using technology.

Social Support - Be A Looper is driven by social support, with the emphasis on reducing isolation by providing a sense of safety and community. We know from Self-Determination Theory that the concept of relatedness as a powerful need and driver of behaviour has been proven out in many settings. Allied to this concept is the need to support autonomy and competence, related to self-efficacy, all part of ways to prevent the onset of helplessness, which is a driver of suicidal ideation.

Chain Diffusion - We also know that when someone close has suicided, the barrier to suicide of persons close to them weakens. Individual behaviours such as this can spread across groups and cultures through a process called chain diffusion. This occurs when an individual first learns a behaviour by experiencing someone else doing this, and this then serves as a model through which they and others learn the behaviour, and so on. Relatedness in this way backfires, so modelling a more positive approach to dealing with despair is crucial.

Self- efficacy - Outcomes in behaviour change to healthier options, as with all intrinsic drivers depend on a sense of effectance, competence, self-efficacy, concepts all related to Allbert Badura's concept that the way we approach life's challenges is heavily influenced by our sense that the actions we are about to undertake will achieve the desired outcome, the opposite in a way to the sense of helplessness and hopelessness that may accompany suicidal ideation. Scaffolding a sense of efficacy, a sense that one swipe will alter the outcome, or similar low-threshold action will change the present in favour of a more definite future, has underpinned our Be A Looper approach. Choosing a behaviour in the here and now that will have the best outcome over the temporal future, valuing this future over the now, is key to our desire to save lives one trusted contact at a time.

Role Modelling Vulnerability - Observational learning theory suggests that an individual's environment, cognition and related behaviour all integrate and ultimately determine how that individual functions, and ultimately determine how that individual will function. Based on the above, learning to express distress in a non-confronting way that supports rescuing actions by others, can lower the barriers to communicating distress by modelling it for others in a process of chain diffusion.

Solving the global suicide epidemic requires a community of committed and unified individuals from all areas of the world.

If you represent a product, service, business or organisation and you feel partnership could be beneficial, we encourage you reach out via our company page, www.transhumaninc.com

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The tool, created by leading mental health and design specialists, assists users to both share how their day is tracking in a gamified way while also keeping a close eye on those they care about.

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Slay your stress, get more sleep or find your calm with short mindfulness activities tuned to your emotions. Let MyLife™ recommend the activities that are right for you. Whether you’re anxious, sleepless, hopeful, angry, or anything in between, we’re here for you.

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The Mental Health Impacts After a Hurricane

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The Mental Health Impacts After a Hurricane

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Mental illnesses like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic depression, anxiety and addiction are commonly reported weeks and months after a traumatic event.

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Skip to main menu Skip to content

The Mental Health Impact of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma

By Erica Hoffman on September 15, 2017

When natural disasters like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma strike, the number one priority is physical safety. But after the initial emergency passes, media coverage fades and public attention shifts, the process of recovery really begins to take shape. For those affected, that can take months - more often, years.

Mental illnesses like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic depression, anxiety and addiction are commonly reported weeks and months after a traumatic event. In the case of Hurricane Katrina, nearly half of survivors suffered from some form of mental health distress after the storm subsided, according to a 2012 study in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. After Hurricane Sandy, more than 20 percent of residents reported PTSD, 33 percent reported depression and 46 percent reported anxiety.

Survivors of traumatic events may begin to experience additional symptoms including:

1. Interpersonal changes like withdrawal

2. Irritability and mood swings

3. A sense of isolation

4. Trouble sleeping

5. Confusion

In the face of destruction and despair, it is necessary for people to take the time to mourn their losses, and for communities to create safe spaces for them to do so. Simply being aware of the psychological effects caused by hurricanes, and knowing how to respond appropriately, can make a world of difference.

Mental Health First Aid can help those who have experienced disasters like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. It is a training program that teaches people how to recognize and respond to symptoms of mental health problems. It is intentional about bringing together and strengthening communities through dedicated conversations about what mental health is and what it may look like.

