Tag Archives: StarVista

Suicide Prevention Week “Reconnect” Activity Challenge #1

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💬 Today marks the official kick-off of the Suicide Prevention Week “Reconnect” Activity Challenge! Today’s challenge is focused on reconnecting and creating a safe space, something everyone can do to play a role in suicide prevention. Take some time today to reach out to someone in your life and create a safe space, letting them know that you are comfortable to talk about anything they need, including suicide. Learn more at suicideispreventable.org/prevention-kit.php.

For full list of free events happening throughout this month in honor of Suicide Prevention Month, visit SMCHealth.org/Suicide-Prevention-Month.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, contact one of these 24/7 hotlines:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 
StarVista Crisis Hotline: 650-579-0350 
Crisis Text Line: Text “Bay” to 741-741

💬 ¡Hoy iniciamos la actividad “Reconectar” de la Semana de prevención del suicidio! El desafío (“challenge”) de hoy se enfoca en reco nectar y en crear un espacio seguro, algo que todos podemos hacer para jugar un papel en la prevención del suicidio. El día de hoy, dedique tiempo para conectarse con alguien vinculado a su vida y crear un espacio seguro, y hacerle saber a esa persona que usted está dispuesto a conversar sobre cualquier cosa que necesite, incluso sobre el suicidio. Obtenga más información en suicideispreventable.org/prevention-kit.php. 

Para conocer una lista completa de los eventos gratuitos de este mes en honor al mes de la prevención del suicidio, visite SMCHealth.org/Suicide-Prevention-Month. 

Si usted o alguien a quien conoce tiene pensamientos suicidas, llame a alguna de estas líneas de ayuda, las 24 horas del día, los 7 días de la semana:
Línea nacional de prevención del suicidio 1-800-273-8255 
Línea directa para crisis de StarVista: 650-579-0350 
Línea de mensajes de texto ante crisis: Envíe “Bay” al 741-741

Get Involved in Suicide Prevention Week & World Suicide Prevention Day!

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💪 Wondering how to get involved in Suicide Prevention Week (September 5-11) and World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10)? Join in the “Reconnect” Activity Challenge! The challenge will take you through a series of five activities where you’ll connect with others, practice self-care, raise awareness and expand your suicide prevention knowledge. Review, complete, and share your finished challenges for a chance to win a Mental Health Thrival Kit. Learn more at suicideispreventable.org/prevention-kit.php.

For full list of free events happening throughout this month in honor of Suicide Prevention Month, visit SMCHealth.org/Suicide-Prevention-Month.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, contact one of these 24/7 hotlines: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255  StarVista Crisis Hotline: 650-579-0350  Crisis Text Line: Text “Bay” to 741-741

💪 ¿Quiere saber cómo participar de la Semana para la prevención del suicidio (del 5 al 11 de septiembre) y el Día mundial de la prevención del suicidio (10 de septiembre)? ¡Únase a la actividad “Reconectar”! Este es un desafío o “challenge” que propone una serie de cinco actividades donde se conectará con otras personas, pondrá en práctica el autocuidado, creará consciencia y aumentará los conocimientos respecto a la prevención del suicidio. Repase, complete y comparta los desafíos completados para tener la oportunidad de ganar un kit para aumentar su salud mental. Obtenga más información en suicideispreventable.org/prevention-kit.php.

Para conocer una lista completa de los eventos gratuitos de este mes en honor al mes de la prevención del suicidio, visite SMCHealth.org/Suicide-Prevention-Month.

Si usted o alguien a quien conoce tiene pensamientos suicidas, llame a alguna de estas líneas de ayuda, las 24 horas del día, los 7 días de la semana: Línea nacional de prevención del suicidio 1-800-273-8255  Línea directa para crisis de StarVista: 650-579-0350  Línea de mensajes de texto ante crisis: Envíe “Bay” al 741-741

Happy 2021 Suicide Prevention Month: Reconnect, Reenter, Rebuild!

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💚💜 Happy Suicide Prevention Month! SPM is the best time of year to empower the community to prevent suicide! For 2021, San Mateo County, Star Vista and partners are promoting the theme of “Supportive Transitions: Reconnect, Reenter, Rebuild.” Transitions, in any shape or size, can impact our mental health, and major life changes have long been understood to be environmental risk factors for suicide. Positive coping skills, resilience, and connectedness to family, friends, and our community can act as protective factors to help us navigate transitions.

While the pandemic has changed our fabric of life, it has also strengthened our resilience and resolve. As we re-enter life -whether it is going back to school, reconnecting with friends, rediscovering favorite places, or reimaging our future, transitions are easier when we navigate them together.

