Comfort Kits
Supporting A Young Person in the Midst of Trauma
CATCH Comfort Kits provide a mental health counselor or a trauma
response professional with tools for supporting a young person experiencing a difficult
situation or a traumatic event.
Our volunteers saw the need for these kits following the shooting on July 4, 2022 in Highland Park.
When Trauma Happens
CATCH Comfort Kits are designed for use during a counselor's assessment and are then sent home with a child or adolescent to support their healing journey.
Kits are nondescript, easy to carry, and include instructions about how each item can be used.
They are available at a number of local police departments, schools, and mental health providers across Chicago's north suburbs.
A Community Effort
From volunteers to mental health professionals, Comfort Kits are bringing our community together in support of our children's mental health when it's needed most.
The Northbrook Woman's Club Foundation made and donated fleece blankets for some of the Comfort Kits.
While the blankets provide comfort for young people who are experiencing big emotions, the donation reminds us we live in a caring community... and it's connections and support like this that truly make a difference for our collective mental health!
Mental health counselors at the Highland Park Resiliency Center shared the kits with families during events on July 4, 2023.
“So many parents were mesmerized by how to utilize the kits with their children, as well as a good amount even asked if they were too old to use it themselves,” said Michelle Koso, LSW, MSE, City of Highland Park Licensed Clinical Social Work & Victim Liaison.