Reach Out: Tips for Helping Someone in Crisis: ISBN 978-1-6782-0584-3 / eBook: 978-1-6782-0585-0
Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2023
A concise overview that explores how young people can support their peers through mental health crises.
The book opens by emphasizing that these problems can affect anyone. Chapter 1 presents statistics on mental health concerns among tweens and teens. Musicians like Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, and Selena Gomez are highlighted for sharing their struggles through music. The second chapter describes the elements of emotional intelligence—social awareness, self-awareness, self-management, and relationship management—as the basis for being able to help others. The chapter called “Starting a Conversation” helps readers with ways to assist others while emphasizing that it is not their responsibility to solve everything. Chapter 5 focuses on self-care as a way of cultivating resilience and being a better support person. Suggestions include volunteering, journaling, and regular mindfulness practices. Crucially, the book explores how identity affects one’s risk of mental health struggles, including poverty, gender, sexual orientation, and racism. Text boxes punctuate the narrative, adding valuable and interesting background information (e.g., “How It Feels: Panic Attack” and “Robot Therapists”) along with quotes from mental health professionals. Stock photos showing racially diverse young people brighten the book. This accessible title written in a conversational and reassuring tone is a valuable and inviting resource for young people looking for ways to support their peers.
A considered and compassionate mental health support guide for adolescents. (content warning, source notes, further research, index, image credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18)
Reach Out: Tips for Helping Someone in Crisis: ISBN 978-1-6782-0584-3 / eBook: 978-1-6782-0585-0
WASHYARG, May 2024
Reach out is an informational book about mental health. It covers causes of a crisis, ways for a teen in crisis to reach out for support and treatment, and how individuals (adults and teens) can help a teen in crisis. Sidebars emphasize critical information and quotes throughout the pages. Each chapter has a box of text that explores aspects of that chapter’s topic; for example, what it feels like to have a panic attack or the possibility of therapy via arti[icial intelligence. A few resources for further information are listed on the last pages. Reach Out is comprehensive and would be helpful for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis (or in the orbit of someone who is). I doubt this will be a teen’s [irst choice for information, however. Additionally, the text on the page is crowded which does not provide not a great reading experience. Every library should have books on mental health speciically for teens, so include this if your collection needs beefing up and let your counselling department know that this book (and hopefully others) is on the shelf.
Recommended Audience: High School, Junior High (7-9), Middle School (6-8)
Amber Peterson, International Community School
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