Category Archives: Parent Project

Fall 2023 Parent Project Classes in Spanish

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The Parent Project is a free, 12-week course designed for parents and caregivers with adolescents who display challenging behaviors. Offered in both English and Spanish, the classes teach both prevention and intervention strategies that focus on the following areas:
• Dealing with unhealthy and/or dangerous behaviors in teens
• Strengthening family relationships

Participants gain access to resources and other support systems available in their communities, and also practice effective parenting skills that include:
• Developing appropriate family structure
• Preventing or ceasing the use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco
• Enhancing communication skills
• Improving grades and school attendance

To learn more about Parent Project, visit SMCHealth.org/ParentProject.

PP-Flyer-Spanish-Wednesday-Class-Fall-23-1Download

First-Ever Youth Mental Wellness Pathways Workshop Piloted by San Mateo County Behavioral Health Youth Committee

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Just in time for Teen Mental Health Month, on August 1st, the San Mateo County Behavioral Health Youth Committee piloted its first-ever Youth Mental Wellness Pathways Workshop guided by the vision of creating clear, culturally sensitive and empathy-based access – “pathways” – to mental and behavioral health care for youth and their families no matter the point-of-entry.  With the ultimate goal of creating a simple yet effective navigational tool with heart, the pilot was designed for participants to:

  • Share their lived experiences (both positive and negative — i.e. barriers encountered) in navigating the system;
  • Exchange insight on how to effectively navigate the process;
  • Gather early data for an MVP pathways map that: (1) defines what questions to ask; (2) empowers with rights and sets expectations; (3) directs where to go; and (4) connects with supportive tips and networks.

 In small groups, parents, caregivers, educators, youth and mental health and behavioral health practitioners shared a unique mental wellness experience; identifying the feelings, thoughts, and actions that occurred before, during, and after attempting to access care. They mapped their pathway, then as a group, participants discussed their responses and then assessed the trends on their pathway. This was followed by a gallery tour, where each participant looked at each group’s pathway to better understand the thoughts, feelings, and obstacles that arise when attempting to access behavioral health care, as well as to define needs at each stage.

Through this event, participants were able to share their lived experiences to understand the realities associated with seeking behavioral health care. Whether that be fear, linguistic barriers, or the difference between therapy and youth therapy, this event created a space for identifying these real-life experiences from San Mateo County staff and families – and, importantly, co-created practical steps to support youth and families in moments of greatest need.

For future sessions, the Youth Committee plans to meet different communities within San Mateo County to host similar sessions among more youth, parent and caregivers, and educators of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. BHRS Office of Diversity would like to thank BHC Commissioner and Youth Committee Chair Frieda Edgette, BHC Commissioner, Commission on Disabilities Commissioner and County of Education Board Trustee Chelsea Bonini, BHRS Deputy Director of Youth and Family Services Ziomara Ochoa, Commission on Disabilities Commissioner and San Mateo Union School District Board Trustee Ligia Andrade Zuniga, volunteer William Elting, Consumer & Family Affairs TITLE Yolanda Ramirez and Parent Project Program Coordinator II Nicoletta Kelleher for their outstanding efforts in piloting this event. In addition, the Office of Diversity and Equity expresses deep gratitude to all the attendants that shared their lived experience and made this event possible.

If you are interested in learning more, getting involved or bringing the pathways workshop to your organization, please contact Nicoletta Kelleher at nkelleher@smcgov.org

Jackie Speier Collaborates with BHRS ODE to Hear from Latinx Mothers

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On Wednesday, March 15th, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) Office of Diversity of Equity (ODE) worked in collaboration with retired Congresswoman, Jackie Speier, and Louise Rogers, Director of San Mateo County (SMC) Health to host a virtual event for SMC Latinx mothers to identify their needs and experiences. Jackie Speier has just launched “The Jackie Speier Foundation,” therefore, this virtual event served as a means of better understanding how to better support this community. In an effort to hear the voice of San Mateo County (SMC) mothers, participants from the SMC Parent Project© and the BHRS ODE Health Ambassador Program were invited to attend.

This dialogue led to learning more about our SMC mothers’ concerns around access to services, behavioral health needs for children, economic and employment challenges, and the desire for youth support in different areas of their lives. Additionally, the participants shared thoughtful recommendations and hopes for mothers balancing many needs to provide the best life for their children. The resilience of our communities shined through, with mothers speaking about overcoming obstacles and advocating for their families. Throughout this conversation, Jackie Speier looked to better understand gaps and system barriers impacting mothers and children to access services and supports.

With much gratitude, we thank our community for joining us at this event and for sharing each of their stories with such heart and thoughtfulness. We also thank Jackie Speier for her persistence in identifying how our county can better accommodate the needs of Latinx mothers. We would also like to thank Louise Rogers for her support in making this event happen and her deep understanding of our communities and work throughout our system of care. BHRS ODE will continue to host similar events to ensure the voice of those we serve is represented in our work.