Our Mental Health First Aid USA team and our committed network of Instructors are here to support you through your recovery. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns regarding mental health, trauma or coping skills. And if you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of trauma, these resources may be a good place to start.
Please be on the lookout for additional information about how Mental Health First Aid USA and the National Council for Behavioral Health are committed to helping the people impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

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The Mental Health Impact of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma

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When natural disasters like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma strike, the number one priority is physical safety. But after the initial emergency passes, media coverage fades and public attention shifts, the process of recovery really begins to take shape. For those

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Disaster Relief for Deaf Persons: Lessons from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

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Disaster Relief for Deaf Persons: Lessons from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

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Victims of disasters who are deaf face unique and insurmountable obstacles in accessing disaster relief. The response to deaf disaster victims of Hurricane Katrina is an example of how the Federal government failed this population, particularly the community of Deaf African Americans who lived in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward. In the aftermath of this disaster, the natural helping networks of the deaf community and its organizations proved to be more effective than the organized relief agencies. The author, a deaf social worker, spent two weeks in the Gulf region assisting deaf evacuees who fled both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita during the now infamous hurricanes of 2005.

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Many of us are familiar with the “screech” of an incoming severe weather alert on our TV’s, radio’s and telephones. These alerts provide valuable and life-saving information about severe weather when it threatens your location. But, what if you couldn’t hear it? An emergency or disaster may present unique challenges for people with hearing disabilities. If you or someone you care for has a hearing disability, the National Weather Service has taken efforts to ensure our warnings and alerts can be received and the proper preparations and actions undertaken.

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How NOAA Supports the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community

Many of us are familiar with the "screech" of an incoming severe weather alert on our TV's, radio's and telephones. These alerts provide valuable and life-saving information about severe weather when it threatens your location. But, what if you couldn't hear it? An emergency or disaster may present unique challenges for people with hearing disabilities. If you or someone you care for has a hearing disability, the National Weather Service has taken efforts to ensure our warnings and alerts can be received and the proper preparations and actions undertaken.

NOAA Weather Radio and other alerts for Deaf and Hard of Hearing

NOAA All-Hazards Radio receives National Weather Service (NWS) warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day. (Brochure)

While primarily an auditory alert system, many off-the-shelf All-Hazards Radios are available with visual and vibrating alarm features and simple text readouts for use by deaf or hard of hearing individuals. Special adaptors can also be added to some models of All-Hazards Radios by certain vendors. These adaptors can include, colorized warning lights to indicate the level of alert (Statement, Watch, Warning) and a Liquid Crystal Display readout of specific warnings. All Hazards Radios are programmable state/country selections that screen out alerts from other areas and can be battery-operated and portable at home, work, school, or while travelling around the country. Some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about NOAA All-Hazards Radio for the deaf and hard of hearing can be viewed here.

More information on NOAA All-Hazards Radio and how to configure it with adaptors for deaf or hard of hearing individuals can be viewed in the video below.

Lightning Safety for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community

One of the NWS's major successes in engaging the deaf and hard of hearing community with weather safety took place in our weather safety messaging regarding thunderstorms and lightning safety. The original campaign slogan, "When thunder roars, go indoors", did not relate with the hearing-impaired community. As such, a team of NWS meteorologists undertook the mission of coming up with a new slogan that would be more inclusive to the community. As a result, "See a flash, dash inside" is now used in conjunction with the original slogan. A PSA for lightning safety for the deaf and hard of hearing can be seen below.

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Weather Safety Information for Deaf and Hard of Hearing

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Many of us are familiar with the "screech" of an incoming severe weather alert on our TV's, radio's and telephones. These alerts provide valuable and life-saving information about severe weather when it threatens your location. But, what if you couldn't hear it? An emergency or disaster may present unique challenges for people with hearing disabilities.