All of us can play a role in suicide prevention. Together we can reconnect, reenter and rebuild for the future!

What to look forward to this month: Along with a 5-day social media challenge during Suicide Prevention Week (September 5-11), we will be hosting free virtual & in-person events throughout the month in honor of suicide prevention. Check out our calendar of events, and register at SMCHealth.org/Suicide-Prevention-Month!

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, contact one of these 24/7 hotlines: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255  StarVista Crisis Hotline: 650-579-0350  Crisis Text Line: Text “Bay” to 741-741

💚💜¡Feliz Mes de la prevención del suicidio! ¡El mes de la prevención del suicidio (Suicide Prevention Month) es el mejor momento del año para capacitar a la comunidad acerca de la prevención del suicidio! Para el 2021, el Condado de San Mateo, Star Vista y asociados promocionan el tema “Transiciones de apoyo: reconectar, retomar, reconstruir”. Las transiciones, de cualquier forma o dimensión que sean, pueden afectar nuestra salud mental, y los grandes cambios en nuestra vida se han entendido como factores de riesgo ambientales con relación al suicidio. Las habilidades de afrontamiento positivas, la resiliencia y la conexión con la familia, los amigos y nuestra comunidad, pueden actuar como factores de protección que nos ayudan a atravesar las transiciones.

Si bien la pandemia ha cambiado nuestra estructura de vida, también ha fortalecido nuestra resiliencia y determinación. A medida que retomamos nuestra vida, ya sea volviendo a la escuela, reconectando con amigos, redescubriendo nuestros lugares favoritos o repensando nuestro futuro, las transiciones son más sencillas cuando las atravesamos en compañía.

Qué esperar en este mes: Además del desafío de redes sociales de 5 días durante la Semana de prevención del suicidio (del 5 al 11 de septiembre), presentaremos eventos virtuales y presenciales de manera gratuita durante todo el mes, para honrar el mes de la prevención del suicidio. ¡Eche un vistazo a nuestro calendario de eventos y regístrese en SMCHealth.org/Suicide-Prevention-Month!

Si usted o alguien a quien conoce tiene pensamientos suicidas, llame a alguna de estas líneas de ayuda, las 24 horas del día, los 7 días de la semana: Línea nacional de prevención del suicidio 1-800-273-8255 Línea directa para crisis de StarVista: 650-579-0350 Línea de mensajes de texto ante crisis: Envíe “Bay” al 741-741

Mental Health Monday: Events Reminder #2

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Event Reminders!

Mental Health Awareness Month 2019 is now on its second week!

Here’s a friendly reminder of all the exciting events happening this week!

Mon, 5/6 6pm StarVista Crisis Hotline Volunteer Panel 
San Mateo Public Library – Oak Room, 55 W 3rd Ave, SM
Details: The StarVista Crisis Center’s volunteers and staff will come to answer questions about the hotline and what it is like to be a volunteer! Community members will learn about the Crisis Center’s services and how to get involved. 
Languages: English
Contact: Karina Chapa | karina.chapa@star-vista.org

Tue, 5/7 1pm Lived Experience Academy- Hearing Stories of Mental Health From Those Who’ve Lived It
Skyline College Campus – Building 4 Room 4301
Detail: Panel of lived experience speakers will talk about their personal experience with mental health. 
Language: English
Contact: Perry Chen | chenp@smccd.edu

Tue, 5/7 6pm Book Talk with Francine Toder, Ph.D., Inward Traveler: 51 Ways to Explore the World Mindfully​
SSF Main Library
840 W. Orange Ave., SSF
Details: Francine Toder, Ph.D., psychologist and writer, will share some of the 51 ways to explore the world mindfully from her new book, Inward Traveler. Learn how Eastern philosophy and practices can enhance your travels. Find out how to energize or quiet yourself on the road. Discover how your personality and time-perspective affects travel, with others or solo. Get tips to supercharge your five senses, on any journey. Find out how a distracted mind can boost creativity—on trips of any length. Come away with new strategies for traveling mindfully.     Francine Toder, Ph.D. is an emeritus faculty member of California State University, Sacramento, a clinical psychologist and writer. She is the author of 3 other books including most recently, The Vintage Years: Finding Your Inner Artist (Writer, Musician, Visual Artist) After Sixty. Her writing appears in magazines, professional journals, newspapers, and online magazines such as Huffington Post, Thrive Global, and Next Avenue.
Language: English
Contact: Stacy Lein | lein@plsinfo.org

Read more

The S- Word Film Screening and Panel Opens Up Dialogue About Suicide and Stigma

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Last Wednesday, on September 19th, over 100 people attended San Mateo County’s first ever S- Word Film Screening and Panel hosted at the San Mateo High School Performing Arts Center in collaboration with San Mateo Union High School District, Star-Vista and the Office of Diversity and Equity. 