Spanish Parent Project Class – Starting 4/19

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Hello everyone, 

Please help me to spread the word about the upcoming Parent Project virtual Spanish class beginning on Wednesday, April 19th. The class will be facilitated by Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center’s, Evelia Chairez. Please see the attached flyer. 

To register for this class, please contact Evelia Chairez via her email or phone – echairez@pcrcweb.org & (650)513-0330 ext. 

For any Parent Project related questions, please feel free to contact me by my email or phone – nkelleher@smcgov.org & (650)649-8411. 

For more information about Parent Project, please visit SMCHealth.org/Parentproject.

PP-Spanish-4/19Download

BHRS ODE Builds Community Connections at “Caffeinate and Conversate with Canepa”

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On Saturday, February 18th, San Mateo County Supervisor, David Canepa, hosted a “Caffeinate and Conversate with Canepa” event in Daly City, creating a space for a community conversation on mental health. Following the Half Moon Bay shooting and the recent storms in the Bay Area, it was great having the opportunity to learn from fellow mental health providers and advocates on accessing and improving mental health resources within San Mateo County.  

San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) Director, Dr. Maria Lorente-Foresti and Program Coordinator, Nicoletta Kelleher had the honor of presenting about BHRS services and resources. The presentation focused on Prevention and Early Intervention programs, youth and adult Mental Health First Aid, Workforce Education Trainings, Health Equity Initiatives and more. Throughout the presentation, attendees were referred to BHRS ODE’s program brochures and resources in order to ensure community members could easily access our services. The event also included contributions and resources from valued partners including Christi Morales-Kumasawa and Stephanie Garma Balon from KAPWA Kultural Center and Café, Virginia Chang Kiraly from National Alliance and Mental Illness (NAMI), and Fan Li from North East Medical Services (NEMS).

BHRS ODE is extremely appreciative to have had the opportunity to inform our community of our programs and services. We are grateful to Supervisor David Canepa and his team for inviting us to speak at this event, as well as creating a space for the community to voice their concerns and struggles following the recent traumatic events within our county. We look forward to participating in more events to help build community connections and the opportunity to amplify the voices of our underserved communities in order to make accessing behavioral health services more equitable and inclusive for all. 

To learn more about David Canepa’s past and upcoming events, visit his social media pages:

Written by Nicoletta Kelleher (she/her), BHRS’ Office of Diversity & Equity

Parent Project Hosts First In-Person Class Since Spring 2020!

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The Parent Project Spring 2023 semester is officially here! As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Parent Project classes have been strictly virtual for the past three years. For this reason, we are excited to be transitioning back into in-person classes. This semester, our first in-person class is facilitated by Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center’s (PCRC), Evelia Chairez, alongside the Community Alliance to Revitalize Our Neighborhoods’ (CARON), Jose Luis Aguirre. Our first class was quite the success as we had numerous parents and caregivers join us at the Redwood City Library for our first in-person Spanish class since Spring of 2020. Our second in-person class is hosted by StarVista’s, Eddy Caldera and Mario Vargas, who are hosting another in-person Spanish class at Fiesta Gardens International school.

For virtual classes, we have one virtual Spanish class being hosted by StarVista’s Lilia Quezada, alongside Ara Vazquez and Gaby Berber. Our virtual English class is hosted by Peninsula Conflict Resolution’s Center and the Pacific Islander Initiative’s co-chair, Brittany Tonga.  

“I am very happy to have the Parent Project classes in person again. It is very motivating for me to see that parents want to learn more tools to educate their children. Each week they return with new experiences and feedback on how they are applying what they learn in the classroom at home. I have always said that today’s parents have a harder job to do, since they were educated in an analog world and now they have to educate in a digital era, often unknown to them. The fact that they attend the classes every week speaks volumes about their role as parents who always want to be better for their kids.” 

Jose Luis Aguirre, Parent Project Facilitator

[En Español]

“Estoy muy feliz de tener nuevamente las clases del Proyecto de Padres en persona. Es muy motivador para mi ver que los padres quieren aprender más herramientas para educar a sus hijos. Cada semana regresan con nuevas experiencias y comentarios de cómo están aplicando en casa lo que aprenden en el salón de clase. Siempre he dicho que a los padres de hoy en día les toca una labor más fuerte, pues ellos fueron educados en un mundo análogo y ahora tienen que educar en un mundo digital, en muchas ocasiones desconocido para ellos. El hecho de que asistan cada semana a su clase habla muy bien de su papel como padres que siempre quieren lo mejor para sus hijos.   

Jose Luis Aguirre, Facilitador del Proyecto de Padres 

Thus far, this semester has allowed us to rebuild connections with our community members. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are aware that there are added obstacles associated with rebuilding familial relationships. For this reason, we are implementing practices to better assist parents in an era that has been more anxiety inducing for both parents and children. ODE’s Community Program Specialist, Charo Martinez, will be working in collaboration with her fellow Health Ambassadors to educate parents and caregivers on the Health Ambassador Program. We are beyond thankful for the outstanding contributions of our partners Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center and StarVista. We are looking forward to what the future of the Parent Project has in store!  