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The Psychiatric Assessment of People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

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The Psychiatric Assessment of People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

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Disparaties in access to information about mental health and access to quality mental health care for people who are deaf or hard of hearing is a significant public health problem (Figure 4). All people with hearing differences may attribute the onset of mental health problems as related to communication breakdowns or to oppression related to a lack of access to information. Hence deaf and hard of hearing people may delay referral for mental health treatment. Study findings indicate that people with hearing loss of all degrees are vastly underserved by the mental health system for a variety of reasons.¹There are no specialized services designed specifically to meet the mental health needs of signing deaf patients or hard of hearing people in most states. Disproportionately few deaf or hard of hearing people seek mental health care.¹ Deaf and hard of hearing people are more inclined to present for emergency-related care than outpatient care.⁷ Hence psychiatrists in training do not have many opportunities to learn to work with the hard of hearing. Some training sites have created online learning tools, community training collaborative, or virtual patient trainings.7,8 The Minnesota Department of Human Services has developed an online training as a first step in helping to familiarize mental health professionals with the topic (http://registrations.dhs.state.mn.us/Registration Courses/HearingLoss /welcome.intro.html).

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The National Coalition on Mental Health and Deaf Individuals

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The National Coalition on Mental Health and Deaf Individuals

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To create and modify public systems of care to adequately provide culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health and substance abuse services to humans with hearing loss. We carry out this mission through research, technical assistance, networking, advocacy, and education with extensive community and stakeholder input and participation.

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Welcome to the home page of the National Coalition on Mental Health and Deaf Individuals (NCMHDI)! This website will enable you to review our Mission Statement, Goals, Officers/Board Members and Contacts.

The NCMHDI is a non-profit corporation established in 2008 to provide leadership and support in the areas of public mental health and deaf and hard of hearing populations in the United States. We are specifically committed to expanding the participation of consumers/survivors in all aspects of our work. In addition, the Coalition offers technical assistance to state mental health departments who are interested in developing or modifying mental health systems of care to provide their deaf and hard of hearing populations with culturally and linguistically appropriate care.

NCMHDI Mission

To create and modify public systems of care to adequately provide culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health and substance abuse services to humans with hearing loss. We carry out this mission through research, technical assistance, networking, advocacy, and education with extensive community and stakeholder input and participation.

NCMHDI Values

Shaping a world where deaf and hard of hearing people are respected, self-determining, and living well.

Respected - NCMHDI honors the choices of people with hearing loss and their families.

Self-determining - NCMHDI encourages each person to take control over his/her own life.

Living Well - NCMHDI holds the expectation that all humans with hearing loss are entitled to the same rights that humans with hearing hold under our Constitution; the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

NCMHDI Goal Areas

Access and Early Intervention.

Advocacy/Empowerment

Training and Workforce Development

Service Continuum

Policy Development and Leadership

NCMHDI Officers/Board Members

Resources

Promising and Emerging Approaches and Innovations for Crisis Interventions for People Who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deafblind (September 2016)

Being Seen!: Establishing Deaf to Deaf Peer Support Services and Training - Successes and Lessons Learned from the Massachusetts Experience (2015)
NASMHPD October 2018 Meet Me Call: Language Deprivation and Deaf Consumers: An Under Recognized Barrier to Effective Mental Health Services
Blog: Language Deprivation and Deaf Mental Health; Introduction to a Webinar by Neil Glickman, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Medical School (August 2018)

Additional Information

The NASMHPD Deaf Mental Health Research Priority Consensus-Planning Conference was held January 25-29, 2012 at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

Below are supplemental materials stemming from the outcome of the meeting:

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National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors

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Welcome to the home page of the National Coalition on Mental Health and Deaf Individuals (NCMHDI)! This website will enable you to review our Mission Statement, Goals, Officers/Board Members and Contacts. The NCMHDI is a non-profit corporation established in 2008 to provide leadership and support in the areas of public mental health and deaf and hard of hearing populations in the United States.

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Mental Health Care for Deaf Individuals:Needs, Risk Factors, and Access to Treatment

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Mental Health Care for Deaf Individuals:Needs, Risk Factors, and Access to Treatment

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The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) describes mental health care of deaf individuals as the identification, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of deaf individuals, who have cognitive, emotional, behavioral, or psychosocial needs by counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and other mental health care professionals.

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Research Support & International Affairs

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Research Support & International Affairs

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Mental Health Services
For Deaf Persons: A Resource Director.y This directory is a resource of and for mental health professionals and for deaf consumers. It was developed to provide a comprehensive listing of services and programs for deaf people in the United States and Canada. There are changes in this directory since the 2003 edition, with several new providers listed and others no longer present. It is of particular interest to note that the list of private practitioners has increased by xxxx.

