Consumer and Grassroots Organizations
Autism & Asperger Connections promotes communication between
families, individuals and professionals in the Colorado Springs community to
provide autism support, information and resources. They have four group
meetings, including one a teen social group, autism support group,
Asperger's support group, and adult autistic support group.
Autism Society of Colorado provides community connections, including
information and referral as well as community enrichment (social events for
families), education, and policy development. Autism Spectrum Disorders
(ASD or autism) are complex neurological disorders that affect individuals in
the areas of social interaction and communication, and are often
accompanied by repetitive and/or profoundly challenging behaviors. They
usually become obvious during early childhood (24 months to 6 years).
The Balanced Mind Foundation, formerly the Child and Adolescent Bipolar
Foundation with its website bpkids.org, is a national, parent-led, web-based,
not-for-profit membership organization incorporated in 1999. It guides
families raising children with mood disorders to the answers, support and
stability they seek
Boys Town National Hotline (800-448-3000) is open 24 hours a day, 365
days a year and staffed by specially trained Boys Town counselors and is
accredited by the American Association of Suicidiology (AAS). Parents,
teens and families can find help with the following: Suicide prevention, sexual
abuse, parenting troubles, anger, physical abuse, school issues, chemical
dependency, relationship problems, depression, emotional abuse, runaways,
and more.
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance - The DBSA is an organization
that provides peer-based, recovery-oriented, empowering services and
resources for individuals, parents, and family members.
Family Connections/KPC Respite Center provides:
LD Online is a website on learning disabilities (fifteen percent of the U.S.
population, or one in seven Americans, has some type of learning disability
and difficulty with basic reading and language skills are the most common
learning disabilities) and ADHD. It provides information and advice through
articles, multimedia, monthly columns by noted experts, first person essays,
children’s writing and artwork, and a comprehensive resource guide.
Love and Logic Institute "is dedicated to making parenting and teaching
fun and rewarding, instead of stressful and chaotic. We provide practical tools
and techniques that help adults achieve respectful, healthy relationships with
their children. Children learn the best lessons when they're given a task and
allowed to make their own choices (and fail) when the cost of failure is still
small. Children's failures must be coupled with love and empathy from their
parents and teachers. This practical and straightforward philosophy is
backed with 30 years of experience.
Mental Health America is a nonprofit dedicated to helping all people live
mentally healthier lives through advocacy, public education, and the delivery of
programs and services.
National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP),
created in January of 1999, is national resource for programs (e.g.,
Residential Treatment Centers) and professionals assisting young people
beleaguered by emotional and behavioral difficulties. It is governed by an
elected, volunteer Board of Directors comprised of representatives from the
NATSAP membership.
NAMI is a nonprofit, grassroots, self-help, support and advocacy organization
of consumers, families, and friends of people with severe mental illnesses.
The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) connects parents
and others with resources, guidance and support so they can advocate
effectively for their children, delivers evidence-based tools and resources, and
attempts to strengthen educational rights and opportunities.
National Family Caregivers Association educates, supports, empowers
and speaks up for the more than 65 million Americans who care for loved
ones with a chronic illness or disability or the frailties of old age.
National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse is the
nation's first national consumer technical assistance center, works to foster
consumer empowerment through our website, up-to-date news and
information announcements, a directory of consumer-driven services,
electronic and printed publications, training packages, and individual and on-
site consultation.
National Resource Center for AD/HD is a clearinghouse for science-based
information for all aspects of attention-deficient/hyperactivity disorder and is
funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on
Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
Peak Parent Center provides training, information and technical assistance
to equip families of children birth through twenty-six including all disability
conditions with strategies to advocate successfully for their children. The
resource section has webinars and a number of documents related to IDEA
2004 to help with education-related issues for those children with disabilities.
PASS (Prescription Assistance Solution Service) is offered through the
Community Health Partnership (a collaborative of more than 17 local
healthcare organizations) and PracticeNet Solutions (PNS) affiliated with the
El Paso County Medical Society. This service can be helpful for adult children
who do not have insurance or sufficient income to afford medications (if
needed).
Special Kids Special Families (SKSF) is a non-profit organization founded
in 1998 to provide community support and services to families who are raising
youth with disabilities and special needs. Providing services to prevent out of
home placement for youth and young adults: Respite care, specialized foster
care, adult day programs, and family preservation services.
Suicidal.com states that, "When you need it, this website will be here to take
you by the hand, to understand how you feel, to comfort your suffering, hold on
to your life, support you through crisis, and pull you through treatment." It
provides information about or for parents of children, teens or parents of
teens, men, women, and those who are gay.
WebMD: This site provides a "Symptom Checker" and information about
medications & herbs, diseases & conditions, and health & wellness as well as
many other topics.
Professionally-Oriented Websites
American Counseling Association is a not-for-profit, professional and
educational organization that is dedicated to the growth and enhancement of
the counseling profession by providing leadership training, publications,
continuing education opportunities, and advocacy services to nearly 45,000
members.
