Category Archives: Prevention

Meet ODE’s Workforce, Education and Training (WET) Team!

Angela Quiroz, Elise Cabilatazan, Andrew Tardiff, Stacy Williams, Irene Pham

The love of learning, hope for growth and passion to be part of the fight for equity are some of the values that drives BHRS Office of Diversity & Equity‘s WET team. The WET team, consisting of new and seasoned members, is excited to come together to continue fostering growth within our system while also seeking to accomplish established goals and support the learning needs of our staff through a variety of trainings, workshops, and programs.

In the upcoming fiscal year, the WET team is striving to bring back a number of trainings both in-person and virtual including Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Prevention and Management of Assaultive Behavior, and Motivational Interviewing, to name a few, as well as increasing staff’s access to Continuing Education (CE) eligible trainings.

Moreover, the internship program is spurring to action and preparing to welcome our next round of clinical and ODE interns. The WET team is kicking things off with an in-person orientation; an event that has not happened in 2 years due to the pandemic. A number of interns will benefit from being identified as cultural stipend participants and have the opportunity to work alongside one of the Health Equity Initiatives (HEIs) on a community related project. The internship program is also being revamped to include new outreach strategies to help bolster the training opportunities offered in our county.

We aim to do our part to support our teams with their professional and personal growth and will continue to look for ways to improve and excel.

Written by Irene Pham (she/her), BHRS Office of Diversity and Equity

Understand Intersectionality and Mental Health | #Share4MH

💭 Did you know? Communities of color with mental health conditions are less likely to receive mental health services than their white counterparts. Swipe through for some fast facts. 

When discussing mental health, we need to inform from an equity lens so that all our communities can thrive. Keep the conversation going, and share one of your cultural wellness practices.  

To access the graphics in English and Spanish visit our social media page here.

Visit SMCHealth.org/ODE to learn more and SMCHealth.org/HEI to get involved.

For our full list of free and public events and mental health resources, visit SMCHealth.org/MHM

5/2- Suicide Prevention Messaging Matters Annual Webinar

The San Mateo County Suicide Prevention Committee is hosting below event that is free and open to the public. Please help us spread the word about this opportunity!

MESSAGING MATTERS ANNUAL WEBINAR

Learn safe and effective messaging about suicide prevention

Date: Tuesday, May 2, 2023  

Time: 1:30-3:00pm

Virtual Location: Zoom Webinar. Register here: bit.ly/2023messagingmatters

Details: Please join us for this annual webinar “Messaging Matters” to learn more about safe and effective messaging about suicide prevention. Participants will learn about responsible media reporting, how to engage the news media as partners in suicide prevention, and how to create effective suicide prevention materials and talking points. Presentation will be by subject matter expert Stan Collins, Suicide Prevention Specialist with California Mental Health Services Authority Technical Assistance Team. Flyer: View here and attached.

Please help us outreach to all members of our community, especially those who communicate publicly about suicide and suicide prevention. Examples include

  • Public information officers
  • Social media managers or influencers
  • Print media professionals (newspapers, magazines, journals, newsletters)
  • Broadcast media professionals (television, radio)
  • Journalists and student journalists
  • Presenters/trainers who present on suicide and suicide prevention

2023 Mental Health Month | #Share4MH

Partners and community members,  

We are quickly approaching that lime green time of the year again! 💚 Every May is Mental Health Month and California’s theme this year is #Share4MH! To promote engagement across communities in California and San Mateo County, we are asking everyone to find opportunities to share throughout the month. Sharing for mental health can look like:  

  • Sharing how you practice self-care.  
  • Sharing how you practice mental wellness.  
  • Sharing how you get support for your mental health.  
  • Sharing how you overcame stigma.  
  • Sharing your journey towards wellness 
  • Sharing mental health resources 

Check out our attached flyer to spark some other ideas! Also use our virtual background at your next virtual meeting to spark conversation.  

For our full list of free and public events, ways to get involved, and mental health resources, visit SMCHealth.org/MHM

Please share this email with your clients/consumers, colleagues, friends and community! 


Socios y miembros de la comunidad, 

¡Nos acercamos rápidamente a esa época verde lima del año! ¡Cada mayo es el Mes de la Salud Mental y el tema de California este año es #Share4MH! Para promover la participación en las comunidades de California y el condado de San Mateo, les pedimos a todos que encuentren oportunidades para compartir durante todo el mes. Compartir para la salud mental puede verse como: 

  • Compartir cómo practica el autocuidado. 
  • Compartir cómo practica el bienestar mental. 
  • Compartir cómo obtiene apoyo para su salud mental. 
  • Compartir cómo superó el estigma. 
  • Compartiendo su experiencia hacia el bienestar 
  • Compartir recursos de salud mental 

¡Vea nuestro folleto adjunto para generar otras ideas! También use nuestro fondo virtual en su próxima reunión virtual para iniciar la conversación. 

