Our Parent Project® Fall 2024 semester is finally here! Please help spread the word about our Fall 2024 semester by sharing the flyers attached below with your networks and referring folks to our classes. This semester will feature one virtual English class, beginning on Tuesday, September 10th, and one virtual Spanish class beginning on Wednesday, September 11th.
If you would like to learn more about the Parent Project® program, or if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via my email or phone number at nkelleher@smcgov.org or (650) 649-8411.
📅 We are one month away from September Suicide Prevention Month (in addition to Recovery Happens Month)!
San Mateo County will be joining statewide and nationwide efforts for the following Suicide Prevention Month (SPM) observances. SPM is one of the best times of the year where we can honor those affected by suicide and inspire action to prevent suicide.
Suicide Prevention Month (September)
National Suicide Prevention Week (September 8-14)
World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10)
The 2024 SPM statewide theme is “Love Over Loneliness”. Our San Mateo County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in January declaring loneliness a public health crisis and pledging to promote social connection in our communities. According to the 2023 San Mateo County Health and Quality of Life Survey, 45% of respondents in San Mateo County were experiencing difficulty with loneliness and isolation.
Now more than ever it is important that we find ways to connect with one another. Know the signs, find the words, and reach out.
This year, San Mateo County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services’ Office of Diversity & Equity and San Mateo County Suicide Prevention Committee lead a variety of virtual and in-person events, advocacy days and communication campaign. For the latest updates on free events and resources, you can visit SMCSuicidePrevention.com. To help spread this message of hope, you can share our flyer.
El Pasado 11 de Mayo, El BHRS- Programa Embajador de Salud estuvo presente en el evento Conexiones que Sanan, durante el Mes de la Concientización de Salud Mental. Nuestros compañeros Embajadors Cynthia Castro, Lulu Briseño y John Butler, compartieron sus historias de recuperación ante los asistentes. John, Lulu y Cynthia nos hicieron sentir muy orgullosos, cuando escuchamos que para ellos el bienestar emocional y mental es posible cuando se busca y encuentra apoyo de individuos y organizaciones como BHRS y El Programa Embajador de Salud y otras organizaciones del Condado San Mateo, donde se aprenden herramientas para enfrentar los retos del comportamiento y las adicciones.
Lulu y John compartieron como a través de la poesía y la novela gráfica, respectivamente, han encontrado el bienestar y han apoyado a otras personas que están sufriendo. Cynthia por su parte, enfrento sus miedos y decidió a parase en el escenario y mandar un mensaje de esperanza a las mamás solteras que cuidan de niños y jóvenes con desafíos del comportamiento, además de los de ella propios. Otros BHRS- Embajador@s de Salud como Lupita Anguiano e Yrene Orué participaron en la mesa de registro. Mientras que Alma Rodriguez, Esther Gonzalez y Jose Nuñez estuvieron presentes en el evento para apoyar. El director de BHRS- Jei Africa saludó personalmente a los Embajadores y reconoció el valor de su experiencia de vida y aportaciones en la construcción de una sociedad libre de Estigma. A la foto de grupo con Dr. Africa se agregaron los Embajadores Michael Lim y Gina Olinger-Giani.
Last May 11, The BHRS-Health Ambassador Program was at the Healing Connections event during Mental Health Awareness Month. Our fellow Ambassadors Cynthia Castro, Lulu Briseno, and John Butler shared their stories of recovery with attendees. John, Lulu, and Cynthia made us feel very proud, hearing that for them, emotional and mental well-being is possible when one seeks and finds support from individuals and organizations like BHRS and the Health Ambassador Program (HAP), where one learns tools to face behavioral challenges and addictions.
Lulu and John shared how, through poetry and graphic novels, respectively, they have found wellness and supported others who are suffering. For her part, Cynthia faced her fears and decided to stand on stage and send a message of hope to single mothers who care for children and young people with behavioral challenges in addition to her own. Other BHRS-Health Ambassadors like Lupita Anguiano and Yrene Orue participated at the registration table. Alma Rodriguez, Esther Gonzalez, and Jose Nunez were present at the event to support. The Director of BHRS, Jei Africa, personally greeted the Ambassadors and recognized the value of their live experience and collaboration in building a society free of stigma. Added to the group photo were Ambassadors Michael Lim and Gina Olinger-Giani and HAP Program Coordinator Charo Martinez.
This semester, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services’ Office of Diversity and Equity partnered with One East Palo Alto to provide an in-person Parent Project class facilitated in English with a Samoan/Tongan/Pacific Islander lens. One week ahead of Parent Project graduation, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services’ Office of Diversity and Equity provided a presentation to the class highlighting how to access Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, what resources and trainings we offer at the Office of Diversity and Equity, as well as an introduction to our Health Equity Initiatives and the Health Ambassador Program.