BehaveNet.org provides Clinical Capsules assists with the terminology of
behavioral health by providing rapid basic and more detailed descriptions of
terms as well as a detailed listing of many professional resources.
Behavioral Tech, LLC, founded by Dr. Linehan, who created Dialectical
Behavior Therapy, trains mental health care providers and treatment teams
who work with complex and severely disordered populations to use
compassionate, scientifically valid treatments and to implement and evaluate
these treatments in their practice setting.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Focusing Institute
National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a US
Department of Veterans Affairs website that aims to advance the science and
promote understanding of traumatic stress.
National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH): Works to improve mental
health through biomedical research on mind, brain, and behavior. Information
about mental health disorders and current research findings.\
Nonviolent Communication and Center for Nonviolent Communication
Reclaiming Youth International (RYI) is “dedicated to helping adults better
serve children and youth who are in emotional pain from conflict in the family,
school, community, or with self. The Circle of Courage provides the
philosophical foundation for the work of RYI. The Circle of Courage, is a
model of youth empowerment supported by contemporary research, the
heritage of early youth work pioneers and Native philosophies of child care.
The model is encompassed in four core values: belonging, mastery,
independence, and generosity.
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a naturalistic approach to the understanding
and healing of trauma developed by Peter A Levine. This clinical methodology
is based upon an appreciation of why animals in the wild are not traumatized
by routine threats to their lives while humans, on the other hand, can be
overwhelmed and traumatized. This “instinct to heal” and self-regulate is
engaged through the awareness of body sensations that contradict those of
paralysis and helplessness, and which restore resilience, equilibrium and
wholeness. Another related website is:
Autism & Asperger Connections promotes communication between
families, individuals and professionals in the Colorado Springs community to
provide autism support, information and resources. They have four group
meetings, including one a teen social group, autism support group,
Asperger's support group, and adult autistic support group.
Autism Society of Colorado provides community connections, including
information and referral as well as community enrichment (social events for
families), education, and policy development. Autism Spectrum Disorders
(ASD or autism) are complex neurological disorders that affect individuals in
the areas of social interaction and communication, and are often
accompanied by repetitive and/or profoundly challenging behaviors. They
usually become obvious during early childhood (24 months to 6 years).
The Balanced Mind Foundation, formerly the Child and Adolescent Bipolar
Foundation with its website bpkids.org, is a national, parent-led, web-based,
not-for-profit membership organization incorporated in 1999. It guides
families raising children with mood disorders to the answers, support and
stability they seek
Boys Town National Hotline (800-448-3000) is open 24 hours a day, 365
days a year and staffed by specially trained Boys Town counselors and is
accredited by the American Association of Suicidiology (AAS). Parents,
teens and families can find help with the following: Suicide prevention, sexual
abuse, parenting troubles, anger, physical abuse, school issues, chemical
dependency, relationship problems, depression, emotional abuse, runaways,
and more.
- Parenting.org provides valuable resources, articles, and tips offering
parenting help in today’s world. - Your Life, Your Voice is a website for teens to express feelings and
seek help, including by instant messaging or "online chat"
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance - The DBSA is an organization
that provides peer-based, recovery-oriented, empowering services and
resources for individuals, parents, and family members.
- DBSA Colorado Springs provides free self-help support groups and
other specialized programs to raise awareness and eliminate
discrimination. - The Facing Us Clubhouse is an online home for wellness for those
with mood disorders created by the national DBSA.
Family Connections/KPC Respite Center provides:
- Nurturing Family Program,
- Respite care for any parent/guardian who needs a break from parenting,
- Crisis prevention care for appointments that are critical to the health and
stability of the family, such as appointments for mental or medical health
issues, housing, employment or family counseling, - Crisis care when a child cannot or should not be with their parent or
guardian. This may include emergency hospitalization, violence in the
home or reaching the end of your rope. - There is a 24-hour phone line (719-634-5439) available and, in the
event of a crisis, care can be provided for up to 72 hours. - Services are provided in a non-judgmental and confidential manner.
LD Online is a website on learning disabilities (fifteen percent of the U.S.
population, or one in seven Americans, has some type of learning disability
and difficulty with basic reading and language skills are the most common
learning disabilities) and ADHD. It provides information and advice through
articles, multimedia, monthly columns by noted experts, first person essays,
children’s writing and artwork, and a comprehensive resource guide.
Love and Logic Institute "is dedicated to making parenting and teaching
fun and rewarding, instead of stressful and chaotic. We provide practical tools
and techniques that help adults achieve respectful, healthy relationships with
their children. Children learn the best lessons when they're given a task and
allowed to make their own choices (and fail) when the cost of failure is still
small. Children's failures must be coupled with love and empathy from their
parents and teachers. This practical and straightforward philosophy is
backed with 30 years of experience.
Mental Health America is a nonprofit dedicated to helping all people live
mentally healthier lives through advocacy, public education, and the delivery of
programs and services.
