Help, reading & listening
A curated collection of mental health resources, music therapy reading, podcasts and books — for Vermont and beyond.
These resources are shared in good faith as a starting point, not as clinical recommendations. I'm a writer, not a therapist. If something here resonates, follow it — and if you need more support than a list can offer, please reach out to a professional. You deserve that care.
Vermont Resources
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Vermont calls are routed to a local Vermont center first. Available 24/7 for anyone in emotional distress, suicidal crisis, or mental health emergencies. 98% of calls in Vermont are resolved over the phone.
Call or Text: 988
mentalhealth.vermont.gov →Mental Health Urgent Care — Burlington
Walk-ins welcomed, no appointment needed. Open Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm at 1 South Prospect Street, Burlington. Free parking, accessible by public transport. Guests are welcomed into a calm, comfortable space — not a clinical one.
24/7 Line: 802-488-7777
howardcenter.org →NAMI Vermont
Free, confidential peer support groups led by trained volunteers with lived experience. Education, advocacy, and community connection for individuals and families across Vermont. No cost to participate.
namivt.org
namivt.org →Mobile Crisis of Vermont
Teams of mental health professionals and peers who can come to you — at home, school, or in the community. Available statewide, 24/7, for emotional, mental health, or substance use emergencies.
Start with: 988
gethelpvt.org →Vermont Crisis Text Line
Free, 24/7 support by text for anyone in any type of emotional crisis. Trained crisis counselors are ready to listen. No phone call required — text when talking feels like too much.
Text VT to 741741
VT Helplink
A free, confidential resource for Vermonters — non-judgmental support and referrals to treatment, recovery, and harm-reduction services tailored to your individual needs. A Helplink Specialist will listen and help.
healthvermont.gov
healthvermont.gov →National Resources
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
The national 24/7 crisis line connecting callers with trained counselors. Available by call or text. For anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts, emotional distress, or mental health emergencies.
Call or Text: 988
988lifeline.org →Crisis Text Line
Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor. Free, confidential, available 24/7. Ideal when speaking out loud isn't possible. Covers depression, anxiety, grief, and more.
Text HOME to 741741
crisistextline.org →NAMI — National Alliance on Mental Illness
America's largest grassroots mental health organization. Free education programs, peer support groups, and a helpline staffed by trained volunteers with personal mental health experience.
Helpline: 1-800-950-6264
nami.org →Psychology Today — Find a Therapist
A searchable directory of licensed therapists, psychiatrists, and counselors across the US. Filter by location, specialty, insurance, and more. A practical starting point for finding professional support.
psychologytoday.com →The Dougy Center
A national grief support organization offering free resources, peer groups, and guidance for people grieving the death of someone close. Includes support specifically for those grieving a parent or grandparent.
dougy.org →American Music Therapy Association
The professional body for music therapists in the US. Includes a therapist locator to find a board-certified music therapist near you, plus research on music therapy's role in mental and physical health.
musictherapy.org →Music & Mental Health
Music therapy is a well-established clinical discipline practiced by board-certified therapists across hospitals, mental health centers, schools, and hospices. It is not the same as simply listening to music — though that too has measurable benefits.
What research consistently shows is that music engages the brain differently from other stimuli. It activates the limbic system — the seat of emotion and memory — more directly than language does. This is why music can reach people in states of grief, depression, or cognitive decline when words cannot.
For me, this wasn't a research finding first. It was something I lived. The science came later, and it confirmed what I already knew from lying on the floor with a record playing at 2am.
60 BPM
Music at around 60 beats per minute can synchronize with the resting heart rate, encouraging the brain toward alpha waves — the state associated with calm and relaxed focus.
~25%
Studies have found music therapy can reduce symptoms of depression by around 25% in clinical settings, particularly when combined with other treatments.
1944
The year music therapy was formally established as a discipline in the US, emerging from work with World War II veterans experiencing trauma and shell shock.
Recommended Podcasts
Unlocking Us
Brené Brown draws on over 20 years of research into vulnerability, shame, and human connection. Raw, warm, and consistently surprising. Past guests include Barack Obama and Alicia Keys.
The Happiness Lab
A Yale professor debunks the myths we hold about what makes us happy. Science-backed, story-driven, and regularly mind-shifting. One of the most-downloaded mental health podcasts of recent years.
Hidden Brain
Explores the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior using science and real stories. Each episode is a quiet revelation about why we do what we do and feel what we feel.
Musical Health
A music therapy–informed podcast exploring methods, modalities, innovation, and research specifically within modern medicine. Episodes drop every other week — accessible and substantive.
Dear Therapists
Two psychotherapists invite listeners into real-time therapy sessions, offering a rare glimpse into how grief, loss, and emotional pain actually gets worked through with professional support.
Voices of Music Therapy
Inspiring conversations from within the music therapy community. Explores equity, innovation, and new perspectives on how music is used to support healing, connection, and mental health.
Recommended Books
This Is Your Brain on Music
A neuroscientist and former record producer explains what music does to the brain in deeply accessible terms. Essential reading for anyone who has ever wondered why a song can move them to tears.
It's OK That You're Not OK
A grief counselor who has experienced profound loss herself writes about grief without trying to fix it. Honest, humane, and one of the most useful books about loss I have ever encountered.
Lost Connections
A compelling, controversial investigation into the real causes of depression and anxiety — and nine evidence-based ways to reconnect. Challenges much of what we think we know about mental illness.
Musicophilia
The legendary neurologist explores the relationship between music and the brain through remarkable case studies. Illuminating, tender, and impossible to put down.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
A therapist goes to therapy herself and writes about it. A rare book that is simultaneously a memoir, a clinical portrait, and a genuinely funny account of being human and struggling.
The Sound of Music and the Mind
A psychiatrist examines why music matters so deeply to human beings — its role in emotion, identity, memory, and healing. Thoughtful and quietly profound.