The Front Line Initiative integrates self-care prevention platform from CredibleMind into mental health support program in Tewksbury, Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut and Tyngsborough Massachusetts

January 15, 2021— With citizens and police staff grappling with the confluence of a pandemic, civil unrest, and financial insecurity, the Front Line Initiative has expanded its spectrum of mental health services and programs to include CredibleMind’s self-care prevention platform. The Initiative currently helps provide residents of Chelmsford, Billerica, Dracut, Tewksbury and Tyngsborough, Massachusetts with access to mental health clinicians and peer support staff. The Initiative, thus far, has saved millions of dollars in emergency room diversion and criminal custody diversion costs. Now the Initiative wants to decrease the overall incidence by expanding from treating the crisis to preventing the illness crisis through self-care.

Facing access and stigma issues, self-care approaches have become a fundamental pillar of mental health, widening access to well-being strategies, and reducing the burden on the current care network. Self-care emphasizes the active role of people in purposeful and continuous care, helping create more positive and resilient individuals. CredibleMind brings to the Initiative the most comprehensive self-care solution, promoting mental wellness, preventing mental illness, and intervening at the beginning of illness. The customized platform provides education and supportive interventions to reduce or eliminate risk factors throughout the community and police force.

“Since 2016 we’ve been providing our communities with a direct connection to behavioral health and substance use services in a whole-person, trauma-informed way,” said Matthew Page-Shelton, M.F.A, M.Ed., LMHC, Regional Director of The Front Line Initiative. “The pandemic has only amplified how essential this support is and CredibleMind is a key component to broadening our reach and integrating prevention and early intervention strategies,” he added.

“We have seen first-hand how the stressors of today’s fast paced life have impacted our community’s health and well-being. As a collaborative, we are excited to offer these proven internet based self-help tools to our community, bringing the power of safe and immediate access to a range of self-care prevention platforms to everyone with access to a computer”, says Chief Daniel Rosa.

“Given recent tensions and the plethora of current health, social and economic stressors, it’s an important strategy to proactively support the mental health of both the police force and community served,” said Deryk Van Brunt, Ph.D., and CEO of CredibleMind. “With the vast majority of people seeking mental health interventions on their own, CredibleMind provides the Initiative a personalized approach for navigating thousands of evidence-based health promotion and disease prevention self-care strategies.”

“As feelings of uncertainty, vulnerability, anxiety, isolation and loneliness are taking their toll on citizens across our communities we felt it was important to seek out new innovative ways of engaging with our communities,” Matthew Page-Shelton Regional Director for Front Line stated. “95% of those individuals will reach out online to look for information.”

With over 240 topics CredibleMind provides access to a wide range of evidence-based resources that are not meant to replace appropriate professional in-person care, but as a tool to find information. All information accessed and submitted on the online resource by residents is confidential and anonymous.

This new online resource can be accessed as of January 15th 2021 at https://frontline.crediblemind.com