- Mental Health America of the Pikes Peak Region
- Live Your Life Well is a Mental Health America website designed to
help you cope better with stress and create more of the life you want. It
includes a stress quiz, an anxiety screener, and a depression screener,
as well as 10 tools to live life well!
National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP),
created in January of 1999, is national resource for programs (e.g.,
Residential Treatment Centers) and professionals assisting young people
beleaguered by emotional and behavioral difficulties. It is governed by an
elected, volunteer Board of Directors comprised of representatives from the
NATSAP membership.
NAMI is a nonprofit, grassroots, self-help, support and advocacy organization
of consumers, families, and friends of people with severe mental illnesses.
- NAMI-Colorado Springs provides, among other things, Family to
Family Support, a Family-to-Family class, and Provider Education.
The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) connects parents
and others with resources, guidance and support so they can advocate
effectively for their children, delivers evidence-based tools and resources, and
attempts to strengthen educational rights and opportunities.
- Learning disabilities (LD), which are a group of disorders than can
impact many areas of learning, including reading, writing, spelling, math,
listening, and oral expression as well as executive functioning, a set of
mental processes that helps people to connect past experience with
present action and governs your child's ability to manage time, make
plans, and keep track of more than one thing at a time.
National Family Caregivers Association educates, supports, empowers
and speaks up for the more than 65 million Americans who care for loved
ones with a chronic illness or disability or the frailties of old age.
National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse is the
nation's first national consumer technical assistance center, works to foster
consumer empowerment through our website, up-to-date news and
information announcements, a directory of consumer-driven services,
electronic and printed publications, training packages, and individual and on-
site consultation.
National Resource Center for AD/HD is a clearinghouse for science-based
information for all aspects of attention-deficient/hyperactivity disorder and is
funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on
Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
Peak Parent Center provides training, information and technical assistance
to equip families of children birth through twenty-six including all disability
conditions with strategies to advocate successfully for their children. The
resource section has webinars and a number of documents related to IDEA
2004 to help with education-related issues for those children with disabilities.
PASS (Prescription Assistance Solution Service) is offered through the
Community Health Partnership (a collaborative of more than 17 local
healthcare organizations) and PracticeNet Solutions (PNS) affiliated with the
El Paso County Medical Society. This service can be helpful for adult children
who do not have insurance or sufficient income to afford medications (if
needed).
Special Kids Special Families (SKSF) is a non-profit organization founded
in 1998 to provide community support and services to families who are raising
youth with disabilities and special needs. Providing services to prevent out of
home placement for youth and young adults: Respite care, specialized foster
care, adult day programs, and family preservation services.
Suicidal.com states that, "When you need it, this website will be here to take
you by the hand, to understand how you feel, to comfort your suffering, hold on
to your life, support you through crisis, and pull you through treatment." It
provides information about or for parents of children, teens or parents of
teens, men, women, and those who are gay.
WebMD: This site provides a "Symptom Checker" and information about
medications & herbs, diseases & conditions, and health & wellness as well as
many other topics.
Professionally-Oriented Websites
American Counseling Association is a not-for-profit, professional and
educational organization that is dedicated to the growth and enhancement of
the counseling profession by providing leadership training, publications,
continuing education opportunities, and advocacy services to nearly 45,000
members.
BehaveNet.org provides Clinical Capsules assists with the terminology of
behavioral health by providing rapid basic and more detailed descriptions of
terms as well as a detailed listing of many professional resources.
Behavioral Tech, LLC, founded by Dr. Linehan, who created Dialectical
Behavior Therapy, trains mental health care providers and treatment teams
who work with complex and severely disordered populations to use
compassionate, scientifically valid treatments and to implement and evaluate
these treatments in their practice setting.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Focusing Institute
National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a US
Department of Veterans Affairs website that aims to advance the science and
promote understanding of traumatic stress.
National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH): Works to improve mental
health through biomedical research on mind, brain, and behavior. Information
about mental health disorders and current research findings.\
Nonviolent Communication and Center for Nonviolent Communication
Reclaiming Youth International (RYI) is “dedicated to helping adults better
serve children and youth who are in emotional pain from conflict in the family,
school, community, or with self. The Circle of Courage provides the
philosophical foundation for the work of RYI. The Circle of Courage, is a
model of youth empowerment supported by contemporary research, the
heritage of early youth work pioneers and Native philosophies of child care.
The model is encompassed in four core values: belonging, mastery,
independence, and generosity.
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a naturalistic approach to the understanding
and healing of trauma developed by Peter A Levine. This clinical methodology
is based upon an appreciation of why animals in the wild are not traumatized
by routine threats to their lives while humans, on the other hand, can be
overwhelmed and traumatized. This “instinct to heal” and self-regulate is
engaged through the awareness of body sensations that contradict those of
paralysis and helplessness, and which restore resilience, equilibrium and
wholeness. Another related website is:
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