Mental Health Navigator Updates

EA Mental Health Survey

We’re looking to check in with the EA community and learn what kinds of support would be most helpful, so we have launched a new EA Mental Health survey. This survey will shed light on how the pandemic has affected mental health in the community. It would be a great help if you could fill it out and share it.

EA Navigator Update

The EA Mental Health Navigator program was launched in 2019 to help connect EA members with mental health resources. The goal was to streamline the process of finding a therapist and other resources by finding options for clients based on their needs. Finding help can be overwhelming when you need it, so this service sought to ease that burden. I piloted the program as a volunteer to gauge interest, assess how useful the service is, and see if it would make sense to scale it up. 

Consultation process 

The client and I would first meet to discuss what kind of resources they were looking for. We’d go over specific preferences and requirements (e.g. looking for a therapist in X region at under $100 per session who offers CBT). Then, I would search for resources that fit their needs and send a list of options. 

Interest and feedback

In total, 26 people have reached out to the navigator program. 6 completed a feedback survey. On a scale of 1-5 from “Not at all helpful” to “Very helpful,” one person rated the program a 5, four people rated it a 4, and one person rated it a 3. Four said the Navigator program helped them find resources/information to improve their mental health, and two either just contacted the service for general information or their situation changed and the information was no longer relevant. 

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Future 

I have recently passed the baton to Emily Jennings, the new EA Mental Health Navigator Lead! Emily is working on expanding the program and recruiting new volunteers. Because it was tough to find resources in nations whose health care systems and languages I didn’t know, I believe the Navigator program can be more valuable as a network of navigators located around the globe. Transitioning to a volunteer network would also ensure there are enough people to fulfill times with high demand. The program is currently recruiting volunteers. If you’re interested in joining the team, please contact Emily at [email protected].