Today's youth need to hear the message "It's okay to not be okay." They need to know hope and help are always available. A companion to the book Blessed Youth (9780827203204), Blessed Youth Survival Guide offers the tools youth need to survive when they are feeling disconnected, confused, and alone. This survival guide is specifically for youth and covers topics that today's youth will undoubtedly face such as anxiety, sadness, depression, phobias, OCD, panic attacks, PTSD, trauma, and therapy. Blessed Youth Survival Guide helps youth recognize when they are experiencing an issue and encourages them to tell a parent, doctor, or another adult who can help them receive the appropriate care. Youth are encouraged to be proactive with their mental health by developing good overall health practices and taking a Safety Pledge - a pledge to promise to identify three people who they can contact if they begin having thoughts of self-harm and/or suicide. Rev. Dr. Sarah Griffith Lund is an ordained minister and currently serves as senior pastor of First Congregational United Church of Christ of Indianapolis. Sarah serves on the National Staff of the United Church of Christ as the Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice. She is the author of two books on mental illness, Blessed are the Crazy and Blessed Union. She blogs at sarahgriffithlund.com.
