Other Youth Resources
Brightline-Virtual
- Therapy, coaching, and psychiatric care for children and teens struggling with various mental health issues
- Serves children 18 months to 17 years old
- Engages families to support youth
- Engage pediatricians and schools make sure the youth is supported in all realms
- Provides an app for families to have support whenever they need it
- Website: hellobrightline.com
- Call: (888) 224-7332
- Email: info@hellobrightline.com
TransLifeline
- Trans Lifeline provides trans peer support for their community. Run by and for trans people.
- Call: 1-877-565-8860
- https://translifeline.org/
Youth Psychiatrists
Dr. Stephanie Leong- Virtual
- Psychiatric evaluations for various mental health issues
- Works with youth, family, and often includes gathering information from therapists, teachers etc.
- Out of pocket cost, no insurance accepted
- Website: www.stephanieleongmd.com/
- Call: (415) 506-7787
- Email: drleong@stephanieleongmd.com
Dana Dean Doering, ARNP, psychiatric nurse practitioner and associates
- Crisis intervention
- Speciality suicide risk assessment
- Neurological assessment for ADHD, neurodevelopmental delay, learning disability, and other psychiatric disorders
- Website: deandoering.com/clinical-services/
- Address: 16040 Christensen Rd Suite 210, Seattle WA 98188
- Call: (206) 324-3344
- Email: welcome@deandoering.com
Self-Harm
If you’re struggling with self-harm, here are some things you can try:
Text HOME to 741741. At the Crisis Text Line, you can speak with a real person and discuss other coping skills to manage your emotions.
Make art instead. It can help you process emotions and you do not have to worry about how good of an artist you are, the benefit is the same.
Meditate and practice deep breathing techniques. You can use an app like Headspace to get started with mindfulness meditations. Deep or diaphragmatic breathing is used to calm feelings of stress or nervousness. It is done by inhaling through your nose while pushing your stomach out as much as possible, and then deflating your stomach like a balloon on the exhale through your mouth.
Try talking with a professional. A professional therapist will be able to work with you to find alternatives to self-harm, tailored to your individual needs.
Alcohol and Substance Use
What is an addiction?
An addiction is a disease that affects a person’s brain and behavior and leads to an inability to control the use of legal or illegal drugs or medication. Substances like alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine are considered drugs.
What an addiction looks like…
You can’t control it
- You use more of a drug or use them more often than you intend to
- You want to cut down or stop using but you can’t.
The drugs take priority over everything else.
- You neglect responsibilities and relationships
- You give up activities or hobbies you used to care about
- You have trouble completing tasks at home, school, or work
You use despite the risk.
- You are using substances in risky settings
- You use despite known problems or consequences
Your body is used to the drugs.
- Needing more of the substance to get The same effect (tolerance)
- Having withdrawal symptoms when a substance isn’t used
How do I stop? How do I get help?
Treatment and therapy are always options, but these steps can help towards recovery and quitting goals:
- Set a quit date
- Change your environment
- Distract yourself
- Review your past attempts at quitting. What worked and what didn’t?
- Create a support network
For more information, visit: www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/five-action-steps-for-quitting-an-addiction
Through research, the development of substance use disorder and addiction has been linked to histories of trauma and mental health issues.
People are treated in a variety of ways, through counseling, medication, and even peer support. Many treatment options are available and can lead to quitting.
Quit Vaping
Text DITCHVAPE to 88709 to get 24/7 access to help with quitting. Visit www.thetruth.com/about-truth/collaboration/this-is-quitting for more details.
Sexual Health
Contraceptives
Contraceptives are available to you confidentially and for free through Washington state health insurance.
- Birth Control Pill
- Used on a schedule
- 91% effective
- Take daily
- IUD
- Low maintenance
- 99% effective
- Lasts up to 3-12 years
- Condom
- Use every time
- 85% effective
- Birth Control Shot
- Used on a schedule
- 94% effective
- Get every 3 months
- Birth Control Patch
- Used on a schedule
- 91% effective
- Replace weekly
- Birth Control Vaginal Ring
- Used on a schedule
- 91% effective
- Put in and take out once a month
Plan B -The Plan B pill works best when you take it within three days after unprotected sex. Plan B can be purchased at your local drugstore or pharmacy. The longer you wait to take it, the less effective it is. It can lower your chance of getting pregnant by 75-89% if you take it within three days after unprotected sex.
STD Testing
Anyone 14 and over can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment, which can be quick, painless, and sometimes free. STD testing isn’t usually included in regular medical exams. Make sure you ask for it! It’s important to be honest with your nurse or doctor about your sex life so they can decide what the best tests are for you. Try not to be embarrassed, doctors have heard it all before!
Abortion is a safe and legal way to end pregnancy in Washington state. You can receive a confidential in-clinic abortion or the abortion pill. You can get an in-clinic abortion from a doctor, abortion clinic, or Planned Parenthood health center. Abortions can sometimes be free or low cost. An abortion pill is a safe and effective way to end an early pregnancy. 3 in 10 woman in the U.S. will have an abortion by the time they are 45 years old.
