Article and photos by Urban Alliance staff.

Chances are, you or someone you know is going through a challenging season at this very moment, perhaps from the loss of a loved one, an ongoing struggle with addiction, a recent divorce or another difficult situation.

Often, people who are seeking emotional support do not know where to find service providers. And, according to care providers engaged in Charis, it is a challenge to help people understand that they need professional help and cannot cope with their mental health or emotional struggles alone; people need advocates to help them get appropriate assistance.

Charis is an Urban Alliance initiative that aims to help people become emotionally healthy and resilient by collaboratively increasing the impact of local care and counseling services.

The Charis website (www.CharisNetworkCT.org) and printed resources provide simple ways to connect with a variety of professional counselors and care providers right here in Greater Hartford:

Here are 3 ways to help connect people to care:

To receive free printed Charis resources or learn more about engaging in Charis as an emotional care service provider, contact Jessica Sanderson, UA’s Senior Director of Research & Strategy, at jessica.sanderson@urbanalliance.com or 860.986.7461.