The Mental Health Association is a United Way Agency. 
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Programs and Services
 

The Mental Health Association of Greater St. Louis (MHA) provides programs that are designed to meet the four points of its mission statement. Each point of the mission statement and its corresponding programs are described below.

Community Education. This broad category includes the Speakers Bureau and Community Health/Resource Fairs. These programs provide speakers and/or resource information and reach the general public in a wide variety of settings.

Mental Health Month. Since 1949, May has been recognized nationally as Mental Health Month. Each year, the MHA coordinates special events throughout the community, in schools and in the media which draw attention to many aspects of mental health and ways in which individuals can enhance their mental health.

Mental Illness Awareness Week. The first week of October is recognized nationally as Mental Illness Awareness Week. Special activities and programs (including our annual Film Series) during this week concentrate on helping those who suffer from mental illness work toward improved mental health.

Open Mind. This program takes the form of a weekly Q&A column in many editions of the Suburban Journal and several newspapers throughout the state. Questions are submitted to the column and each is answered by two mental health professionals in the community. The purpose of the column is to raise awareness about mental health/mental illness, and to provide education and insight. Information about community resources is provided when appropriate.  Click here to see the current column.  Would you like to submit a question to Open Mind?  Click here for an e-mail link. 

Information and Referral (I&R). Services of the I&R program include educational materials, a reference library, individual advocacy for those in treatment, and referrals to therapists, self-help groups and other appropriate services.  An abbreviated list of local resources and a collection of mental health oriented Internet links are located on this website. 

Police Training. The curriculum of this training program not only educates police officers about how to deal more effectively with persons who have a mental illness, but also increases their knowledge of community resources and how individuals can access these services.  Additionally, the Association, in partnership with Behavioral Health Response (BHR), produces a quarterly newsletter, Street Talk, for law enforcement in the eastern region of Missouri.

Suicide Prevention Education.  This program provides education to School  personnel.  The goal is to raise awareness of suicide warning signs and to provide appropriate intervention strategies when dealing with a child or adolescent who may be contemplating suicide.  For more information, call 314-773-1399 or send an e-mail inquiry to info@mhagstl.org

Depression Education. The program promotes awareness and education about the realities of depression, provides resource information for those who suffer from or know someone with depression, and advocates for parity in mental health coverage for depression and other mental illnesses.

Self-Help Services. As the local clearinghouse for self-help groups, the MHA maintains a database and publishes a directory of self-help groups in the metropolitan area. The directory can be purchased or individuals, agencies and clinicians can call the Association for a referral to a group. Consultation assistance is provided to individuals or organizations that wish to form a new group.

Shelter Training. This program is designed to enhance service providers' understanding of mental illness, mental health problems, and intervention strategies when assisting individuals in a non-clinical setting. Shelter training also provides information about community resources so appropriate referrals to other services can be made.

Representative Payee Program. A program in which the Mental Health Association manages payments from the Social Security Administration and Veterans Administration for persons identified by the respective agencies as unable to manage their own funds.

BRIDGES (Building Recovery of Individual Dreams & Goals through Education & Support). This program, taught by and for adults with a psychiatric illness, consists of a 10-week educational course and follow-up support groups. 

A recent BRIDGES graduate celebrates.	A recent BRIDGES graduating class

Systems Building and Advocacy. This program, designed from a macro perspective, works at the "system" level to advocate for change and strengthening of services for those persons who are directly or indirectly affected by mental illness. Examples of activities include legislative initiatives, community needs assessments, implementation of programs to meet unmet needs, and technical assistance to agencies, groups or others who provide services to people with mental illness or agencies where staff is not trained in mental health issues but come into contact with people with mental illness.

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