Many social and community services are run by religious organizations. Learn about the growing number of secular alternatives.

Mental Health Care and Recovery Programs

Grief Beyond Belief - Grief Beyond Belief facilitates peer-to-peer grief support for atheists, humanists, and other freethinkers by providing spaces free of religion, spiritualism, mysticism, and evangelism in which to share sorrow and offer the comfort of rational compassion.

Secular Therapist Network - Unfortunately, many secularists report that they cannot find a secular counselor in their community. We know there are often many secular therapists, but they cannot openly advertise as secular for fear of losing clients or other negative social and professional consequences. If you are looking for a secular mental health professional, this is the first place to look. Through this registry you can find someone who can meet your needs or the needs of your loved ones.

SMART Recovery - SMART Recovery is a self-empowering addition recovery support group. Participants learn tools for addiction recovery based on the latest scientific research and participate in a world-wide community which includes free, self-empowering, science-based mutual help groups.

Rational Recovery - Rational Recovery is a worldwide source of counseling, guidance, and direct instruction on independent recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs using the method of Addictive Voice Recognition Technique (AVRT).

Lifering Secular Recovery - Lifering secular recovery encourages personal growth and continued learning through personal empowerment with an approach based on developing, refining, and sharing personal strategies for continued abstinence and crafting a rewarding life in recovery. Lifering holds meetings in the United States, Canada, and other selected countries of the world and has a vibrant online community as well.

For Secular Parents

Camp Quest - Camp Quest is a place for fun, friends, and freethought for kids ages 8-17. Their camps provide a traditional sleepaway summer camp experience with a wide range of activities including sports, crafts, games, swimming, and campfires. In addition to traditional summer camp activities, Camp Quest offers educational activities focused on critical thinking, ethics, scientific inquiry, philosophy, and comparative religion. While open to children of all faiths and backgrounds, Camp Quest is particularly geared towards building a community for children from atheist, agnostic, humanist and other freethinking families.

American Ethical Union, Young Adults Program - AEU’s Ethical Education for high school-aged young adults offers greater freedom and self-direction in a safe, respectful, and confidential environment. Teens freely discuss and explore topics that are relevant and important to them while planning activities that allow them to directly engage ethical questions and current issues in the world around them.  Each Fall, youth groups from local Ethical Societies gather together for a Youth of Ethical Societies (YES) Conference.

Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association, Children's Education - Many UUH congregations offer varying degrees of educational programming for children, from religious literacy to learning critical thinking skills to evaluate religious claims. Find your local congregation here to check out the programs they offer for secular families.

Society for Humanistic Judaism Youth Programs - The Society of Humanistic Judaism offers a way for Jewish youth who identify themselves as “just Jewish,” culturally Jewish, or half-Jewish to celebrate their Jewish identity, Humanistic Judaism creates an inclusive, nurturing environment for Jewish youth and their families, encouraging their involvement in Jewish life. Dedicated to providing positive Jewish experiences for cultural Jews, the Society and its communities create supportive environments for youth — Sunday schools, congregational youth groups, post-mitzvah educational programs, university programs, and youth conferences.

American Humanist Association, Kochhar Humanist Education Center - The Kochhar Humanist Education Center offers resources for parents, teachers, and activists to provide a humanist education curriculum for children and youth, as well as college students and adults of all ages.

Secular Student Alliance - The Secular Student Alliance empowers secular students to proudly express their identity, build welcoming communities, promote secular values, and set a course for lifelong activism. Encourage them to join the Secular Student Alliance in their high school or college campus, or start if there isn’t one.

CFI on Campus - CFI On Campus provides leadership training, volunteer opportunities, internships, and educational resources for college and high school students through its network of international affiliates.