For more information on the Parent Project, please visit: https://www.smchealth.org/post/parent-project-r 

For any Parent Project related questions or concerns, please reach me via my email: Nkelleher@smcgov.org  

Written by Nicoletta Kelleher (she/her)
BHRS’ Office of Diversity and Equity

Parent Project Classes are Here / Clases de Parent Project ya están Disponibles

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Para la traducción al español, siga hasta la parte de abajo.  

The Spring 2023 Parent Project schedule is officially here! We are thrilled to announce that we will be hosting two of our Parent Project Spanish classes in-person this semester. I have attached the individual flyers for each class, as well as the All Class Flyer which provides the class start dates with the corresponding languages and registration contacts.  

The All Class Flyer is also featured on our San Mateo County Health Parent Project Website which you can visit using this link https://www.smchealth.org/post/parent-project-r  

For any questions pertaining to the Parent Project class, please contact me via my email.  

Nicoletta Kelleher  (she/her/ella)
Parent Project Program Coordinator  
Nkelleher@smcgov.org 

We look forward to seeing you all there!  

El calendario del Proyecto de Padres para la Primavera 2023 está oficialmente aquí! Es nuestro gran placer anunciar que organizaremos dos de nuestras clases en español del Proyecto de Padres, en persona este semestre. He incluído los volantes individuales para cada clase, así como el volante para Todas las Clases que proporciona las fechas de inicio de cada serie, con los idiomas correspondientes y los contactos para registrarse. 

El volante para Todas las Clases también aparece en nuestro sitio web del Proyecto de Padres, Salud del Condado de San Mateo, que puede visitar usando este enlace: https://www.smchealth.org/post/parent-project-r 

Para cualquier pregunta relacionada con la clase del Proyecto de Padres, comuníquese conmigo a través de mi correo electrónico. 

Nicoletta Kelleher (she/her/ella)
Coordinador del Programa de Proyecto de Padres 
Nkelleher@smcgov.org 

English One PagerDownload
Spanish One PagerDownload
Parent-Project-All-class-flyer-S2023-EnglishDownload
Parent-Project-All-class-flyer-S2023-SpanishDownload
PP-Flyer-English-Thursday-Class-Spring-23Download
PP-Flyer-English-Tuesday-Class-Spring-23Download
PP-Flyer-Spanish-Thursday-Class-Spring-23Download
PP-Flyer-Spanish-Tuesday-Class-Spring-23Download

Parent Project Fall 2022 Schedule

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The Parent Project® is continuing this coming Fall with four virtual classes. Please share with your networks and communities.

The Parent Project® is a free, 14-week course that is offered in English and Spanish to anyone who cares for a child or adolescent. The classes meet for three hours each week. Parents learn parenting skills and get information about resources and other support available in their communities. Parents/caregivers learn and practice skills such as:

  • appropriate ways to discipline
  • preventing or stopping alcohol, drug and tobacco use
  • improving communication skills
  • improving grades and school attendance

Spanish All Class Flyer
English All Class Flyer

For more information, visit SMCHealth.org/ParentProject.

Happy AAPI Heritage Month: Updates from the Pacific Islander Initiative

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PII Co-Chair, Brittany Afu

This year, BHRS ODE’s Health Equity Initiative, Pacific Islander Initiative (PII) welcomes a returning co-chair, Brittany Afu, who is currently working with long-time partner, Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center. Luci Latu and Brittany have been focusing on rebuilding past partnerships and cultivating new ones to strengthen PII’s membership base.

Some of the initiative’s focus this year has been on COVID outreach – raising awareness around COVID testing, vaccines and linking families to COVID relief programs and services. Other focuses include outreaching for partner events and community classes, sharing information about services and completing community presentations to raise awareness on critical issues affecting the PII community.

Recently, the PII co-chairs presented to a class at UC Berkeley discussing Pacific Islander health disparities and how the initiative and other partnering agencies are developing strategies to address community needs. It is an ongoing effort, and we hope to make community impacts by filling future Parent Project courses, hosting Mental Health First Aid trainings and getting more families connected to needed care.

Blog written by Brittany Afu
Co-Chair of Pacific Islander Initiative of San Mateo County, 

To learn more about Pacific Islander Initiative and other health equity initiatives, visit SMCHealth.org/HEI.

The Health Equity Initiatives are funded through BHRS’ Office of Diversity and Equity. For more information click here.

To learn more about Pacific Islander Initiative, visit smchealth.org/pacific-islander-initiative.

Parent Project Spring 2021 All Class Flyer

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The Parent Project® is a free, 12-week course that is offered in English and Spanish to anyone who cares for a child or adolescent. The classes meet for three hours each week. Parents learn parenting skills and get information about resources and other support available in their communities. Parents/caregivers learn and practice skills such as:

  • appropriate ways to discipline
  • preventing or stopping alcohol, drug and tobacco use
  • improving communication skills
  • improving grades and school attendance

For more information about Parent Project visit smchealth.org/ParentProject.

Parent-Project-All-class-flyer-Sp2021-EnglishDownload
Parent-Project-All-class-flyer-Sp2021-SpanishDownload
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