Mental Health Resources

Mental Health – National Associations

  • National Alliance on Mental Illness
    NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. With hundreds of local affiliates, stateorganizations and volunteers, NAMI raises awareness and provide support, education programs, and advocacy. Visit NAMI Wake County, our local affiliate for a list of programs and support groups for both families and professionals.
  • Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance
    DBSA is a peer-directed national organization focusing on depression and bipolar disorder, providing advocacy, education, and support resources for people of all ages through peer-led support groups, educational materials, and wellness tools. The Balanced Mind Parent Network through DBSA guides families raising children with mood disorders toward support and resources.
  • International OCD Foundation
    The International OCD Foundation serves those with OCD and related disorders, family members, mental health professionals, and researchers. Twenty-five affiliates exits in addition to global partnerships with other OCD organizations. The foundation provides resources and support, promotes awareness, educates professionals about evidence-based treatments, provides a forum for professional collaboration, and supports research into the causes of and treatments for OCD and related disorders. Visit OCD North Carolina for our local affiliate.
  • Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
    CHADD is a national organization providing education, advocacy and support for individuals with ADHD. CHADD seeks to keep members and professionals current on research, medications, and treatment for ADHD and publishes Attention magazine, Attention weekly (a free electronically mailed current events newsletter). Local affiliate chapters are listed on the site, including Triangle Area CHADD.
  • Selective Mutism, Anxiety & Related Disorders Treatment Center
    Smart Center addresses the needs of children with selective mutism, social anxiety/shyness, social communication (pragmatic) disorder, and other social communication disorders. The center offers an array of products and services for parents, professionals, and educators to help educate and promote understanding of social communication challenges.
  • The Child Anxiety Network
    The Child Anxiety Network was created by Dr. Donna Pincus to provide information to parents, clinicians and interested persons about child anxiety disorders. Several resources are available for parents and professionals to help treat child anxiety.
  • Lives in the Balance
    Founded by child psychologist Dr. Ross Greene, the mission of Lives in the Balance is to provide resources to caregivers of behaviorally challenging children, to bring the plight of these children into public awareness, to address the systemic issues that cause many of these kids to slip through the cracks, and to promote effective and healing parenting practices. Greene is the originator of the empirically supported Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) approach and author of several well received books.

    Early Childhood Mental Health

  • Zero to Three
    Zero to Three was founded in 1977 by leading researchers and clinicians in diverse disciplines focused on child development. The global non-profit organization now reaches millions of parents, professionals and policymakers each year and has advanced the proven power of nurturing relationships by transforming the science of early childhood into helpful resources, practical tools, and responsive policies. Hundreds of research-based articles are available on various topics related to infant and toddler development for parents, professionals, and those interested in public policy.
  • Center on the Developing Child – Harvard University
    The mission of the Center on the Developing Child is to drive science-based innovation that achieves breakthrough outcomes for children facing adversity. Founded in 2006, the Center catalyzes local, national, and international innovation in policy and practice focused on children and families. Articles an videos are available to learn about brain architecture, the impact of toxic stress, executive function & self-regulation, resilience, and gene-environment interaction.
  • North Carolina Infant Mental Health Association
    NCIMHA is the only statewide organization dedicated to the healthy emotional, cognitive, and social development of children prenatal to age five. This foundation provides the basis for the emotional, cognitive, and social capacities necessary for healthy future development in all children. NCIMHA promotes awareness of evidence-based and evidence-informed interventions, practices, and programs and advocates for education, coordination, and collaboration across organizational and professional disciplines.
  • The Kaleidoscope Project
    The Kaleidoscope Project is a collaborative community initiative focused on the social and emotional development of Wake County children. Partner’s are Lucy Daniels Center, Marbles Kids Museum,Natural Learning Initiative (College of Design, NCSU), REACH, a program of Passage Home, and Wake County SmartStart.
  • Conscious Discipline®
    Conscious Discipline is a comprehensive self-regulation program that integrates social-emotional learning and discipline with children. It utilizes everyday events rather than an external curriculum and addresses the adult’s emotional intelligence as well as the child’s. The method has a solid research base and was named as a national model for character education by the Florida State Legislature. Research, helpful educational videos, and handouts are available on the website.
  • Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
    PBS Parents provides useful information to parents on a range if issues impacting children and families including child development, education, and children’s physical health. PBS Teachers provides useful information for educators (pre-K through 12th grade), and PBS Kids provides free interactive online games and educational videos for children.
  • Talaris Institute
    Talaris provides parents and clinicians with research-based information to best meet young children’s social and emotional needs. Research papers, articles, and short videos are available. Talaris also partners with PBS to promote best parenting practices.
  • The Fred Rogers Company
    Fred Rogers dedicated his life to serving children, a children’s television pioneer and a PBS icon skilled in translating child development theories into easy to understand and affirming messages–life lessons that resonate with all of us. Rogers leaves his legacy in an online library of his television programs, books, writings, interviews, and speeches. Resources on child development, education, family dynamics, and public policy are available.

