Immediate support
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Free, confidential support from a trained crisis counselor, available 24 hours a day throughout the United States. You do not have to be suicidal to contact 988.
Support resources
You don’t have to carry
everything alone.
All the Ghosts I Bring Home explores experiences involving trauma, mental health, grief, and the emotional weight that can accompany a career in healthcare.
If something in these pages—or in your own experience—has brought you here looking for support, the resources below may help you find a place to begin.
Healthcare professionals
You care for everyone else. You are allowed to need care, too.
Healthcare professionals face unique pressures—including repeated exposure to suffering, grief, high-stakes decisions, workplace stress, and concerns about privacy or professional consequences when seeking help.
The Dr. Lorna Breen Foundation maintains resources specifically for healthcare workers and their loved ones, including confidential peer support and directories of no- or low-cost mental-health services. The Foundation itself does not provide clinical treatment.
Mental health & care
Finding professional support
Finding the right therapist, mental-health professional, or treatment program can take time. SAMHSA provides guidance for locating care based on your insurance, coverage, and individual needs, including options for people without insurance.
Grief & loss
Grief does not follow a schedule.
Grief can affect sleep, concentration, relationships, physical health, and your ability to function. Support may come through a therapist, hospice bereavement program, grief-support group, faith or community organization, or other people who understand loss.
Hospice Foundation of America provides grief and bereavement education and resources for individuals and families navigating loss.
If grief becomes a crisis, call or text 988.
Substance use & recovery
Confidential treatment information
SAMHSA’s National Helpline provides free, confidential, 24/7 information and referrals for people and families affected by mental-health or substance-use disorders. FindTreatment.gov can also be used to locate treatment programs throughout the United States and its territories.
Worried about someone
Sometimes showing up is the first intervention.
Take concerning statements seriously. Stay present when it is safe and appropriate, help the person connect with support, and seek emergency assistance if someone is in immediate danger. Contact 988 for guidance about helping someone else.
An important boundary
A note about these resources
This page is provided for informational purposes and is not medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, crisis counseling, or a substitute for care from a qualified healthcare professional. Christopher T. Perkins and this website are not affiliated with or responsible for the services provided by external organizations listed here. Resources listed here are primarily U.S.-based. If you are outside the United States, contact your local emergency service or an appropriate crisis service in your country.
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