Making the Connection: Maximizing the Use of Warmlines to Reduce Loneliness, Isolation and Mental Health Crisis

This presentation was part of the 6th Annual Mobile Mental Health Crisis Response Summit.

The availability of free, anonymous, confidential services is critical to expanding access to mental health and crisis services. There are significant positive outcomes experienced by individuals receiving peer support. Warmlines provide peer support and can help people reduce loneliness and isolation, as well as avoid mental health crisis and use of intensive services. In this presentation, attendees will learn more about how the Minnesota Warmline’s upstream approach to mental health can help the people they serve.

Learning Objectives: Attendees will learn more about the impact of loneliness and social isolation on mental health, physical health and suicidal ideation, about how peer support and Warmlines can be a helpful (free and anonymous) resource/referral for their clients, and measurable ways that the Minnesota Warmline is demonstrating successful outcomes.

Content Level: General level: Covers crisis response basics and terminology.|Advanced level: For experienced crisis responders diving deep into a topic.|Innovation: Designed to highlight new learnings, strategies or lines of thinking.

Presenter: Shannah Mulvihill, MA, CFRE, Executive Director and CEO – Mental Health Minnesota

Bio: Shannah Mulvihill has served as the Executive Director/CEO of Mental Health Minnesota since 2015, which provides mental health resources, education, peer support and text/chat response to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. She also serves as a Regional Policy Council Representative for Mental Health America. She has worked in the non-profit and public sectors for 20+ years in the areas of communications, development, public policy and organizational leadership. Shannah holds a Masters Degree in counseling psychology from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.