    Integrative Medicine – Local

  • UNC Program on Integrative Medicine
    Integrative Medicine combines conventional medicine with complementary and alternative medicine including mind-body-spirit approaches to health and healing. Courses offered throughout the year include Mindfulness Training, Mindful Self-Compassion, Mind-Body Skills Group Program, Mindfulness, Stress Reduction, and Transforming Your Relationship. Mindfulness for Children and Teens is offered, including a course for children, ages 12-17, on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) designed to help children cope with day-to-day life challenges.The empirically-based curriculum for this course, entitled Learning to BREATHE, was developed by mindfulness expert Dr. Patricia Broderick and has been endorsed by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
  • Duke Integrative Medicine
    Duke Integrative Medicine opened in 2006, the first medical facility in North Carolina to receive LEED certification for its stewardship of the environment. The facility blends state-of-the-art conventional medicine with complementary therapies such as acupuncture, massage, yoga, mindfulness training and stress reduction, and nutritional care. The facility provides inviting therapeutic treatment rooms, workshop spaces, meditation spaces, fitness facilities, and a state-of-the-art cafe offering healthy cooking demonstrations, guest meals, and catered events.
  • Mindfulness Exercises
    Fantastic website with over 1,000 free online audio and video recordings on mindfulness and meditation.

    Yoga Therapy – Local

    • Judith Valerie Yoga 
      Judith is an educator with over 30 years of yoga teaching experience in Britain and the United States.  She teaches in an integrated, eclectic fashion influenced by Kripalu yoga, White Lotus vinyasa flow yoga, and Iyengar yoga. In classes and workshops this weaves into hatha yoga, Vini-yoga, Integral yoga, yoga for bone-strengthening, and yoga for balancing mood.
    • Raleigh Yoga Center
      RaleighYoga Center is the Triangle’s oldest yoga studio owned and directed by Jane Barrett, who has studied and taught with nationally known Iyengar teachers for over 30 years. Iyengar style yoga emphasizes correct body alignment and careful composition of poses with an awareness of breath.
    • Evolve Movement offers yoga and other body work courses for all ages. Yoga for Children is offered through classes split into age groups in order to provide the best instruction through each phase of childhood (ages 3-5, ages 6-9, ages 10-12 and Teen Yoga for age 13 and up)
    • Little Guru Kids Yoga
      Yoga teachers Jennifer Bluestone and Jen Davis are opening Raleigh’s first children’s yoga and creative arts studio in September 2017. Both began teaching yoga to children in 2008 after having no luck finding a yoga studio dedicated to teaching children.

Developmental Therapy – Local

  • Raleigh Neurology
    Offers a wide range of services for both adults and children. Child assessment and treatment services are available for a variety of neurologically-based conditions (e.g., neonatal neurology, developmental delays, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders, sleep disorders, brain tumors, etc.). Developmental therapy services are also offered, including speech, physical, occupational, feeding, aquatic, and sensory integration therapies.
  • Developmental Therapy Associates, Inc.
    Offer a wide range of developmental services for children including occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, auditory integration training, craniosacral therapy, handwriting intensives, therapeutic listening® and more. Offices in Cary and Durham.
  • Pediatric Therapy Associates, Inc.
    Offer developmental services for children including occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech and language therapy, social skills groups for ages of 4 and 13, music therapy, and more. Offices in Cary, Garner, Raleigh and Wake Forest.
  • Pediatric Possibilities, P.A.
    Pediatric Possibilities is a family-centered occupational therapy clinic in Raleigh providing relationship-based therapy. Services are adapted to match the skills and goals of each child and family in order to improve participation and performance across settings.
  • Dynamic Therapy for Kids®
    Dynamic Therapy for Kids is a family owned business offering speech and language therapy, occupation therapy, and physical therapy in Cary. Each child receives personalized attention based on the child’s particular needs.
  • Jo Teachmann, MS, OTR
    Occupational therapy. Located in Carborro. Call 919.929.2219