Our Health Education Associate and May Mental Health Month Co-Chair, Maria Martinez (she/her), co-facilitated the presentation alongside the Parent Project Program Coordinator, Nicoletta Kelleher (she/her). The Parent Project® curriculum urges the importance of parents and caregivers caring for themselves, as it is vital to support yourself so you can care for your loved ones. In an effort to brainstorm ways to support one’s mental health, Maria facilitated a May Mental Health Month self-care activity from Take Action’s “Reimagine Mental Health” Mini-Journal. As a class, we shared our “pick-me-ups” or activities we do to for self-care when we are feeling stressed. As a support group, parents and caregivers shared their favorite self-care activities that help them when they are feeling overwhelmed our stressed. Some examples included doing yoga, playing the ukulele, going for a drive, etc. Maria and Nicoletta also encouraged parents to utilize this mini journal for parents and caregivers complete these exercises with their children and loved ones as a bonding activity to do together. Maria also provided participants with the “Reimagine Mental Health” goal setting work sheets packet, to ensure participants are able to plan and monitor their mental health and self-care goals.
Thank you, Maria Martinez, for all of your efforts in spreading May Mental Health Awareness amongst our Parent Project participants! To learn more about San Mateo County’s Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Office of Diversity and Equity’s May Mental Health Month, visit SMCHealth.org/MHM. To access Take Action for Mental Health’s resources, please visit takeaction4mh.com/.
ICYMI: On Saturday, May 11, 2024, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Office of Diversity and Equity partnered with the Spirituality Initiative and Voices of Recovery to host “Healing Connections” Open Mic event to honor May Mental Health Month, promoting mental and spiritual wellness. This event was sponsored by Supervisor David Canepa.
The wellness open mic event celebrates healing community connections through the sharing of collective creative expressions. As a signature event for May Mental Health Month, the event served to combat the loneliness crisis/epidemic in San Mateo County. To take action against the loneliness crisis/epidemic, our Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in January declaring loneliness a public health crisis, pledging to promote social connection in our communities. According to the 2023 San Mateo County Health and Quality of Life Survey, 45% of residents in San Mateo County residents were experiencing difficulty with loneliness and isolation. Now more than ever it is important to find ways to connect with one another and the “Healing Connections” Open Mic was a means to foster further connection within the community. Through the volunteering of San Mateo County Health Ambassadors and Voices of Recovery tabling resources to share with the community, the wellness event was able to create a welcoming and positive atmosphere.
Healing Connections was pleased to bring together artists of various backgrounds and provide a safe space for their performances. Pam Ward Pious, Spirituality Co-Chair, graciously kicked off the event with her poetry. The event was honored to have San Mateo County Health Ambassadors John Butler and Yrene Orue share their stories and their poetry. Cinthia Castro and Lourdes Briseno, who are also San Mateo County Health Ambassadors, shared their stories and performed their pieces in Spanish. The “Healing Connections” Open Mic was also honored by the appearance and performance of San Mateo County Supervisor, Noelia Corzo, during the event. Lastly, BHRS ODE would like to provide a special thank you to Dr. Jei Africa, Director of Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, and San Mateo County Behavioral Health Commissioners Michael Lim and Leticia Bido.
BHRS ODE, San Mateo County Spirituality Initiative and Voice of Recovery would like to thank everyone who attended the “Healing Connections” Open Mic event. The sharing of stories and performances helped to further de-stigmatize mental health and spread awareness of May Mental Health Month, while inspiring others to share their stories; therefore, aligning with BHRS ODE’s values:
Utilizing sharing stories (in this case: poems, stories, etc.) and lived experiences to reduce stigma against mental health and substance use conditions
Amplify the voices of our underserved or underrepresented community members
Raise awareness about how our performers shared their personal journeys to receiving Behavioral Health support. Their stories help us improve our behavioral health outcomes, making them more equitable and inclusive for all SMC community members
BHRS ODE aspires to host a similar event in the future to be of service and to cultivate a more equitable and inclusive community for all.
Written by Ayanna Wade, BHRS Office of Diversity & Equity Intern
Welcome lunch for our 23-24 interns, Ayanna Wade and Isaiah Cajbon, with project leads, Nica Kelleher and Sylvia Tang. Not picture: Project lead, Charo Martinez
Happy May! In the Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE), we’re currently immersed in preparations for our annual internship program. Throughout the spring, our team dedicates time to recruitment, application reviews, scoring meetings, and student interviews. This year, we’re excited to host three interns who will contribute significantly to our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within the Behavioral Health and Recovery Services division and our community. While the Multicultural Organizational Development (MCOD) program received the most interest from applicants, we also saw enthusiasm for the Workforce, Education and Training (WET) team and Health Equity Initiative (HEI) program. Despite MCOD not hosting an intern this year, it remained a top choice among candidates.
Our outreach efforts yielded a remarkable response, with 147 applications received from various platforms, including Handshake, Indeed, Survey Monkey, and a List Serv I maintained from last year. We were pleasantly surprised to receive interest from students as far away as Morocco, Georgia, and Minnesota, as well as inquiries from schools we haven’t partnered with prior. After careful consideration, we’ve narrowed
down the pool to 18 semi-finalists for final review by the scoring committee. Our next steps include conducting interviews with the final six candidates and finally, selecting the top three candidates by June. To ensure fairness, priority will be given to programs that didn’t have an intern last year.
