Services
With a mission to break the stigma surrounding mental health issues, Kaua`i Mental Health Advocates (KMHA) has prioritized offering accessible and affordable mental health services to the community.
KMHA is purposefully growing in how we are able to offer and connect mental health services to Kaua`i’s communities and we now offer mental health counseling, training workshops, and advocacy efforts. Check it out in more detail by clicking on the tabs.
Educational Services
After a spike of suicides on our island, KMHA came together with community members to educate ourselves more on the triggers and warning signs of a person in mental distress. As a result, KMHA is now able to co-facilitate the following training workshops in order to pursue our mission through preventative, upstream work:
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
This is a 16-hour/2-day professional development course provided by Living Works, the world's leading suicide intervention training company. ASIST provides participants with a greater awareness and critical skill set to assist someone in a crisis by providing them in-the-moment support while connecting them to the appropriate mental/health care professionals. *This course is open to any member of the community, and is not limited to mental health professionals.
Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA)
This is a 8 hour/1- day professional development course provided by the National Council of Mental Wellbeing. It educates participants on general signs and indicators of mental illness exhibited by youth compared to the difference of typical adolescent developmental and transitional behaviors. It also provides participants with tangible steps in supporting youth that need or are seeking more appropriate mental health services. *This course is open to any member of the community, and is not limited to mental health professionals.
Anti-Bullying and Suicide Prevention
This is a 2-4 hour personal/professional development course offered to youth provided by Mental Health America. This workshop supports young people in their ability to understand external factors that can influence thoughts and feelings within themselves and their peers. With this, participants can help identify what bullying or suicidal thoughts and behaviors look like, and are equipped with supportive methods in those situations.
*While these courses are able to be taught, collaboration in funding is critical to make these courses more accessible to the community. Please let us know if you'd like to support this cause through a fiscal donation or volunteering!
Counseling Services
People go to counseling for many different reasons. There are so many life experiences where we need someone that can hold a healthy and safe space for us. Whether it's someone needing extra support through challenging life transitions; grieving the loss of a loved one; or working on life skill sets with an awareness that offers true self-growth, counseling can cover a wide range of issues. It's important to feel safe and comfortable enough to look at life through a lens that makes it more manageable, comfortable, and even enjoyable when facing personal and communal issues. Sometimes maintaining mental health can be challenging on our own, and KMHA aims to change that; regardless of circumstance, gender, or any other factors.
KMHA offers direct interventive mental health counseling services including individualized and family therapy, and when having capacity, group therapy.
Advocacy Efforts
Kaua`i Mental Health Advocates wants to hear people's stories, connect them to appropriate community resources, and work with other community-based agencies for social change on the local, county, and state levels.
Please contact us with your testimony, any questions of resources, or any knowledge you have on Hawai'i's bills, laws, and policies that you might want to know more about. We'll have a representative reach out to you so we can continue putting the pieces of our community's mental health puzzle together!
Mahalo nui loa.