Grief, Trauma, and Mental Health Resources

We are lucky to live in the mountains and experience the beauty of nature. But life isn’t always easy. The sports and culture associated with mountain life and committing sports can present self-doubt, fear, FOMO, mental health struggles, and so much more. Additionally, we experience trauma and grief when the mountains take the lives we love.

Below is a list of resources to help you understand your current state and help you process mental health, triggers, trauma, and grief. Know you aren’t alone.

Resources 

Tri-County Health Network’s Crisis Resources – tchnetwork.org/crisis-resources/

• Local / Colorado Crisis Resources, Suicide Prevention Resources, Mental Health Resources, Substance Abuse Resources, Domestic Violence Resources
• Behavioral Health Fund Application is intended to help those living and/or working in San Miguel County to be able to afford individual mental health counseling/therapy services. Learn more and apply here.
• Behavioral Health Directory: https://tchnetworkdirectory.org/
• Teletherapy Services: https://tchnetwork.org/teletherapy/

Survivors of Outdoor Adventures and Recovery (SOAR) – soar4life.org/

• SOAR’s vision is to support survivors in a healthy life after accidents by providing resources and education for self-care, peer support, and Outdoor Trauma Informed Therapists.

Responder Alliance – responderalliance.com/

• Their mission is to advance the national conversation on stress injury formation and recovery in responders of all types. We do this by connecting responders, professionals, and organizations with resources, education, and training formulated on good science.

Climbing Grief Fund – americanalpineclub.org/grieffund

• The Climbing Grief Fund is a program operated by the American Alpine Club (AAC). It was started in 2018 by Madaleine Sorkin to address the limited support, resources, and acknowledgment of grief, trauma, and loss related to climbing. CGF’s primary mission is to connect individuals to effective mental health professionals and resources, and to evolve the conversation around grief and trauma in the climbing, alpinism and ski mountaineering community.
• CGF acts as a resource hub for the public. The resources are available to AAC and non-AAC members. While the primary focus is on normalizing, validating, and elevating the conversation and support around grief, trauma, and loss, the scope of CGF is not limited to just these areas. CGF also serves to build resilience in our communities and supports the broader discussion and inclusion of mental health needs in the climbing community. We also acknowledge and support that climbing is a therapeutic tool for mental wellness.
• The primary resources offered by the Climbing Grief Fund are:
  • A financial needs-based grant that supports individuals accessing therapeutic services for grief, trauma, and loss related to climbing and climbing-related activities.
  • A directory of mental health and complementary therapeutic professionals that are familiar with (and often a part of) the climbing community.
  • Educational resources on grief, loss, trauma, and resilience building as well as a collection of stories from other climbers about their own experiences related to grief, trauma, and loss.

Mountain Muskox  – mountainmuskox.com/

• The Muskox provides safe, supportive, professional and peer facilitated, group circles for anyone who has experienced loss or trauma in the mountains. Muskox is a group of mountain community members coming together with clinicians to create a sustainable support network for those who have gone through a traumatic event, including group therapy, peer support and a mental health network.

Behavioral Health Voucher Providers – https://sites.google.com/state.co.us/behavioralhealthvoucher/home?pli=1

• Scholarship programs for mental health outside of San Miguel County.

Counselors & Therapists

• Lauren Glass is a Mental Health Counselor & Consultant. She is part of a collaborative of mental health clinicians supporting survivors of outdoor accidents and trauma.

• Hidden Aspects Counseling provides outdoor-trauma-informed group and individual therapy to those ages 15 and up throughout Colorado.

Crisis / Suicide Lines

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988
https://988lifeline.org/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=onebox

Colorado Crisis Services
1-844-493-8255
Text “TALK” to 38255
https://coloradocrisisservices.org