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Mental Health Services
For Deaf Persons:
A Resource Directory

5th edition

Department of Counseling
Graduate School and Professional Programs
Gallaudet University
and
Gallaudet Research Institute
Gallaudet University

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Mental Health Services For Deaf Persons: A Resource Directory 5th edition Department of Counseling Graduate School and Professional Programs Gallaudet University and Gallaudet Research Institute Gallaudet University

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Barriers and Facilitators to Deaf Trauma Survivors' Help-Seeking Behavior: Lessons for Behavioral Clinical Trials Research

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Barriers and Facilitators to Deaf Trauma Survivors' Help-Seeking Behavior: Lessons for Behavioral Clinical Trials Research

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Deaf individuals experience significant obstacles to participating in behavioral health research when careful consideration is not given to accessibility during the design of study methodology. To inform such considerations, we conducted an exploratory secondary analysis of a mixed-methods study that originally explored 16 Deaf trauma survivors' help-seeking experiences.

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Deaf Mental Health Research: Where We've Been and Where We Hope to Go

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Deaf Mental Health Research: Where We've Been and Where We Hope to Go

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Deaf people's behavioral health disparities are paralleled by disparities in their ability to access treatment. Similar to individuals from other sociolinguistic minority groups, Deaf individuals experience a number of obstacles to seeking help including, but not limited to language barriers in the behavioral health system, limited health literacy, small community dynamics, and stigma.

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ASL Video for Kids

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Explaining Face Masks to Deaf Kids - American Society for Deaf Children

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This video from Jincy Roberson explains to deaf and hard of hearing kids why people need to wear face masks.

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Changing Times in Mental Health for People who are Deaf, Deaf-Blind, or Hard of Hearing

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Changing Times in Mental Health for People who are Deaf, Deaf-Blind, or Hard of Hearing

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HealthBridges article

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Dr. Kim Mathos
Psychiatrist Consultant to the HealthBridges Team
For Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of hearing people there have been some uniquely complicated issues. We will divide these topics into the following topics/subheadings:

The new broad use of telehealth in access to technology

Issues related to socialization and changes in group supports

Issues related to heightened anxiety from seeing negative news events and watching constantly for information about the pandemic and case data

Issues related to wearing a mask and major limits on capacity to speech read

New need for adopting unique accommodations in work and social and mental and medical care access

Since March of 2020, telehealth has become the first line option for conducting visits between health care providers and the people they serve. Telehealth has been approved in most states for services provided by doctors, peer supports, case managers, and therapists. Telehealth has been approved by insurers in order to minimize health risk to both patients and providers related to COVID. Many patients have used telehealth because live patient encounters have been discouraged to minimize risk of spreading the corona virus. This service has many unique advantages for people who are Deaf. Native users of American Sign Language, ASL are at ease with the technology of such virtual platforms as Vidyo, Zoom and Doximity. In addition, native users of ASL are also used to communicating on video phones in ASL and often have internet and smart phone access.

One of the silver linings throughout the COVID pandemic is that many patients have appreciated the reduced costs related to gas, parking, time off work and confidentiality which are realities of the benefits of telehealth. The antithesis however is that, not all deaf and hard of hearing people have internet services. More disheartening is that people who have intellectual disabilities, serious mental illness, and other intersecting marginalization such as lower socioeconomic status or unstable housing, are often most inclined to not have such access to technology. Making matters worse, some mental health providers may also not have high levels of sophistication with technology or home access to videophones or webcams.

For some agencies, group therapies have been the mainstay of treatment and a transfer to virtual platforms of conducting groups has not been so graceful. Group homes and community-based habilitative aid service providers who work with individuals with developmental disabilities have had to alter their services dramatically. A new edict for minimizing crowd size has led to severe limits on group-based therapies. Such therapies are very important in the lives of Deaf and DeafBlind people.

