Tools for Mental Health

Mental health, or mental well-being, is a critical factor in a deaf or hard-of-hearing child's ability to acquire language and navigate the learning environment. We partner with mental health professionals to provide you resources for self-directed learning. If you are looking to connect with a professional, contact us and we can help you connect.

Self-Paced Learning

Texas Deafblind Project - Interactions and Connections

Interaction is a fundamental part of being human, and it’s for everyone. We engage in it at every stage of life, regardless of our vision, hearing, sensory differences, disabilities, or medical conditions. It’s deeply ingrained in us to seek connection and strive to make interactions meaningful and enjoyable. This innate drive stems from our essential need for safety and belonging. Watch to learn how to create meaningful interactions and foster deep connections in the deafblind community.

Trauma and the Deaf Child

Normal - What Does that Even Look Like?

Why does my deaf child behave that way? Does my child’s deafness cause bad behaviors? What do those behaviors mean? Will my deaf child be normal? Let’s take a moment and examine these concerns. Understanding what causes these behaviors and what the behaviors mean can lead to a better understanding of your deaf child’s emotions, needs, challenges, and social-emotional learning. How we respond, provide, support, and utilize appropriate strategies is the key to enhancing a sense of self-sufficiency and self-advocacy.

Normal - Just a Setting on the Dryer

Navigating the Unknown: Reducing Trauma When Reporting to DFPS

Ms. Murphy discusses the importance of utilizing Child Protective Services to ensure

child safety and prevent potential trauma by providing guidelines about what to expect

when working with DFPS and how to make the reporting process effective. This webinar

will also address the possibility of Secondary Traumatic Stress and the importance of self-care, as well as how to advocate for the child during the reporting process.

Virtual Peer Learning Groups for Youth who are Deafblind

Understanding ADHD

Language Deprivation

Playful Parenting Building Connections and Raising Children with Play

Step Out of the Storm: Navigating Crisis

Fostering Corrective, Family-Centered Experiences

In addition to the numerous barriers known to prevent DHH and DB youth from accessing mental health care services, families of these youth, particularly those students educated in mainstreamed settings, are also at heighted of risk of being isolated from other key community resources and connections and may not know where to turn to access specialized, linguistically- and culturally affirming mental health care in support of their child. This presentation will outline how a family-centered, therapeutic model of mental health assessment for youth was established at one pediatric hospital outpatient mental health clinic. This presentation will describe referral pipelines as well and common referral questions and concerns held by parents. This poster will describe key domains and measures included in the assessment process and how deaf-specific experiences such as dinner table syndrome, communication anxiety, and listening fatigue are identified as an underlying mechanism to DHH and DB youth’s mental health symptoms. Approaches to assessment feedback, recommendations, and avenues to increase family’s social capital will be described.

Becoming Trauma Responsive When Working with Children and Families

The experience of trauma goes beyond the person. The trauma is alive and real when the child is in the classroom, at home, and everywhere they go. The child could seem fearful, constantly on the go, a hard worker, and/or appears that the chaos seems to follow the child. We, as parents or educators, are overwhelmed trying to manage the child at home or in the classroom when we don't view their behaviors as a form of communication. It is important for us to develop healthy and meaningful relationships and practice trauma-informed care. This allows space for each child to navigate their world while healing from their trauma, in the classroom and at home. Additionally, this workshop will cover symptoms of children with trauma and the nuts and bolts of a trauma-informed environment.

Providing Informed Trauma Care

Quarantine Toolbox for Parents and Guardians

This 7-part series of short videos provides “tips and tricks” during this difficult time for addressing moments of conflict or behavior management challenges. Videos are done by Trish Grooms, a seasoned counselor who has worked with families and students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing for decades.

The introduction video is shown on the left.

Watch the whole series on our YouTube channel.

A Mother and Son’s Journey

Trish shares a mother’s testimony about her son’s trauma and mental health impacts to this day since he was born. She will also share what the mother and the family have endured throughout this lifelong journey with this son. This real-life story is meant to be heartfelt and to be inspirational in such a way that somehow hope can prevail and overcome the lack of mental health resources here in Texas.

How Brains Develop, How Deafness affects it, What is needed

Trauma / Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Impact Mental Health

Learn about betrayal and acute episodic trauma, the ACES study, and how the results are now used to determine trauma history. The effects of trauma and ACES on an individual's system, behaviors, and ability or inability to adapt are covered, as is the importance of having a trauma-informed classroom and how to use this knowledge to enhance the classroom experience.

Guide for Clinicians Providing Mental Health Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Clients

This 3-part webinar series is designed for use by school and community clinicians who may provide services and supports to deaf or hard of hearing youth but have not had training specific to this population. The presenter provides an overview of characteristics unique to children who are deaf or hard of hearing, strategies for initiating a therapy session and challenges and obstacles that must be overcome in order to be effective in a therapeutic session.

Part One is shown on the left.

Watch the series on our YouTube channel.

Deaf Adopted Children: Trauma, Loss and Grief

A three-part video series discussing different types of adoption, trauma, or neglect these children face and its impact on the adopted child’s learning. Part 1 will provide an overview of types of adoption, to include international and domestic, interracial, foster and special needs. Part two will address trauma and neglect and the impact on the brain in deaf children who have been adopted. Part three will address grief, loss and attachment issues, and the impact on the education of deaf children.

Part One is shown on the left.

Watch the series on our YouTube channel.

Deaf Culture and Mental Health of Deaf People

Communication: What Doesn't Get Said is Just as Important as What Does

Introduction to Counseling Deaf People with Language and Learning Challenges

Suicide Risks and Prevention

Clinical Suicide Assessment for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

Deaf Mental Health Care: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going

Dr. Anderson provides a brief overview of the current state of Deaf mental health research and Deaf mental health services in the U.S. Topics to be covered include past-decade gains in awareness of mental health disparities between Deaf and hearing youth and adults; recognition of the impact of early developmental trauma on later health and mental health outcomes (e.g., adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), attachment disruption, language deprivation); and, several preliminary efforts to design culturally and linguistically accessible evidence-based mental health services for Deaf youth and adults. Leveraging the momentum of this recent progress, Dr. Anderson will then outline proposed next steps and strategies for continuing to move the field of Deaf mental health forward in the coming years.

State of the State

Entering the World of Deaf Mental Health Care

Working with the Deaf community to provide effective mental health services can be confusing, overwhelming, and complex for those that are not prepared for the challenge. The challenges are not only due to the lack of Deaf mental health training programs being available but are also caused by cross-cultural conflicts, lack of funding for programs, as well as professionals being unwilling to use humility to learn something new. The Deaf community can experience a multitude of symptoms that, without specialized training, a hearing clinician cannot acquire the knowledge and skills needed to provide effective mental health services to the Deaf community. This closing keynote will use the speaker’s personal experiences from working with Deaf clients, introduce the new law he wrote that established standards of care for the Deaf community in Arkansas, and discuss effective strategies that clinicians can use when entering the field of Deaf Mental Health care.