Starling Minds Mental Fitness is a self-guided digital program that is available 24/7. It’s immediate, private, and tailored for Head Start staff (and their families) through NHSA membership. In three simple steps a day, you can proactively build daily habits that will help you better manage stress, anxiety, burnout, or depression and take control of your life and wellbeing—on a phone, tablet, or computer.
“With Starling’s innovative technology and deep understanding of educators, we hope this program will deliver the support and training to the Head Start people so they can care for themselves and their families, and in turn, provide the stabilizing services and care to communities across the country.”
– Yasmina Vinci, Executive Director, NHSA
How it works
The program adapts support and training to your unique personality and learning style while integrating educator-specific content, stories, tools, and peer community forums into your experience.
- Check-Up: Uncover insights on how you’re doing.
- Build Skills: Your training sessions adapt to you—providing you with the skills and tools to improve your mental fitness.
- Connect: Share your story and find support from peers in our anonymous community.
Features:
- Homepage to guide you through daily steps to improve your mental fitness
- Check-up to provide you with a complete assessment of your stress, anxiety, depression,
- Self-guided sessions to deliver personalized mental health training and support based on your needs
- Exercises to guide you through easy, bite-sized versions of our training sessions when you only have a few minutes
- Live interactive sessions to supply expert-guided support, relaxation techniques, mindfulness exercises, and workshops
- Video library to learn key cognitive behavioral therapy concepts through easy-to-follow educational videos
- Skills toolbox to help you set realistic goals, track your progress, balance negative thoughts, and regulate your moods
- Peer-supported community to empower you to share your experiences, connect with your peers, and find empathy and support throughout your mental health journey
- Now available in Spanish! Starling is dedicated to bringing the best, most inclusive experience to our members.
Live Mental Fitness Training
Bi-Weekly Drop-In Sessions
Support your mental fitness with live bi-weekly drop-in sessions. It’s in our nature to look after each other, but we tend to be not as good as prioritizing ourselves. Take 30 minutes just for you.
Mental Health Toolkit for Head Start Staff
In addition to providing the complete Starling Minds Mental Fitness Program to NHSA Members, our partners at Starling Minds have developed a variety of resources to help you build a compassionate, safe culture for your staff and increase individual resilience.
What users are saying…
“Thank you for this program! I really needed help with balancing some extremely unhealthy thoughts. With all the challenges that come with being an educator, to say that I’m scared and anxious is an understatement.”
– Starling Minds User
“Starling has been such an amazing tool for me. I have learned some behavioral strategies, tools, and greater self-awareness. I really appreciate being part of a community where I feel accepted and understood.”
– Starling Minds User
“These sessions in Starling have helped me realize that I am not alone in my experiences. It has also allowed me to put my feelings into words and give logical reasons for why I have been feeling the way that I have.”
– Starling Minds User
“My scores on the mental health continuum improved because I started this program last spring; I’ve had a year to work on my mental health, anxiety, and stress. I’m also more aware of my battery levels and how to charge it, which has helped greatly!”
– Starling Minds User
Frequently Asked Questions
Starling Minds is for individuals 16 years or older who want to improve their mental fitness. NHSA is making the program free to NHSA Members and their family members.
The Head Start workforce faces a unique set of difficult and challenging stressors. This program is designed to deliver support and training to Head Start staff so they can care for themselves and their families, and in turn, provide stabilizing services and care to communities across the country.
Not a member? Please encourage your organization to join NHSA membership for continued access to exclusive resources and discounts.
Starling makes it easy to learn and integrate practical strategies into your daily life so you can get your mental health back on track. In just a few minutes, the program will guide you through the sessions so you know exactly what you need to do to get better. As you work through the sessions, the program will adapt to your needs and tailor recommendations and insights just for you.
Starling’s program is 100% secure. They do not sell any of your personal health information to anyone. You’ll select an anonymous codename for posting in the community.
Yes, Starling is an educational program that is based on Cognitive Behavior Therapy. It’s a helpful tool to use alongside medication and/or in-person therapy.
Yes, Starling Mental Fitness is accessible to anyone with a smartphone, tablet, or computer, via the website and through official smartphone apps. This makes the program readily available whenever and wherever you are.