Resources and Support for the California Wildfires

Jan 17, 2025

Our hearts are with California as they face massive wildfires that have displaced families, destroyed homes, and threatened communities.

NAMI has curated the mental health resources below to help provide support to those impacted. We will add more resources as they become available.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Trauma Resources

• NAMI HelpLine’s “Trauma Resources for Los Angeles-Area Communities

Resources Supporting Children

• NAMI’s Meet Little Monster coloring and activity book: This activity book fosters dialogue between children and the safe adults in their lives, as well as provide children a tool for helping express and explore their feelings in a fun, creative, and empowering way.
  • Available in English and Spanish for just the cost of shipping, use code “AbC6264” to order up to 9 packs of 25 coloring books.
  • Also available for download and are available for download in English, Spanish, Arabic, Korean, Mandarin, and Vietnamese.
• NAMI TraumaInSight: a virtual training that covers the principles of trauma awareness. When working with youth and young adults who have experienced a traumatic event, like the California wildfires, using trauma-informed practices creates safe and secure environments for them. This course is designed for youth-serving professionals, can be completed in three hours, and is completely free. Start NAMI TraumaInSight today
• Good Inside’s “Resources for Parents Navigating the California Wildfires”

Additional Resources

• Finding A Trusted Adult: Reaching out about mental health can be or feel overwhelming, embarrassing or just hard. Use this guide to help you choose someone to confide.
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• How to Help a Friend: A one-pager that gives suggestions on how to support a friend struggling with a mental health condition
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• Positive Coping Skills video: Do you have a mental health toolkit? In this video, NAMI volunteer Britt shares what positive coping skills are and how to develop a mental health toolkit so that we don’t fall into negative coping strategies. Additionally, she discusses what specific skills help her cope.
• Mental Wellness Moments: An activity guide to incorporate daily wellness activities to enhance the emotional well-being of young people.
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• Mindfulness Activities: Often, young people can find it hard to focus or can be impacted by events around them. You can use these exercises to bring them back into the moment.
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• Mental Health Resource Poster: Youth serving professionals can help young people access vital mental health resources easily and confidentially with this convenient poster. Youth can tear away important mental health resource information or scan the QR code to save contacts directly into their phones. NAMI recommends pre-cutting the tear aways at the bottom and tearing off the first one to relieve the pressure of any student being the first to take one.
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• 10 Questions on a Tuesday: An activity guide for parents and guardians to discuss mental health and well-being with their children in the home and develop supportive practical strategies.
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• How To Be a Trusted Adult: An activity guide for parents and caregivers to explain who is a “trusted adult” and tips on how to become one.
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• The Three C’s for Parents and Guardians: A one-pager with tips for parents on supporting their children’s emotional and mental well-being during the challenging transition back to the classroom and throughout the school year!
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