Tag archives: mental health
“Permission to move granted.” When I read that line in, I Know I Should Exercise But, the new release by Dr. Diana Hill and Katy Bowman, I was intrigued. To find out more, I went to a workshop they were hosting at Yoga Soup, where the authors put their movement where their mouths are. The […]
There was no doubt that top staff at the nonprofit YouthWell would show up at the sold-out Arlington Theatre last week to hear social psychologist Jonathan Haidt talk about The Anxious Generation, his new book that examines why, after more than a decade of stability and improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the […]
When my sister’s fifth and youngest child was about to leave for university, she and my brother-in-law made a plan. They knew that after he left, they couldn’t face their once full, noisy and vibrant home. So, they packed the car and when he took off, they took off. It turns out that this wasn’t […]
Dr. Leonie H. Mattison, Ed.D., MBA, president and CEO of Pacifica Graduate Institute (PGI), is inviting mental health organizations in Santa Barbara County to join a free event via Zoom on Sept. 6, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. PGI will provide a platform to connect and work together on the mental health issues in the […]
It’s been a landmark year for major anniversaries in Santa Barbara. The Granada Theatre launched its year-long Granada 100 celebration in the spring. The Summer Solstice Parade held its 50th festival on the first day of summer. And Old Spanish Days Fiesta is in the midst of its centennial celebration as this issue hits newsstands. […]
I recently had an email exchange with a man who was interested in renting our vacation home for a stay with his grown sons. His wife had died the week before and as she loved the beach, he felt it would be a wonderful way to honor her. I offered what I hoped were words […]
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 […]
