From recognizing cries for help to patient's rights to family support, this booklet is a must-hand-out publication for all mental health professionals!

We all want mental health, but mental health means different things to each of us. Most mentally healthy people enjoy life and usually:

• Feel good about themselves
• Feel comfortable with other people
• Have satisfying personal relationships
• Are able to meet the challenges and changes of life
• Enjoy their jobs or school

But we all have difficult times when we may experience mental health problems. While many people think that major mental and emotional disorders are rare and happen only to others, the truth is that one in five individuals will have a mental disorder at some point in life.

We hope this guide will be informative and will help to relieve some of the pain, loneliness and anxiety that accompany mental and emotional disorders.

Sometimes coping with the stress and problems of modern life is more than you can do alone. If you need help, this brief guide will assist you in your search to find professional assistance for yourself, a friend or a family member. It will:

• Help you know when you or a loved one needs help.
• Lead you step by step in finding a mental health professional who can help meet your needs.
• Familiarize you with how treatment takes place.
• Direct you to helpful resources such as mental health agencies and support groups.
• Explain your rights as a mental health client.

Chapters in Reaching for the Light

How do you know when you need help?
Finding Help
How Therapy Works
Help for Children
Help for Adolescents
Older Adults
Getting Help for and Adult Other Than Yourself
Crisis/Emergency Procedures
Paying for Mental Health Care
Consumers' Rights and Responsibilities
Severe Mental Disorders
Getting Help (Includes Hotline Numbers)
Association Chapters

Mental health professionals: The "Reaching for the Light" guide is available as a handbook, in both English and Spanish. For more information and a printable order form, click here. There is also a version in Spanish (en Español).