The S- Word is a documentary following a survivor of a suicide attempt as she embarks on a mission to document the stories of fellow survivors and document their stories of insight, humor, and courage. She discovers a national community rising to transform personal struggles into action.

During the panel discussion, audience members were able to ask questions about suicide anonymously that were displayed on the projector for the panelists to answer. Questions included “how do I connect with others that are considering suicide” and “what’s the best time or age to talk about this topic?” 

Sylvia Tang, Office of Diversity and Equity, Co- Chair of Suicide Prevention Committee, and Co- Coordinator of this event states,  

“I am so thankful that we had an engaged audience who asked thoughtful questions and wanted more community screenings of the S-Word. This film helped start a dialogue about suicide; this is such an important first step in suicide prevention because it raises awareness and reduces stigma around suicide.  We hope more community members and agencies join the San Mateo County Suicide Prevention Committee because we need everyone to help prevent suicide in our schools and greater community.”  

Special thanks to all the panelists: 

And all who tabled including:

This event was co-partnered by StarVista, The Office of Diversity and Equity, and San Mateo Union High School District.

Empowering Youth to be Change Agents

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HAP-Y Cohort

The Health Ambassador Program for Youth (HAP-Y) is an innovative and community-developed program delivered by StarVista. It is designed for youth ages 16 to 24 who are interested in advocating for communities that have been touched by mental health challenges, raising awareness about mental wellness and increasing access to mental health services. The program is funded by innovation funds through the Mental Health Services Act, which are designed to engage individuals, families and communities to be active change agents regarding wellness, particularly behavioral health. The program is managed by BHRS’ Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE), whose primary focus is reaching and engaging vulnerable families and communities in San Mateo.  

The participants of the program, most whom have lived experience with mental health challenges, participate in a 14-week training program, creating a personal Wellness Recovery Action, and learning about common mental health challenges and the principles of suicide prevention.

HAP-Y Cohort

After completing the trainings, HAP-Y graduates are encouraged to conduct community presentations to start conversations and increase knowledge about mental health and community supports available. In the first year of HAP-Y, 20 youth successfully completed the program. They have already reached an audience of over 300 through classroom-based presentations. Preliminary evaluations suggest an increase of over 30 percent in knowledge of where to seek supports and services for mental health issues.

HAP-Y has seen success, not only in reaching an audience, but in providing a sense of community for participants. HAP-Y graduates said the group provided a welcoming and loving environment, where they could have real conversations about topics that they are often unable to have with their peers.

As the program enters its second year, there is an additional focus on continuing to engage past participants and building on their skills and passions. If you are interested in learning more about the program, please contact hapy@star-vista.org.

The next 14-week HAP-Y training will start on May 15th and will be hosted in Half Moon Bay. Please share this information with any youth you think may be interested in participating in this program. 

Co-written by Narges Dillon, Brenda Nunez & Islam Hassanein, StarVista and Nancy Chen, ODE

StarVista Launches New Youth Website With Peer to Peer Chat Services

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Written by Nicole Marshall, Youth Outreach Coordinator

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           As of January 2018, StarVista, a San Mateo County community based mental health provider, is excited to announce the launching of its fully renovated youth website, OnYourMind.net. This represents a huge success as it represents an expansion of services, and is also a win for the teen volunteers who run the site and have advocated for the changes. The site focuses on mental health and suicide prevention education, offering teen blogs and instant peer to peer chat. Teens are encouraged to seek direct support on a wide range of topics including relationships, stress, bullying, depression, identity, and health. New to the site are several redesigned interactive features: blogs allow visitors of the site to ask questions and leave comments, and new chat software allows seamless connection to fully trained teen counselors Monday through Thursday from 4:30PM to 9:30PM. The best part? OnYourMind.net and its chat services are now completely mobile accessible. Read more

Happy 50th Anniversary to the StarVista Crisis Center!

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Picture (Left to Right): Sylvia Tang, Narges Dillon, Stephanie Weisner,  Jei Africa

On September 22, the  StarVista Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Center celebrated 50 years of crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to San Mateo County. The event involved recognition of the Crisis Center’s volunteers, staff and community partners.

The San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Office of Diversity and Equity is honored to continue to partner with StarVista on suicide prevention efforts.

Visit our previous blog post to learn more about the services provided by the Crisis Center.

Cheers to 50 more years!