Saul, a 55-year-old Deaf man who attended a therapeutic and social rehabilitation program, has been devastated that his day social rehabilitation program is shut down. He no longer eats, and he does not leave his home. He has lost thirty pounds since March and he has become a recluse. He came to live with his brother, but not knowing ASL, his sibling has become frustrated by his decline in functioning. Saul was hospitalized and is now receiving treatment for depression. Included as part of his treatment plan now are regular psychiatric treatment and frequent check ins with an individual service provider who meets with him twice weekly in order to provide access to language and socialization. The limit in his social contacts has clearly led him to develop profound depression.

For individuals who are DeafBlind in our community, a temporary ban on support group meetings had devastating consequences. The high need for close physical contact when engaged in communication with tactile based sign where the hand of the patient is in the hand of the provider has led some interpreters, support service providers and family members alike to be leery/cautious/guarded of communal gatherings and in home supports which have been the mainstay of social opportunities for our deafblind citizens.

For all people with hearing differences, mask wearing has led to less visual cues to enable communication. Everyone must wear a mask to prevent the spread of the COVID virus. Many people with hearing loss rely on speech reading in order to better understand what is being said and to read the intent and emotions of the person who is speaking to them. Such visual clues are no longer present because people's faces are covered. As a consequence, many deaf and hard of hearing people report heightened anxiety and new feelings of depression for those inclined to such conditions. What is true, is that we are all learning new technologies to meet communication needs across the work place. Some work environments have been more inclined to make new adaptations to continue the workflow and some employers have recognized the need for a sense of continued unity among employees. Other employers have not been as aware of unique accommodations needed by employees with hearing loss at this time. In addition, some deaf and hard of hearing people have lost their jobs as many Americans have who work in industries which have been particularly hard hit such as private businesses, restaurants and malls. If you provide mental health services to people who are Deaf, DeafBlind of Hard of hearing, it is important to investigate the unique ways that COVID has impacted the lives of people that you serve and work to establish new ways to think about providing therapies that match consumer need.

Life is certainly different this year. The COVID virus has rocked our worlds. Changes in the economy, in our sense of security, and new concerns about health and wellness are very real to all of us. People who have few social supports have had the most negative mental health consequences from the COVID infection and the impact of mandated social distancing. In Pittsburgh, we aim to capture our experiences and observations documented by providers who serve people who are Deaf or are with hearing loss in the mental health care system during this difficult time.

For Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of hearing people there have been some uniquely complicated issues. We will divide these topics into the following topics/subheadings:

The new broad use of telehealth in access to technology

Issues related to socialization and changes in group supports

Issues related to heightened anxiety from seeing negative news events and watching constantly for information about the pandemic and case data

Issues related to wearing a mask and major limits on capacity to speech read

New need for adopting unique accommodations in work and social and mental and medical care access

Since March of 2020, telehealth has become the first line option for conducting visits between health care providers and the people they serve. Telehealth has been approved in most states for services provided by doctors, peer supports, case managers, and therapists. Telehealth has been approved by insurers in order to minimize health risk to both patients and providers related to COVID. Many patients have used telehealth because live patient encounters have been discouraged to minimize risk of spreading the corona virus. This service has many unique advantages for people who are Deaf. Native users of American Sign Language, ASL are at ease with the technology of such virtual platforms as Vidyo, Zoom and Doximity. In addition, native users of ASL are also used to communicating on video phones in ASL and often have internet and smart phone access.

One of the silver linings throughout the COVID pandemic is that many patients have appreciated the reduced costs related to gas, parking, time off work and confidentiality which are realities of the benefits of telehealth. The antithesis however is that, not all deaf and hard of hearing people have internet services. More disheartening is that people who have intellectual disabilities, serious mental illness, and other intersecting marginalization such as lower socioeconomic status or unstable housing, are often most inclined to not have such access to technology. Making matters worse, some mental health providers may also not have high levels of sophistication with technology or home access to videophones or webcams.

For some agencies, group therapies have been the mainstay of treatment and a transfer to virtual platforms of conducting groups has not been so graceful. Group homes and community-based habilitative aid service providers who work with individuals with developmental disabilities have had to alter their services dramatically. A new edict for minimizing crowd size has led to severe limits on group-based therapies. Such therapies are very important in the lives of Deaf and DeafBlind people.

