This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, nor is it an endorsement of the content of the sites or services.

LGBTQ+ Resources

Los Angeles LGBT Center

https://lalgbtcenter.org

(323) 993-7500

For those in the LA area, they offer everything from housing, legal, health and mental health services and social events and groups.

The Trevor Project

https://www.thetrevorproject.org

(212) 695-8650

This organization provides crisis mental health services for LGBTQ+ youth. They also have volunteer opportunities.

SF LGBT Center

https://www.sfcenter.org

(415) 865-5555

This Bay Area community center has programs that encompass arts & culture, community, employment and financial services, youth services and volunteer opportunities.

Dementia and Caregiver Resources

Alzheimer’s Association

https://www.alz.org/

(800) 272-3900

Apply for Medi-Cal

(800) 300-1506

https://www.coveredca.com/

In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) – CA

(833) 401-0832

https://www.cdss.ca.gov/in-home-supportive-services

Abuse Reporting and Support

Child Abuse Hotline

(800) 540-4000 (Los Angeles County)

https://www.cdss.ca.gov/reporting/report-abuse/child-protective-services/report-child-abuse (to find local reporting agency and contact #)

Adult Protective Services – CA

(833) 401-0832 (call and enter zip code for local contact #)

https://www.cdss.ca.gov/adult-protective-services

National Domestic Violence Hotline

(800) 799-SAFE (7233)

thehotline.org

Peace Over Violence

(626) 793-3385 Los Angeles 24/7 Hotline

https://www.peaceoverviolence.org/

CA Victim Compensation Board

(800) 777-9229

victims.ca.gov/for-victims

Low Cost Counseling Resources

Antioch University Counseling Center: Therapy for adults, families and children. The center offers both short- and long-term therapy, workshops and community education. LGBTQ and international counseling also offered in Farsi, Hebrew, Russian and French. Low fee. 400 Corporate Pointe, Culver City, (310) 574-2813, Ext. 366, antioch.edu/centers-institutes/aula-counseling-center

Open Path Psychotherapy Collective: A network of therapists that provide in-person and online psychotherapy sessions for $30 to $60. openpathcollective.org/city/los-angeles/

Saban Community Clinic: Previously called the Los Angeles Free Clinic. Provided individual, group, and family therapy. Also, case management and psychiatric services. https://www.sabancommunityclinic.org/get-care/behavioral-health

Books

Aron, E. (2002). The Highly Sensitive Child: Helping Our Children Thrive When the World Overwhelms Them. Broadway Books.

Written by a psychotherapist who also wrote The Highly Sensitive Person about ways to adapt your parenting style to children who appear to be easily overwhelmed and highly sensitive to the world around them.

Bass, E. and L. Davis. (2008). The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse. William Morrow Paperbacks.

This book is filled with practical exercises and information to assist sexual abuse survivors through the healing process.

Bourne, E. (2020). The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook. New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

This workbook has worksheets and exercises to help with anxiety symptoms.

Crosley, S. (2024). Grief is For People. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

A personal account of one woman’s attempt to grapple with the unexpected loss of her best friend to suicide.

Finch, D. (2012). The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man’s Quest to Be a Better Husband. Scribner.

Even though this book is dated in referring to what is now called autistic spectrum disorder, this memoir may be relatable to those who discovered that they were neurodivergent in adulthood.

Kessler, D. (2019). Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief. Scribner.

A beautiful book about getting through grief from one of the foremost experts on grief work.

Langer, S.J. Theorizing Transgender Identity for Clinical Practice. (2019). Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

A helpful book for clinicians and those interested in exploring the complexity of gender identity. This book is also helpful in considering interoception and how it impacts the foundation of gender in consciousness, somatization, and one’s experience of emotions.

Levine, A. and R. Heller. (2010). Attached. The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find – And Keep – Love. Tarcher Perigee.

A user-friendly book of introduction to the science and practical implications in understanding and recognizing the three attachment styles (anxious, avoidant, and secure) and how they impact our adult relationships.

Li, Y. (2023). What gardening offered after a son’s death. The New Yorker, October 30, 2023, 14-18.

A beautiful, meditative essay on processing grief through the act of gardening.

Michael Hecht, J. (2023). The Wonder Paradox: Awe, Poetry, and the Meaningful Life. Picador.

A book that contemplates the role of poetry in our lives as a form of meditation, tradition, and way of understanding life’s complexities.

Miller, C. (2019). Know My Name: A Memoir. Viking.

An important memoir that focuses on the emotional toll for sexual assault survivors in coming forward and seeking justice.

O’Brien, G. (2018). On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimer’s. Codfish Press.

A firsthand account from someone living with early-onset Alzheimer’s.

Pharaon, V. (2023). The Origins of You: How Breaking Family Patterns Can Liberate the Way We Live and Love. G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

This important book integrates various theoretical frameworks into a meaningful and profound way of considering how our early emotional wounds impact our current relationships as adults.

van de Kolk, B. (2015). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books.

Bessel van der Kolk is regarded as one of the pioneers and experts in the treatment of trauma.

Please let me know if there are other resources you would like to see added here.