Para ver nuestra lista completa de eventos públicos y gratuitos, formas de participar y recursos de salud mental, visite SMCHealth.org/MHM. 

¡Comparta este correo electrónico con sus clientes/consumidores, colegas, amigos y comunidad! 

2023-MHM-General-Flyer-Eng&SP

12/21- Heart & Soul Holiday Open House

Join Heart & Soul in celebrating the holiday season! Learn about their programs, meet their team member, and gather in community. Their holiday open house is Wednesday, December 21st from 3pm to 6pm at 1633 Old Bayshore Hwy, Suite 258, Burlingame.

Heart & Soul is also offering an in-person Holiday Wellness Project: 2023 Vision Boards. How will you nurture your wellness in 2023? Vision boards are creative tools to hep you focus your awareness and intentions for the new year. Materials will be provided to create a 15 x 11 inch Vision Board. An image bank of hundreds of clippings, quotes and pictures will be available for you to use in your collage. If you have favorite imagery or meaningful wording to incorporate in your Vision Board, bring them with you!

For more info visit heartandsoulinc.org or email info@heartandsoulinc.org.

Holiday Wellness Toolkit: Take Action for Self-Care

  • Take Action for Self-Care #1. Check-in with others and get support when needed
  • Take Action for Self-Care #2. Listen to Music.
  • Take Action for Self-Care #3. Complete a Self-Care Assessment.
  • Take Action for Self-Care #4. How will you take action for mental health in 2023? Make time for self-care. Check-in with friends and family more often. Learn more about mental health and support options in community. Get support when needed.
  • Take Action for Self-Care #4. Are there ways that you can show gratitude to others by passing on kindness or joy?
  • Take Action for Self-Care #6. Practice mindful breathing once a day.

The holiday season is full of many colors, from cheerful reds and golds, to more calming tones, and somber hues. It is the multitude of colors that creates the special beauty of the season. This time of the year is an opportunity to celebrate and to acknowledge that not everyone feels festive. We can demonstrate the spirit of the season with kindness, generosity, and love by checking in with ourselves and others.  

It’s OK to not be happy. The holiday season is full of sights and sounds that can trigger symptoms of trauma, feelings of sadness, guilt, and shame because they are reminders of loss or vital things we do not have. When it seems like everyone else is swimming in joyful abundance, the contrast with how we are feeling can sharpen the pain. Even if we are fortunate enough to live in a comfortable home and be surrounded by helpful family, the increased presence of more intense socializing can cause anxiety.  

If you are feeling sadness or anger, ask yourself “what helps and what hurts”? Give a name to the things that trigger hard feelings and some thought to what makes you feel better. Simple things that can be found in everyday life are best, like taking a walk or ride outside, reading a favorite book, watching a beloved movie, or practicing deep breathing. If your feelings are overwhelming, you are not alone. It’s OK to reach out to someone you trust.  

It’s also OK to be happy. Rejoice in these feelings and cultivate gratitude that you can feel them. Whatever you may have been through this year, you do deserve to celebrate and feel good. However, practicing balance and self-care is just as important when you are happy. Nothing will spoil feelings of happiness like overdoing it. Incorporate movement every day, and get enough rest. If possible, reserve some quiet time for mindfulness practices, like deep breathing, and reflection.   

Read more

12/11 – Anonymous Gun Buyback

Anonymous Gun Buyback | Saturday, December 11 10am-2pm | 1000 Skyway Road, San Carlos

Get cash for your unused or unwanted guns. No questions asked, we do not run ballistics, and you can remain completely anonymous. Receive up to $100 cash for a handgun/shotgun/rifle, and up to $200 cash for an assault rifle.
You can find more details in this event flyer and website.

These events are important in advancing San Mateo County’s Suicide Prevention Roadmap. To help educate the community, the Suicide Prevention Committee has also contributed suicide prevention outreach materials (listed below) for this event.

Please consider sharing this event with your network in the San Mateo County community.

Take the Cessation Services Survey and Enter To Win a $20 Gift Card!

San Mateo County Health’s Tobacco Prevention Program is conducting a survey to gather feedback on a Cessation Services educational material. Participants can enter a raffle to win a $20 gift card to REI.

This survey is open to San Mateo County residents that use tobacco. This anonymous survey is available in English and Spanish. Take the survey.

« Older Entries