Our Program

Helping youth and families live healthy lives.

The Wellness & Prevention Center was founded by a group of dedicated community members to explore new ways to help the youth in our community lead healthier lives. What started as a school based drop-in center has evolved into a unique organization that provides mental health services in the schools and community, helps to educate the community to address issues surrounding the diseases of mental health and addiction, and leads a federally funded Drug Free Community Coalition designed to bring sectors of the community together to prevent youth from engaging in unhealthy activities.

On middle and high school campuses across South Orange County California, the Wellness & Prevention Center provides a safe place for youth to discuss stressors and conflict while working on positive solutions. School wide programming and individual services are designed to encourage healthy coping mechanisms for the overwhelming demands on our local youth while implementing evidence based prevention models. Research has shown that the majority of our adolescents’ social and emotional learning takes place at school and that a mental health professional on campus greatly helps these students thrive.

Goals and Strategies

GOAL: EMPOWER STUDENTS
Strategy: Increase our youths’ ability to be engaged with school and strengthen young people’s connections to their family, peers, and community.
GOAL: ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY IN DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION AND MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
Strategy: Increase awareness surrounding the diseases of mental health and substance abuse, and the connection between mental health and drug use.
GOAL: PROVIDE COMMUNITY WITH EDUCATION, TOOLS, AND RESOURCES

Strategy: Collaborate with local resources, experts, and health care providers.

GOAL: REDUCE YOUTH RISK-TAKING BEHAVIORS
Strategy: Increase community youth activities and youth leadership opportunities. Increase early intervention and prevention of substance use. Increase mental health interventions.
GOAL: REDUCE NEGATIVE STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH DRUG ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH
Strategy: Increase understanding and empathy of mental health issues and the disease of drug addiction.

Year-End Reports

Annual Report 2014-2015
Annual Report 2015-2016
Annual Report 2016-2017
Annual Report 2017-2018

Annual Report 2020-2021

Annual Report 2018-2019

Annual Report 2021-2022

Annual Report 2019-2020

Annual Report 2022-2023

Our Team

Staff
Susan ParmElee, LCSW I Executive Director

Susan is one of the founders of the Wellness & Prevention Center. A graduate of Cornell University and San Diego State University, Susan has been working in non-profits and mental health care for over 16 years. Susan is dedicated to access for all to quality prevention and mental health services. Susan has witnessed an increase in teens diagnosed with anxiety and depression and is striving to help communities in South Orange County target the causes of this increase while helping teens who are struggling. Check her out on Shoutout SoCal!

Lauren Gallegos, ACSW I Community Prevention Director
Lauren holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University Fullerton and master’s degree in social work from the University of Southern California. Lauren grew up in San Clemente and attended schools that we now serve. Lauren worked as a Prevention Coordinator for Phoenix House Behavioral Health and Supportive Services providing school-based prevention services to Orange County schools for 3 1/2 years before joining the team at the Wellness & Prevention Center.
SOPHII SANDOVAL, ACSW I Lead Bilingual Spanish Clinician

Sophii has been with the Wellness & Prevention Center since 2017. After graduating from San Clemente High School in 2010, she received her bachelor’s in sociology from California State University San Marcos and her master’s in social work from the University of Southern California. Sophii believes that, at its core, social work is about giving back to one’s own community, which is why she joined the WPC in its mission to help youth and families lead healthy lives.

ANGELA PHILLIPS I Program Coordinator

Angela is a grad student at Capella University who will complete her Masters of Marriage and Family Therapy in the spring of 2022. She started with WPC in January 2021 as a graduate student intern. Angela is deeply committed to helping improve the lives of the kids and teens.