Bainbridge STD Testing – Urgent Care
www.vmfh.org/find-a-location/franciscan-urgent-care-bainbridge-island-291756
Seattle Confidential STD Testing- They can help order tests to your nearest lab.
website-2863893785508215548125-stdtestingservice.business.site/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=referral
CVS- Poulsbo MInute Clinic offers STD testing and birth control
www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/clinic-locator/wa/poulsbo/10473.html
For more information on sexual health, visit:
Diagnosis Information
What is a diagnosis or mental health disorder?
- You can be diagnosed with a mental health disorder when you meet criteria for it.
- All criteria for mental health disorders are found in a book called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
Remember that we are human and just because we meet some criteria for mental health disorders does not automatically mean that we have them
- A mental health disorder is a condition that affects your thinking, feeling, mood, and behavior
- The effects of mental health disorders can be temporary or long lasting
- They can affect your ability to relate to others and function each day
What are some diagnoses in the DSM?
There are many different diagnoses in the DSM, including anxiety, depression, and ADHD
Getting a diagnosis
- A diagnosis does not change you, it is like a label used to help others, like therapists and doctors, know how best to help you
- Getting a diagnosis can be very validating for some, while for others it can feel stigmatizing
Mental health stigma has been decreasing in intensity over the years. Youth today are much more comfortable talking about their struggles with mental health than the youth of past generations.
Who can diagnose me?
- Primary doctors, psychiatrists, and therapists. BYS does not diagnose.
- Social media is not a reliable source for diagnosis – do not rely on social media content attempting to provide a diagnosis for you
- Doctors and psychiatrists can prescribe medication for mental health disorders, while therapists cannot
- Therapists work with clients on their mental health issues on a regularly scheduled basis, while psychiatrists may only see their clients every few months once a medication schedule is established
Healthy Relationships
What does a healthy relationship look like?
In a healthy relationship, there are these characteristics:
- Trust that goes both ways between partners.
- Communication that is honest and respectful is key to healthy relationships.
- Patience for each other even when both partners may be having a hard day.
- Empathy for each other’s perspectives- being able to put yourself in the other’s shoes.
- Affection and interest that is comfortable for both partners.
- Flexibility- compromises are important and go both ways
- Appreciation for what each person brings into the relationship
- Room for growing into the people who each was meant to be
- Respect for each other’s time and viewpoints
- Reciprocity between partners in terms of what they give to the other
- Healthy conflict resolution (i.e., empathic, respectful, and understanding)
- Individuality and Boundaries- each person can be free to live their own life but still have commonalities with their partner that make up their relationship foundation
- Openness and Honesty between each other
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/friendship-20/201812/what-does-healthy-relationship-look
Further resources on relationships:
- www.verywellmind.com/all-about-healthy-relationship-4774802
- www.ny.gov/teen-dating-violence-awareness-and-prevention/what-does-healthy-relationship-look
How do I know if I’m in a toxic relationship?
- www.wadvocates.org/find-help/about-domestic-violence/warning-signs-of-abuse
- stopthehurt.org/issues/domestic-dating-violence/
How to get out of a bad relationship?
Confidentiality and Privacy in Therapy
Are you thinking about seeking counseling but have reservations or question your privacy?
What is confidentiality?
Confidentiality is an important aspect of therapy. This means that under normal circumstances no one outside BYS is given any information — even the fact that you have been here — without your expressed written consent.
Teens’ legal rights:
In Washington State, the age of medical consent is 13. That means that a person 13 years of age or older can independently seek medical treatment, without the consent or knowledge of parents.
A minor who is 13 years old or older may initiate an evaluation and treatment for outpatient and/or inpatient mental health services, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, or withdrawal management without parental consent.
Release of Information (ROI)
A release of information is a form that you may sign while in therapy if you would like to. This form may be for parents, medical doctors, psychiatrists, guidance counselors etc. to know you are in therapy and for your therapist to communicate with them. Usually this is done when you are taking mental health medications and your therapist would like to discuss these with your doctor or psychiatrist. Clients may also want their therapists to talk to their parents for various reasons. For example, a client may want to be further assessed for a mental health issue by a psychiatrist and feel that their parents would be more likely to follow through if they heard this directly from the therapist. Also, clients may want parents to have the ability to cancel or reschedule their appointments for them if they are sick or busy.
Mandated Reporting
Therapists are required to report the abuse of children, elderly, or dependent adults to the authorities or appropriate agency (e.g., CPS, APS). Therapists are also required to break confidentiality when someone is a severe danger to themselves or others, or when they are required to by court order.
For more information, go to:
wapave.org/adolescent-health-care-act-provides-options-for-families-seeking-mental-health-and-substance-use-help-for-young-people-resistant-to-treatment/
*Please be advised that any resources provided are not endorsed or affiliated with our organization. We do not take responsibility for the services offered by these resources. Users are encouraged to exercise discretion and conduct their own research before engaging with any third-party services.*