    Nutrition Therapy – Local

  • Lutz, Alexander & Associates Nutrition Therapy
    Lutz, Alexander & Associates provide nutrition therapy to individuals and families as well as consultation to schools and businesses. In addition to general nutrition, specialty areas include eating disorders, chronic dieting, intuitive eating, food allergies, nutrition and self-care in pregnancy, PCOS, and gastrointestinal problems

Educational and Tutoring – Local

  • Triangle Parent Navigator
    Resource for parents of children who require specialized educational services. Founder Stacey Kohn helps to ensure that children are receiving the educational services of which they are legally entitled by facilitating working relationships between schools and parents, providing support for parents on obtaining appropriate interventions for their children (IEP, RTI, Tier Interventions, and Section 504 meetings), and providing assistance in researching school choice decisions.
  • Triangle Educational Planners
    Triangle Educational Planners helps parents make informed decisions about the academic and social environment that best meets their child’s educational and personal needs, elementary through college ages.
  • Educational Enrichment
    Educational Enrichment provides diagnostic educational assessments, end-of-grade test preparation, and  tutorial services for children, preschool through college age ,in reading (phonics & comprehension), language (grammar, spelling, vocabulary, literature), writing, math (algebra I & II, geometry), pre-calculus, calculus, biology, chemistry, physics, ACT prep, SAT prep, study skills and general homework help. Call 919.847.6434.
  • Project Enlightenment
    Project Enlightenment is an early childhood education and intervention program of the Wake County Public School System, serving teachers and parents of young children, ages birth through kindergarten. Project Enlightenment helps with questions or concerns parents have about their young child’s development or behavior, offering individual assistance with parenting concerns, parenting workshops, and other resources including a great lending library.

Duke & UNC Programs – Local

  • The Duke Child and Family Study Center
    The center provides quality mental health care for children, couples, and families. Evidence-based treatments for anxiety, depression, ADHD, eating disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, substance abuse and a range of other conditions are available.
  • The Duke University ADHD Program
    The Duke ADHD Clinic offers comprehensive, state-of-the-art assessments and evidence-based treatments for children, adolescents, and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
  • The Duke Center for Child & Family Health
    CCFH is a partnership among Duke University, North Carolina Central University, and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The facility offers evidence-based treatment for children and families impacted by traumatic events and adversity. In addition to providing direct services, the center conducts important research, provides training, and advocates for effective public policies and practices.
  • The Center for Child & Family Policy
    CCFH was launched in 1996 as a collaborative endeavor between Duke University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina Central University with a mission to practice and disseminate the highest standards of care in the field of childhood trauma. As a community practice site within the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, CCFH provides cutting-edge mental health treatment services integrating mental health, medical, and legal expertise.
  • The University of North Carolina Clinical Center for the Study of Development and Learning
    Provides clinical services for children with developmental disabilities, training, research, and programs for professionals. The center provides multi-disciplinary assessments and treatments using a range of specialists, including developmental pediatricians, psychologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, educational specialists, speech and language pathologists, and audiologists.
  • TEACH Autism Program
    TEACCH® Autism Program, founded by Dr. Eric Schopler in 1972, is a model for autism programs around the world. The program provides clinical services for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder including diagnostic evaluations, family consultation sessions and parent support groups, social play and recreation groups, individual counseling for higher-functioning clients, and supported employment. TEACCH Autism Program conducts training nationally and internationally, provides consultation for professionals, and conducts research.
  • The University of North Carolina Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute
    The mission of the institute is to enhance the lives of children and families through research, policy, and practices to promote positive developmental and educational outcomes for children of all backgrounds and abilities from the earliest years. Subscribe to the free monthly electronic periodical “Baby Talk” for current articles on infant and toddler development.

    Grief & Loss Care – Local

  • Transitions LifeCare
    Transitions LifeCare helps families navigate the changes made necessary by a serious or terminal illness with a mission to empower individuals, families, and communities to embrace meaning throughout a chronic serious illness and at the end of life. In addition to home health, hospice and palliative care, Transitions offers  a variety of support groups and workshops. Children who have experienced the death of a loved one can benefit from individual grief counseling, children’s support groups, camp, and support in their schools.Add–