Saul, a 55-year-old Deaf man who attended a therapeutic and social rehabilitation program, has been devastated that his day social rehabilitation program is shut down. He no longer eats, and he does not leave his home. He has lost thirty pounds since March and he has become a recluse. He came to live with his brother, but not knowing ASL, his sibling has become frustrated by his decline in functioning. Saul was hospitalized and is now receiving treatment for depression. Included as part of his treatment plan now are regular psychiatric treatment and frequent check ins with an individual service provider who meets with him twice weekly in order to provide access to language and socialization. The limit in his social contacts has clearly led him to develop profound depression.

For individuals who are DeafBlind in our community, a temporary ban on support group meetings had devastating consequences. The high need for close physical contact when engaged in communication with tactile based sign where the hand of the patient is in the hand of the provider has led some interpreters, support service providers and family members alike to be leery/cautious/guarded of communal gatherings and in home supports which have been the mainstay of social opportunities for our deafblind citizens.

For all people with hearing differences, mask wearing has led to less visual cues to enable communication. Everyone must wear a mask to prevent the spread of the COVID virus. Many people with hearing loss rely on speech reading in order to better understand what is being said and to read the intent and emotions of the person who is speaking to them. Such visual clues are no longer present because people's faces are covered. As a consequence, many deaf and hard of hearing people report heightened anxiety and new feelings of depression for those inclined to such conditions. What is true, is that we are all learning new technologies to meet communication needs across the work place. Some work environments have been more inclined to make new adaptations to continue the workflow and some employers have recognized the need for a sense of continued unity among employees. Other employers have not been as aware of unique accommodations needed by employees with hearing loss at this time. In addition, some deaf and hard of hearing people have lost their jobs as many Americans have who work in industries which have been particularly hard hit such as private businesses, restaurants and malls. If you provide mental health services to people who are Deaf, DeafBlind of Hard of hearing, it is important to investigate the unique ways that COVID has impacted the lives of people that you serve and work to establish new ways to think about providing therapies that match consumer need.

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Changing Times in Mental Health Service Services for people who are Deaf, Deaf-Blind or Hard of Hearing | HealthBridges

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Dr. Kim MathosPsychiatrist Consultant to the HealthBridges Team For Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of hearing people there have been some uniquely complicated issues. We will divide these topics into the following topics/subheadings: The new broad use of telehealth in access to technologyIssues related to socialization and changes in group supportsIssues...

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CBS News Article on COVID and Students who are D/HH

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CBS News Article on COVID and Students who are D/HH

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When Amanda Cooper found out her 8-year-old son Cason, who is Deaf, wasn't returning to in-person school in March she said she immediately felt afraid.

"That is the best way that I know how to describe it," Cooper, who is hearing, told CBS News. Her family moved to St. Augustine, Florida, so Cason would be able to attend Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind and be immersed in ASL and Deaf culture. "It was just extremely frightening. I know within my heart that I could not provide Cason with what he needed, as much as the teachers at his school could," she added.

And she likely wasn't the only parent who felt this way.

This spring, millions of children across the country went from seeing their peers and teachers each day in-person, to largely interacting behind a computer screen. For many kids in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, their families and educators, the pandemic brought about a unique set of challenges - many centered around access.

Communication and Language Access

American Sign Language (ASL), just like any other language, can take years to learn. Since over 90% of children who are deaf being born to hearing parents, there can be a language gap at home.

Heidi Corce teaches students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing ranging from kindergarten through fifth grade within a mainstream elementary school in Eugene, Oregon. Corce, who is Deaf, told CBS News that her school, Spring Creek Elementary, closed in-person classes in March and they are still remote learning this fall.

Corce said staff only had about one day's notice before leaving school. So, the day before they left, she said she tossed out her lesson plans and spent the time explaining to her students what was going on, not only with school, but the coronavirus pandemic as a whole.

"A lot of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students, many of them, not all of them, but many of their parents don't sign well enough to have conversation about bigger events and explaining why," Corce told CBS News. "I wanted to make sure I had that opportunity to sit down with the kids and explain in ASL what's happening, why we're not coming back to school and draw pictures to explain, because COVID itself, I mean, it's really abstract, as a concept."