Board Members +
MARK D. MURPHY, CPA I Board Member
Mark Murphy received his Bachelor of Science degree with a major in finance and a minor in real estate from California State University at Long Beach. Mark is a certified public accountant and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. Mark is currently the managing partner of LTSP, Inc. Certified Public Accountants. As a partner with LTSP, Inc., he is primarily in charge of planning and supervising audit and other attestation engagements in a wide array of industries including technology, healthcare, real estate, service, distribution, manufacturing and ERISA compliance. In addition, Mark is active in the community and serves on several non-profit Boards. He is the current President of the Orange County Chapter of the National Institute of Pension Administrators (Board member since 1995) and is the current Treasurer of the Orange County Chapter of the Western Pension & Benefits Council (Board member since 2001) Mark also serves as a Treasurer and advisor for the Wellness & Prevention Center.
WILLIAM H. CARSON I Board Member
William H Carson has been a resident of San Clemente since 1997 and is a community activist committed to fostering change. His professional experience includes banking, investment, real estate, manufacturing, technology and media. Bill supports the idea of attacking addiction and mental health problems on a micro and macro level and believes that the Wellness & Prevention Center is incredibly effective in addressing the challenges faced by our local youth in a long lasting impactful manner. Bill is a past board member of several non-profits including San Clemente Co-operative and Casa Romantica Arts and Cultural Center.
Laurie MelbY I Board Member
Laurie joined the WPC board of directors in 2019 as the fundraising chair and has been a supporter of WPC since its inception. She has a history of volunteerism, from running or cycling to raise funds for the cancer society, march of dimes, and the heart association, to volunteering as a Big Sister for 6 years with Big Sisters of Los Angeles, doing community service work with Junior League of Long Beach, picking up food for the Long Beach food bank, and serving at her church. She also sat on the Foundation Board of Coastline Community College for several years. In 2014, Laurie retired from her administrative career at Coastline Community College and began volunteering with the San Clemente High School PTSA in a variety of roles including operating the student store on campus.
Laurie has an M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University. She has had an award-winning career, including several Los Angeles Emmy awards for the production of educational television. Many of these series broadcast on PBS throughout the United States and abroad.
Laurie is drawn to the work of WPC because she believes that the future of our community and its families depends on the health and well-being of our youth. Keeping our kids safe, drug free, mentally healthy and with the tools and support to deal with life challenges is essential to our future.
Spencer Calvert I Board Member

Spencer is a father of twin boys and a daughter, all whom are in the Capistrano Unified School District. He is passionate about mental health access for all.
Spencer is an early stage venture investor, former Director of Growth at Stance (HQ in San Clemente), and started his career at McKinsey & Company where he advised clients across the US and Europe.

Megan Hernandez I Board Member

Megan Hernandez lives in Laguna Niguel with her husband and two children, 10 and 8. She is a leadership coach, facilitator, and yoga instructor, and is passionate about bringing people together around issues that matter. Four years ago she helped initiate and lead a movement in the Aliso Viejo and Laguna Niguel community to bring more mental health support for our teens. This effort has resulted in additional mental health support on the campuses of our middle schools and high school, as well as community education events around mental health and wellness, and drug use and prevention. She now serves as secretary on the board of Wellness & Prevention Center, and represents the Aliso Viejo and Laguna Niguel communities.

Richard Hurt I Board Member

Richard Hurt was elected to the Aliso Viejo City Council in November 2020 and is serving as Mayor Pro Tem in 2022. Mayor Pro Tem Hurt serves as a board member for the Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA) and is Vice Chair of the Toll Operations Committee. He also sits on the Environmental, Joint Capital Programs and Projects, and Finance and Investment committees for TCA. Additional duties include Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District and Library Advisory board member. Mayor Pro Tem Hurt was also appointed to the Cal Cities Environmental Quality Policy Committee in 2022. 

Prior to his devotion as an elected official for the City of Aliso Viejo, Mayor Pro Tem Hurt was an accountant and volunteer within the city serving as the President of the Board for the Friends of Aliso Viejo and volunteer coaching. 

Mayor Pro Tem Hurt has lived in Aliso Viejo for over 6 years with his loving wife. Together they enjoy hiking, reading, and various other activities. 

Community Partners

YOU CAN HELP!

DONATE OR VOLUNTEER TODAY

There are many volunteer and donation opportunities at the Wellness & Prevention Center. Click the link below to email Susan Parmelee or call us at 949-680-0516.

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