Center for Behavioral Health
How can the CBH-SOAR Program help my friends or family?
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CBH-SOAR Services
The CBH-SOAR Program provides services to those at risk of developing a serious mental illness. These experiences may seem like a change from how the person previously acted and may appear unusual or concerning to loved ones. Individuals appropriate for our program may be experiencing the following:
- Feelings of suspicion or fearfulness of others, or acting on-edge (e.g., scanning their environment, avoiding others)
- Increased social isolation or withdrawal
- Reduced interest in social activities
- Unique perceptual experiences, such as hearing or seeing things that others do not, possibly responding to these experiences (e.g., covering ears when others cannot hear what is bothering them)
- Greater difficulty at school, work, or in social settings (e.g., struggling with their grades or normal tasks more so than usual)
- Difficulties in communicating thoughts to others, including disorganized speech or expressed frustration in their conversations being misunderstood
How do I get help for my child that is under the age of 18?
You are welcome to reach out to us or complete our child services request, linked below. If you are feeling concerned about a friend or family member who is 18 or older, they will need to reach out to us themselves. We are unable to accept service inquiries for adults from anyone other than the adult or their provider.
Call us at 601.266.4588. If we miss your call, you can leave a confidential message and a staff member will return your call as soon as possible.
Send and email to CBHFREEMississippi, and a staff member will contact you via email or phone as soon as possible.
How do I get help for someone I care about who is 18 or older?
It is necessary for the adult (18 years of age or older) needing help to reach out to us themselves to inquire about services.
It is hard to see someone you care about struggling with their mental health and not be able to help. Below are some suggestions for how you might approach a conversation with a friend or family member about this topic.
- Use active listening, seek to understand their experiences, and remember that they may be in distress. Have empathy.
- Be present and let them know that you want to help. Offer to help and follow through on that offer if they need it. Be available.
- Educate yourself about what they might be experiencing and be prepared for your conversation. Some resources listed below might be helpful. You may not be a mental health expert, and that’s ok! But it can be helpful to have some knowledge going into these conversations – and your friend or family member may appreciate the work you’ve put in to support them.
- In a crisis, use appropriate emergency resources.
The below resources may be helpful in considering how you might approach someone you care about with a conversation about getting help:
WHAT TO DO WHEN A LOVED ONE WON'T ACCEPT HELP FOR THEIR MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM
5 WAYS TO HELP SOMEONE STRUGGLING WITH THEIR MENTAL HEALTH
HOW TO HELP SOMEONE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS ACCEPT TREATMENT