Cooper said she has been learning ASL since Cason was identified as being Deaf at 3 years old, but she isn't completely fluent yet. Her fiance and 3-year-old son, who are both hearing as well, are also learning to sign and the family communicates using ASL whenever Cason is present.

"But that's still not enough time," she explained. "And there's still so much I have to learn. And when you put in schooling a child and talking about science and talking about math, and all these different subjects that I honestly don't know how to sign all of that. Yes, it is much different. And it was very hard for me, but I did it."

Once Cooper's initial fear dissipated she said she "knew I had to just hop in." Cooper, who is a nurse, said Cason's school sent home a curriculum each week for parents to follow and she adapted to the new normal, creating daily schedules for him until the end of the school year this spring.

She added that Cason also continued to have access to language while remote learning through his school since all of his teachers know ASL.

However, the initial concern over communication access in the home environment isn't universal.

Shae Osborne Crook, who is Deaf and the mother of three kids who are Deaf ages 10 to 17, said her family was "okay" with the news that school would be switching to online-only in the spring and adapted "very well."

"The benefit, actually, was with my children is that they have me, a Deaf mom and their father is fluent in American Sign Language, he's actually an interpreter," the Alabama native said. "So they had full communication access. So that was a benefit to them, there was no loss of that."

Access to Peers & the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community

The switch to remote learning and the need for social distancing continues to limit many kids' ability to interact with their peers in-person. And that lack of in-person engagement has had a social impact on many students in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, Nancy Hlibok Amann, Ph.D, the superintendent of California School for the Deaf, Riverside (CSDR), told CBS News.

CSDR is an ASL and English bilingual day and residential public school serving about 400 students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, ranging from 3 to 21 years old and coming from 12 counties in the state, according to its website.

"The ability to converse with their peers is limited at best during this time," said Hlibok Amann, who is Deaf. Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing with hearing families who do not communicate using ASL can feel especially isolated.

"As siblings - when you go out, you talk and you play with your neighbors. You might interact by riding bikes together. Moreoften than not that Deaf child is left out of that experience," Hlibok Amann said. "And their thought process, I mean, they get lost in their thoughts, they truly do. And they become even more isolated with that. And the question starts to go, 'Am I missing this? What am I missing out on?' And that is just such a burden to their mental health."

She explained that CSDR, which went fully remote in March and remains online only this fall, has a team of school counselors and social workers on 24/7 to communicate with students who may be feeling this way, among other resources.

She stressed that the pandemic doesn't impact all students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the same way - with age and language access playing a role in its effects. Students who have full communication access at home and can interact virtually with peers are "doing fine," but are still frustrated they can't be with their friends in person, Hlibok Amann said.

But, she continued, while many students communicate with each other virtually, it's just not the same as being in the same place together. "Deaf kids need their peers, there is no question about it," she added. "And that has to happen through physical engagement, interaction."

Osborne Crook said that while her kids are "fortunate" to have parents and siblings who are fluent in ASL, they still felt the effects of not being able to interact with their peers in-person.

"Even if my children have the benefit of a Deaf family, they're very athletic, very sociable, like social butterflies. And so of course, this does have a huge impact with them, staying home for seven months, they became very restless," she explained. "And we were fortunate to have a big backyard and a swimming pool. But even so, I mean, the social needs were not met."

She added, "I'm sure there was absolutely some negative impacts from the pandemic."

All three of Osborne Crook's children have since returned to in-person school at the Alabama School for the Deaf this fall.

Cooper told CBS News she doesn't believe the pandemic has had a negative impact on her son, Cason, but that's because she decided to send him back to in-person school in August.

"Yes, he gets socialization with his friends in his neighborhood, but they don't - they do try to sign, but they do not, they do not sign," she said. "Whereas at school, he goes and he is in an all-inclusive environment. So everybody is signing, everyone can communicate, and that's what Cason needs."

She added, "I think if it went a little bit longer, as I said earlier, that, yeah, he could have truly been affected by this pandemic."

But, for some students returning to in-person classes isn't an option and educators are doing their best to ensure all students continue to feel connected to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community.

