Tag archives: mental health
The year I was a therapy intern, I remember feeling a great sense of overall well-being. I knew I was being a good mom to my young children, and a loving and present partner to my husband. I was in graduate school to expand my mind, and I was being of service to low-income seniors […]
Shortly after I got married, my 64-year-old mother lost her battle with breast cancer. Seven years later my father joined her. The loss isn’t any less painful just because you are a grown-up. I was 39 and an orphan. It sounds strange to say it that way, but that was how it felt. “Untethered,” was […]
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 […]
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, […]
Winemaker Samra Morris and I are sharing wine, and the conversation soon turns to mental health. “It’s a common human experience,” she tells me, “and yet people are still scared to share their struggles with it, for fear that they will be judged.” We agree that COVID exacerbated mental health issues for many of us. […]
New Beginnings’ Safe Parking program turned 20 earlier this year, a milestone you need to celebrate. On the other hand, I wish it didn’t even exist in the first place. In an ideal world, there wouldn’t be homeless people living on the streets or in their cars. The latter is what the Safe Parking program […]
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 […]
What is Mind? No matter. What is Matter? Never mind. There’s nothing original about that. But I have been asked to write about “Mental Health,” and it was the first matter that came to my mind. Actually, mental health is harder to contemplate than mental illness. Psychiatrists and other specialists no doubt have their own […]
This summer, the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury investigating four deaths in our jails concluded that the death of JT was not “accidental” as determined by the sheriff-coroner, but needed to be investigated by the California Attorney General as a homicide. The jury concluded: “JT died in a jail cell while suffering from a mental […]
This is a story about the death of a troubled 34-year-old woman, “KC.” A death that led to a Grand Jury investigation and a scathing Grand Jury report. A difficult story that you will not read nearly enough about. Allow me to explain: Last week’s Montecito Journal did a great job digging into the recent […]
When you feel depressed, you may despair that your situation will never get better. Rather than telling yourself how terrible you feel or how hopeless your life is and finding escapes such as food, internet surfing, television, or alcohol, remember that challenges are a normal part of life, and that there is something you can […]
Santa Barbara’s New Beginnings Counseling Center (SBNBCC) held its grand opening with a ribbon cutting reception on Friday, June 9, at its new location, 530 East Montecito Street, Suite 101. The event was well attended, with noted state and local politicians – Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA24), Senator Monique Limón, First District Supervisor Das Williams, District […]
When New Beginnings began serving Santa Barbara as a nonprofit half a century ago, providing confidential, therapeutic psychological testing, assessment, and counseling to low-income individuals and families in the greater Santa Barbara area was its core mission. Experienced masters-and-doctoral-level counselors support clients exploring life transitions, relationship issues, and any number of other concerns – including […]
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 […]
May has long been recognized as National Mental Health Awareness Month, yet never before has the issue of mental health commanded the national conversation as urgently as it does today. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has made mental health his top priority, declaring it “the defining public health crisis of our time,” much like when Dr. […]
Local artists are the focus of “Mixed Up,” the new exhibit at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. The annual Tri-County Juried Exhibition was curated this year by Rae Dunn, popular Bay Area-based ceramic artist, designer, author, and illustrator most recognized for her line of household wares, who will also display a small exhibition of […]
You might need your own cloning technology, or at least a fast car, to make it to the two most intriguing author events this week, as they share a Saturday afternoon time slot on December 3. Montecito artist and general contractor William “Bill” Dalziel will read from his second children’s book, Charlie’s Dream, a sequel […]
With the holiday season on the way, stresses can run high and food can be both plentiful and comforting – often leading to emotional eating as a response. Emotional eating can induce a lot of shame and become a chronic experience if it goes unaddressed. While nearly everyone has experienced emotional eating at one point, […]
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 […]
Over in the sunny cove of Santa Barbara City College, a small health revolution is brewing. At the helm is Student Program Advisor Becky Bean, ASW. With a background in the nonprofit sector and social work, Bean was excited to collaborate with the Student Health Services team at SBCC and spearhead their new wellness program: […]
