Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. In addition, it helps determine how we handle stress, make decisions, and interact with others. Mental health is important at all stages of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health is committed to caring for the whole person—body, mind and spirit. We support mental & behavioral health through a variety of partnerships, coalitions, and clinical services.
Programs
Behavioral Health Clinical Services
Our comprehensive Behavioral Health services include a dedicated specialty practice, hospital-based care, addiction medicine specialists, and licensed clinical counselors at primary and specialty care locations. We are also a partner in the Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital.
Click here to learn more about our clinical services
Let's Talk, Lancaster
Let’s Talk, Lancaster is a coalition of organizations including Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health that work together to improve mental well-being in Lancaster County
Our coalition members include medical and behavioral health providers, community and social service organizations, school professionals, and community members. We envision a Lancaster community that promotes and supports an environment where all people live healthy lives.
Its efforts include standardized screening for anxiety and depression across primary care practices, increasing the number of behavioral health providers, and providing community mental-health training. By connecting mental and physical health, it works to reduce the stigma around mental illness, promote resiliency and improve the link between primary and mental health care.
Trauma-Informed Community Initiative
The goal for this program is for Lancaster County to become a trauma-informed community that addresses and reduces traumatic childhood experiences.
Trauma results from an event or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful and that has lasting adverse effects.
This initiative, supported by Let’s Talk, Lancaster and the Lancaster General Health Behavioral Health Impact Fund, includes online training modules and specialized trainings for community and organizations to advance trauma informed policies and practices. It provides an overview and awareness of trauma, resilience, and trauma-informed care for anyone who interacts with local individuals and families who may have experienced trauma, including human services professionals, educators, the faith community, employers, government agencies, and others.
Understanding Trauma Training Course
Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health is offering a new free, online, self-paced training course, titled "Understanding Trauma, Resilience and Trauma Informed Care."
This course provides a foundational understanding of trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), resilience, vicarious trauma, and trauma-informed care for anyone in the community who interacts with individuals and families who may have experienced trauma, including law enforcement and criminal justice professionals, first responders, healthcare and behavioral health providers, human services professionals, educators, employers, government agencies, faith community leaders, and others.
The course is broken out into four modules that are each one hour in length, with interactive activities in each module and a knowledge quiz at the end of each module. No advance registration is required and anyone can access these trainings at any time, from wherever they may be located.
Access the course
Mental Health First Aid Community Collaborative
Mental Health First Aid training is an evidence-based training that provides skills and resources necessary to recognize and address mental illness, improve pathways to care and reduce stigma. By the end of the five-year project that began in 2022, over 4,000 students (specifically 10th graders) and community members in the participating school districts will receive mental health training. Trained students and community members will assist with early identification of individuals who are experiencing mental health issues and connection to care. Click here to learn more.
How to Get Help
Hot Lines
Text Lines
Local Resources