CSDR is conducting various after school programs for its students via Zoom from workouts to culinary lessons, among other resources, Hlibok Amann said. "If we did not have that opportunity, I think some students would be reaching out to their teachers even more so - just to be able to have that conversation, the ability to have organic conversation, because at the end of the day, they're just very lonely at home," she explained.

Corce said she is continuing to host a weekly "Deaf Club'' via Zoom, where students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing of all ages in the school, and who are homeschooled, can come together. The club once took place in-person during the school year, but was transitioned to online-only this spring.

She said some of her students' families tell her the club is "the one thing their kids look forward to."

"Deaf Club is probably one of the most important times of their school day or week where they have access to Deaf culture, signing adults and their peers," Corce said. "And you can't really get that any other time."

Access to Technology

Another new change the pandemic brought about was an increased use of technology for many students.

Corce, who is also a board member for the organization American Society for Deaf Children, told CBS News she was concerned online learning may not be as accessible to her students, compared to their hearing peers. There are currently 13 students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing enrolled at the elementary school this school year, she said.

Her students have access to ASL interpreters, closed captioning and other resources, but "there are always technical glitches that prevent students from fully accessing them at times," Corce explained. She also added that distance learning is "already overwhelming" for many students and their families, so often the supports aren't being "fully accessed or utilized" as they would be in-person.

Corce and her educational assistant are continuing to incorporate many visual elements, which are crucial to teaching students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, while remote learning, including video stories in sign language to explain concepts, such as wearing masks.

Hlibok Amann said she was initially concerned that her students would have access to technology - but once CSDR ensured all students received their school-issued iPads at home, they were "immediately able to transition" to online learning.

However, she elaborated, remote learning just isn't the same as being in a physical classroom.

"They're visual learners here. So it requires one-on-one opportunities, where you can go into great detail with the concepts. The Deaf community values very much human connection," she said, adding, "Now going virtually, students feel that they're losing that - engaging through a screen. And they have those human connection experiences through the screen. But quite honestly, it's not the same, it's not equivalent to that classroom experience."

Face Masks & their Effect on Language Access

For many kids who are deaf and hard of hearing who do return to the classroom, or even just walk down the street, another challenge awaits - face masks.

Osborne Crook explained face masks, especially cloth masks, have been a "huge negative impact" on her and her kids, as they cover the mouth, an "important feature" of ASL.

"Adverbs and adjectives are indicated through mouth morphemes," she explained to CBS News. "A mask covering the mouth obstructs language. The mouth is also a discourse marker - an important feature in a conversation or discourse."

Opaque masks in particular also make it difficult to see facial expressions and make it impossible for people in the community who know how to lipread to do so.

She explained that when she and her family are walking around town, the usage of masks can make it difficult to tell if others are trying to communicate with them. "We don't know, are people talking to me? Or are they making a face at me?" Osborne Crook said. Her kids are "very unsure of themselves," she said.

"Before, if you're walking and we see someone making eye contact, we would know that, okay, they're directing their eye contact at me," she said. "But could they be talking in their Bluetooth behind their masks that we can't see and that's why they're making those facial expressions? We can't determine that with those cloth masks."

Osborne Crook also said the use of face masks have impacted her kids at school. She said when her two oldest kids first returned to school at the end of September, educators were wearing cloth masks, making them difficult to understand in some cases.

"My children would come home and they're like, 'I don't know exactly what that teacher was saying.' And they were very upset with it," Osborne Crook said. "Especially if it's a teacher who isn't the most fluent in American Sign Language, they struggled even more."

Clear masks or face shields can help alleviate the communication barrier, Osborne Crook said, but she urged people to remove their masks, when it is safe to do so, to eliminate the issue altogether.
Interpretation for Shae Osborne Crook provided by Daniel Maffia and interpretation for Nancy Hlibok Amann, Ph.D, provided by Mara Bowdidge. More

Danielle Garrand

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The pandemic's impact on kids in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community - and how parents and educators are creating their new normal

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When Amanda Cooper found out her 8-year-old son Cason, who is Deaf, wasn't returning to in-person school in March she said she immediately felt afraid. "That is the best way that I know how to describe it," Cooper, who is hearing, told CBS News. Her family moved to St.