Blog
Finding Your Anchor During Challenging Times
In 2018, 48,344 Americans died by suicide - an average of 132 per day. It is the leading cause of death for teens nationwide. The CDC announced that, in a survey conducted this spring, 1 in 4 young people ages 18-25 reported seriously considering suicide in the past...
What Can We Control?
I admit it - I am super tired of living in a pandemic. Thankfully, I am fairly well equipped physically, socially, and emotionally to deal with this situation. There are still many days when the seemingly never-ending uncertainty and inability to control what is going...
For Wyatt
I recently lost a very close family friend to an accidental drug overdose. He is not the first, but I hope the work I do will ensure that he is the last. I have lost too many friends to mental illness and addiction. I can’t quite put my finger on the cause of this...
The Wellness & Prevention Center Supports Anti-Racism
A founding premise of the Wellness & Prevention Center is that change needs to happen community by community. Through meetings with youth, parents, community leaders, and mental health professionals, we knew that the support our young people needed was broken and...
Please Have “The Talk”
May is mental health awareness month and I would like everyone to have a conversation with someone about mental health. Let’s be honest, we all may be struggling right now to maintain our mental health, so these discussions might be more crucial than ever. Mental...
COVID-19 and Mental Health
It feels like overnight the coronavirus changed the way we live. It has been a little over a month since we started sheltering in place but it feels like a lifetime since I was last living my usual life outside of my home. Since that ominous Friday the 13th, I have...
What We Learned from the Address Youth Suicide Conference
Earlier this month I attended the Addressing Youth Suicide conference presented by CHOCChildrens. Sadly, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for young people ages 10-34. At the conference, a panel member asked the audience to close their eyes and raise their...
Because I Love You (BILY) Parent Support Group
By Gina Sisca Hazlett When Susan Parmelee asked me to write a guest Wellness & Prevention column the answer was an easy yes. The Wellness & Prevention Coalition was established to bring resources together that support healthy youth and families in South...
Wellness & Prevention Center Wishes You Safe Holidays
By Lauren Gallegos Tis the season to be jolly and enjoy all of those holiday parties. It truly is a magical time of year with celebrations and time spent with family and friends. But for some it can be a tragic time of year. Holiday parties are often flowing with...
We’re Partnering with OCHCA!
The Wellness & Prevention Center is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA),( Services for Behavioral Health, Prevention & Intervention, Mental Health Services Act, Prop 63), to provide community wide education...