Free “Warmlines”

Warmlines are confidential and cost the caller nothing. They are not the same as crisis lines or hotlines, such as the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which are more concerned with providing you with immediate safety and facilitating your connection to crisis resources.

• Teen Connect: From Mental Health Associates, Teen Connect is a free, non-crisis warmline available Monday through Friday, 5pm - 10pm, through call or text, for youth ages 13 - 24. A safe space to obtain emotional support, speak with a peer who can listen non-judgmentally and understand the concerns of youth, and obtain helpful resources.

  • Call 1-888-866-6054

  • Text 1-973-791-5700

• Blackline: Peer support and counseling prioritizing BIPOC, with an LGBTQ+ Black Femme Lens. "We do not trace or send any type of intervention under any circumstances without consent."

  • Call 1 (800) 604-5841

  • Download the mobile app

    • Apple App Store

    • Google Play Store

• Trans Lifeline: Trans peer support for Trans community that’s been "divested from police since day one. Run by and for Trans people." Available Monday through Friday 1 PM – 9 PM

  • US: 1-877-565-8860 

  • Canada: 1-877-330-6366

• Thrive Lifeline (24/7): Trans-led and operated, focusing on people with intersecting marginalized identities. Does not "engage in non-consensual active rescue."

  • Text “THRIVE” to 313-662-8209

NJ Mental Health Cares - free, anonymous online mental health screenings in cooperation with Mental Health America.

A Family’s Guide to Talking About Depression, Mental Health, and Suicide Prevention: open discussions about mental health can help reduce stigma and encourage people to get help when needed. This comprehensive discussion guide is easy to understand. It links to helpful statistics and explains signs that suggest someone may be planning to take their own life.

101 Resources for Student Mental Health: Intended for students entering college, this page compiles national mental health resources, guides on how to grow resilience, suicide prevention, and more.

JED Foundation - empowers teens and young adults by building resiliency and life skills, promoting social connectedness, and encouraging help-seeking and help-giving behaviors.

Comfort Zone Camp - a nonprofit bereavement organization that transforms the lives of children who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, primary caregiver, or significant person.

2ndFloor Youth Helpline - Services youth aged 10-24 years, those who call or text (1888-222-2228) are assisted with daily life challenges by professionals.

Most public libraries in the world, not just ours, organize nonfiction according to the Dewey Decimal System. This means that every subject is assigned a specific number. If you ever want to find a book on a tough topic without having to ask someone, it helps to know what numbers relate to which subjects. You can even use a self-checkout machine for extra privacy.

Please note that anything you check out or browse at the Maplewood Library is not intended to replace medical, legal, or financial advice.

• Abuse: 362.7 or 362.82

  • Fiction recommendations

  • Nonfiction recommendations

• Addiction: 362.29 or 616.86

  • Fiction recommendations

  • Nonfiction recommendations

• Adoption: 362.734

  • Nonfiction recommendations

• Bullying: 303.69

  • Fiction recommendations

  • Nonfiction recommendations

• Cancer: 616.546

• Child Abuse: 362.76

• Death & Grief: 155.9

• Disabilities: 362, 371.91, or 649

  • Fiction recommendations

• Eating Disorders: 616.8526

• Immigration: 325

• LGBTQIA+ Topics & Coming Out: 306.76

• Loss of a Parent: 306.874 or 155.9

• Mental Illness: 616.89

  • Depression: 616.8527

  • Trauma: 616.85

• Personal Finance: 332

• Poverty & Homelessness: 362.77

• Puberty: 612.66 or 613.043

• Racism: 305.8

• Reproductive Health: 613.9

  • Abortion: 363.46

  • Miscarriage: 618.392

  • Pregnancy: 618.2

• Sexual Violence: 362.7

• Suicide Prevention: 362.28

If you’re open to digital formats, eAudiobooks and eBooks, try out these curated lists from Hoopla Digital:

• Black Stories & Experiences

• Body Positivity

• Conversations about Race

• Latine Stories & Experiences

• LGBTQ+ Voices & Experiences

• Love on the Spectrum

• Love Thyself

• Native American Stories & Experiences

• Navigating Grief and Lossn

Family Connections NJ, a non-profit community based counseling and family service agency, offers multiple School-Based Youth Services Programs:

The Hub: Maplewood Middle School

The Space: South Orange Middle School

The Loft: Columbia High School

Did you know that you can access several high quality resources for homework help, test prep, and college prep free with your library card? See below for examples:

JerseyClicks
A selection of eminent databases for college & k-12 students, public libraries, state government and New Jersey residents, free of cost. JerseyClicks provides access to over 20 databases, which cover a host of topics and academic pursuits.

Explora Secondary Schools
This search tool is designed for students in grades 6-12. It offers magazines, newspapers, biographies, country reports, and more

Academic Search Premier
Indexing or full-text of top academic journals

Gale Presents: Peterson's Test and Career Prep
Search thousands of college and graduate schools, identify scholarships, take practice tests, create resumes, and explore careers.

Job and Career Accelerator
Create resumes and cover letters, learn interviewing techniques, and prepare for related exams. Access millions of job listings

LGBTQ+ Life in College: Identity, Belonging, and Support
This site includes research studies that examine LGBTQ+ students’ sense of belonging, well-being, food insecurity, and experiences at community colleges, universities, and religiously affiliated institutions.

Achieve Foundation - The Achieve Foundation raises funds to promote exemplary public education for all students and educators in our community as well as offers tutoring services for students

YouthNet- YouthNet is a non-profit organization serving SOMSD with extended enrichment programs, mentoring, and after school clubs at both middle schools and the high school

South Mountain YMCA - The South Mountain YMCA offers a variety of summer and after school programming for youth, including free membership for students in grades 6-8.

The Parenting Center - The Parenting Center is a dynamic resource in the South Orange & Maplewood community addressing the full range of children's needs and parent's concerns.

Special Education Parent Advisory Committee- SEPAC is an advocacy group focused on policies, programs, and practices within the South Orange/Maplewood School District. Families and caregivers of student(s) with learning needs or students eligible for or receiving services under an IEP or 504 plan are encouraged to attend SEPAC Meetings.