Tag archives: mental health awareness

Mental Health Awareness in May
By Joanne A Calitri   |   May 28, 2024

The month of May is Mental Health Awareness month. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) offers authoritative information about mental disorders, a range of related topics, the latest mental health research, and resources online.  The history of May for mental health dates to 1949, when the United States Congress designated May as Mental Health […]

Art Abounds: ‘Artful Minds’ & LUM Unleashed 
By Steven Libowitz   |   May 7, 2024

Santa Barbara’s Mental Wellness Center kicks off National Mental Health Awareness Month with its popular art show on the beachfront lawn opposite Chase Palm Park from 11 am – 3 pm on Saturday, May 4. The 28th annual Arts Faire event showcases the talents of approximately 60 local artists who are living with mental illness, […]

Family Service Agency
By Steven Libowitz   |   December 26, 2023

Seniors experiencing depression or related mental health challenges have a new resource to help them retain their independence and improve quality of life thanks to a recently-launched program from Family Service Agency (FSA). PEARLS – an acronym for the Program to Encourage Active, Rewarding Lives – utilizes an evidence-based approach to reduce symptoms of depression […]

Speaking on Behalf of Mental Health
By Richard Mineards   |   May 30, 2023

Prince Harry and his actress wife Meghan Markle are marking Mental Health Awareness month.  The Riven Rock twosome visited with a local youth group for an hour in ‘candid conversion’ with teenagers aged 14 to 18 from AHA! Santa Barbara about how mental well-being is affected by societal pressures and social media in the digital […]

Talk Examines Medieval Suicide and Care
By Scott Craig   |   April 18, 2023

Rebecca McNamara, Westmont assistant professor of English, speaks about care and compassion for those struggling with suicide or affected by the trauma of suicide in late medieval England in a Westmont Downtown Lecture on Thursday, April 13, at 5:30 pm at the Community Arts Workshop (CAW), 631 Garden Street, in downtown Santa Barbara. “Care in […]

Family Service Agency
By Steven Libowitz   |   November 8, 2022

Across Santa Barbara County, as is true around the country, more children and adolescents are experiencing challenges to emotional well-being, including documented increases in anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Not surprisingly, the COVID pandemic increased the urgency to address our youth mental health crisis.  Fortunately, Family Service Agency (FSA) of Santa Barbara County, whose organizational […]

‘Mainstream Topic’: Pandemic Puts Mental Wellness Center in Spotlight
By Steven Libowitz   |   October 7, 2021

It’s just a coincidence that World Mental Health Day falls right in the middle of the circulation for this week’s edition of the Montecito Journal. The annual campaign was created by the World Health Organization with a stated objective of raising awareness of mental health issues and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health and […]