Here is an example of some of our ODE interns’ projects: Medicaid’s Role in Addressing the Opioid Epidemic | Behavioral Health & Recovery Services Blog (smcbhrsblog.org) Westmoor High School Peer Assistants trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid | Behavioral Health & Recovery Services Blog (smcbhrsblog.org) Healing Connections Open Mic – San Mateo County Health (smchealth.org) Self-Care Everyday | Search Results | Behavioral Health & Recovery Services Blog (smcbhrsblog.org)
We’re excited about the progress we’ve made and look forward to onboarding our interns and guiding them through their next steps. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at HS_BHRS_Internships@smcgov.org Thank you for your interest in our internship programs and community!
Written by Stacy Williams, BHRS Office of Diversity & Equity’s Workforce, Education, and Training Team
On Tuesday, 5/21/24, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors proclaimed 2024 May as Mental Health Month. The proclamation was accompanied by presentations from Dr. Jei Africa, Director of Behavioral Health & Recovery Services and Sylvia Tang, co-chair of the Mental Health Month Planning Committee. Lived experience speakers, Gina Olinger-Giani and Joanna (Jo) Padilla, also shared their personal stories for why mental health matters.
Padilla stated, “For me, self efficacy and self-advocacy are a form of my recovery. I am forever grateful and love the resources available, but we must continue to fund these programs and encourage the initiatives to support stipends for those that are willing to participate in their better mental health.”
Before Supervisor Canepa made his motion to declare May as Mental Health Month, he addressed San Mateo County’s loneliness crisis, “The days of saying mental health doesn’t exist, those days are over… In San Mateo County we have 45% of people who feel alone. This equates, according to our surgeon general, to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.”
In January 2024, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors declared loneliness as a public health emergency. Read more in the article here.
You’ve heard of red flags and green flags.. In the WAYLGF challenge, we are asking people what are their lime green flags. Lime green flags refer to practices or actions that help people be mentally healthy. The challenge name is a play on the national color for mental health awareness which is lime green!
Featured in this video: Dr. Jei Africa (he/him), Director of San Mateo County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services
Follow SMCHealth’s Facebook and Instagram to keep up with our challenge!
Events happening this week: 💚 5/21: Parent Collaboration- Mental Health in our Community, Pescadero 💚 5/21: Breathwork, Redwood City Public Library 💚 5/22: Essence of Mana Village Walk, Elks Lodge in SSF 💚 5/23: Soul Soup w/ Amber Hines, Brisbane Library
For our full list of free and public events and mental health resources, visit SMCHealth.org/MHM.
Throughout the self-care blog series, we explored the spectrum of self-care, spanning from physical to spiritual self-care, highlighting its benefits for overall health and wellbeing. As we conclude the self-care blog series, it is imperative to recognize self-care is not a luxury, but accessible and equitable for all.
Each self-care blog series post delved into various examples of self-care practices; however, the possibilities are endless for what practices works best for you. Implementing a single self-care practice into your routine paves the way for a happier and healthier lifestyle.
As you embark on your self-care journey, each month I encourage you to incorporate new self-care practice into your daily routine. With persistence, the self-care practice that was once out of grasp, will soon become second nature. Our health and wellbeing deserve priority; after all, we only have one life, so why not make it the best it can be?
Thank you all for joining me on this self-care journey! I wish you all the best as you continue along your journey!
The final, yet equally important, topic in our blog series is spiritual self-care. Nurturing your spirit holds as much significance as caring for your mind and body. Participating in spiritual self-care deepen our sense of purpose and bring more meaning to our lives.
Although spiritual self-care may sound similar to a religious practice, it does not have to involve specific religious practices. Spiritual self-care encompasses whatever you find meaningful and sacred. Whether you draw meaning from your faith, yourself, relationships, nature, or elsewhere, you can practice spiritual self-care.
A few examples of spiritual self-care include, but are not limited to:
Make time for reflection
Spend time in nature
Find a spiritual connection or community
Be open to inspiration
Cherish my optimism and hope
Be aware of non-material aspects of life
Be open to not knowing
Identify what is meaningful to you and notice its place in your life
Pray or meditate
Sing
Read inspirational literature or listen to inspirational talks, music
The possibilities for spiritual self-care are flexible to adapt to individual preferences and needs. By prioritizing spiritual self-care through these practices, we can transform stressful energy into gratitude, both for ourselves and the blessings in our lives.
My spiritual self-care practice involves prayer and mindfulness meditation. Each morning upon waking, I begin with a prayer for guidance and strength the day ahead. Following prayer, I read a daily devotional and the corresponding scripture. To end my day, I express gratitude for another day of life, acknowledging every day is a blessing to work towards not taking it for granted. After repenting more any mistakes I have made throughout the day and showing gratitude, I end with a 15 to 20-minute mindfulness meditation session. Mindfulness meditation entails observing one’s thoughts without judgement as they arise. This practice enables me to acknowledge troubling thoughts while properly releasing them. Following mindfulness meditation, I typically experience a quieter mind and a clearer perspective on addressing challenges.
Sources:
Each Mind Matters: Self-Care Drop in Article (English)
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