By Karyn Brodsky
Knowledge serves as a crucial tool, particularly regarding mental health issues and suicide risks in children, adolescents, and young adults. It is vital for families to recognize signs of struggle in their loved ones and take proactive steps to provide necessary support.
For the Halliburton family, education and resources became glaring necessities after the tragic loss of their son Grant, a Dallas teen who faced battles with depression and bipolar disorder before his suicide at 19 in 2005.
Rather than allow Grant to be just another face in the statistics surrounding mental health, his mother, Vanita Halliburton, and her family channeled their grief into a mission to ensure that others received the resources they lacked. This dedication led to the establishment of the Grant Halliburton Foundation in 2006.
The Foundation is committed to offering a range of educational initiatives, presentations, and an annual conference that focus on mental health topics, including suicide prevention, recognizing depression signs, stress management, resilience building, and various other concerns impacting young individuals’ mental health.
Programs designed for both youths and adults include crucial subjects such as the Building Blocks of Mental Health for youth, Managing Stress and Anxiety, Depression and Suicide Prevention, Road to Resilience, The Teenage Brain: A Work in Progress, and Setting Healthy Boundaries. The adult mental health series contains workshops on Stress and Anxiety Management, Depression and Suicide Prevention, Comprehending the Teen Brain, Mental Health 101, and Enhancing Workplace Mental Wellness.
The Thrive initiative represents Grant Halliburton Foundation’s extensive approach to mental health education, aiming to “integrate mental health into the educational environment” (GrantHalliburton.org). This strategy encompasses awareness efforts, student and adult training, research, peer support, and early identification of warning signs, as well as access to support services, screening, and early intervention in schools. Collaborating with over 175 educational institutions, the Foundation enhances mental health resources via partners like Hope Squad and telebehavioral health initiatives.
Mothers and female caregivers of children dealing with mental health challenges are given opportunities to connect and find community through the Foundation’s Coffee Days peer support groups. In 2023, the organization introduced Charlas con un Cafecito, a support group conducted in Spanish.
Stephanie McGary, LPC-S, RPT-S, serves as the Director of Mental Health Education at Grant Halliburton Foundation. She emphasizes that the organization’s mission is to enhance the availability of mental health resources for children, teenagers, and young adults, promoting better mental wellness and preventing suicide.
“The urgency for mental health education and resources is unprecedented,” McGary states. “At Grant Halliburton Foundation, we are committed to addressing this pressing issue through transformative and life-saving efforts. We engage with schools and communities throughout North Texas to educate individuals on recognizing signs of distress and providing assistance. Our array of educational offerings covers essential topics such as mental wellness, suicide prevention, anxiety management, resilience strategies, and various other concerns impacting youth mental health.”
“The urgency for mental health education and resources is unprecedented,” she states. “At Grant Halliburton Foundation, we are committed to addressing this pressing issue through transformative and life-saving efforts.”
Stephanie McGary, LPC-S, RPT-S, Director of Mental Health Education, Grant Halliburton Foundation
McGary highlights that since its inception in 2006, the Grant Halliburton Foundation has successfully trained over 325,000 students, educators, parents, and professionals in identifying distress signals and supporting individuals in crisis. “Our commitment lies in increasing mental health support and fostering a well-informed community for all,” McGary elaborates. “We developed HereForTexas.com, an online resource directory for mental health and addiction assistance across North Texas, along with the Here for Texas Mental Health Navigation Line. These free tools are designed to simplify access for Texans in need of relevant information and support.”
As a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist, McGary collaborates with families facing trauma. She acknowledges the varying experiences of mental health issues across different cultures and emphasizes her passion for ensuring that both children and adults feel acknowledged and secure in their struggles. This mission epitomizes the focus of the Grant Halliburton Foundation.
“It’s important to realize that you don’t need to be a licensed therapist to make a meaningful impact. A compassionate individual, equipped with essential knowledge about mental health and supportive resources, can alter someone’s life profoundly. Our goal at the Grant Halliburton Foundation is to empower individuals of all ages across Texas to provide support during mental health crises,” she adds.
Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies suicide as the second leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 24. Alarmingly, one in eight high school students in Texas has attempted suicide within the past year—double the national average (CDC). Texas sees approximately one teen suicide per day, and the Dallas-Fort Worth area suffers the loss of two teens weekly.
Grant Halliburton Foundation strives to ensure that the educational initiatives, programs, and resources provided will assist children, teens, and young adults grappling with mental health issues to receive necessary help, ultimately transforming these disheartening statistics into a distant memory.
Join the Grant Halliburton Foundation for a motivational discussion on hope and recovery featuring Drew Robinson at the Beacon of Hope Luncheon
Drew Robinson, a former Major League Baseball player and mental health advocate, hails from Las Vegas, NV. Drafted by the Texas Rangers straight out of high school, he played parts of 12 seasons with the Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Francisco Giants. In 2020, Drew incredibly survived a suicide attempt, which sparked a renewed purpose in his life aimed at helping others and combating the stigma surrounding mental health.
With the motto “Strength Isn’t Always Physical,” Drew commits himself to sharing his personal journey and displaying vulnerability as a means to prevent suicide and promote mental well-being. He is currently part of the mental health and wellness team at the San Francisco Giants, advocating for player mental health and peer support.
The event is scheduled for March 25, 2025, at the Omni Dallas Hotel, starting at 11 AM.
Individual ticket prices begin at $225, with sponsorship opportunities starting at $3,000.
Click here for Tickets and/or Sponsorship Details.
By the Numbers
What accounts for the rising numbers of young individuals experiencing mental health challenges?
According to findings from the CDC, the U.S. Surgeon General, The Jed Foundation, and other organizations, today’s youth face unprecedented challenges, including:
• Nearly half of teens declare they are consistently connected to the Internet.
• Young people aged 15 to 24 spend significantly less time with their peers compared to two decades ago, leading to increased feelings of isolation.
• Rates of childhood depression and anxiety symptoms have doubled globally during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Almost 60% of those aged 16-25 express considerable anxiety regarding climate change.
• Three in five college students encounter essential needs insecurity, such as housing and food scarcity or inadequate access to affordable health care.
• 60% of young individuals with severe depression do not have access to care or treatment.
These issues, along with others, affect children, teens, and young adults, with even more alarming statistics for communities of color, LGBTQ+ youth, those residing in rural settings, and young women.
Here For Texas
To directly address the growing need for mental health education and resources, the Grant Halliburton Foundation founded Here For Texas, a program offering two complimentary community resources.
HereForTexas.com is a bilingual website providing a searchable directory of North Texas providers, designed to help residents find mental health and addiction resources easily.
In 2019, the Foundation introduced the Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation Line, a trailblazing service in North Texas. This free helpline offers personalized assistance in locating providers and resources when needed. Over the past five years, the Navigation Line has served over 2,500 callers, with real people answering inquiries and following up to ensure services were successfully accessed.
Click Here for Additional Resources from Grant Halliburton Foundation.
988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline: If you are experiencing mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use issues, or simply need someone to talk to, compassionate counselors are ready to assist you. Remember, you are not alone.
