May is Mental Health Awareness Month so we’re taking the opportunity to spotlight resources & organizations in our community that support mental wellness. Read on to learn about the organizations, and how their work serves Santa Barbara.
1. Sanctuary Centers
Having assisted more than 10,000 clients on their journey to mental health, Sanctuary Centers offers a community-based continuum of care that includes a varied range of practices and services to anyone adversely affected by mental illness.
2. Casa Serena
With over 60 years of providing treatment to women in Santa Barbara, Casa Serena helps women and their families recover from addiction while building community, instilling self-determination, and empowering them with educational opportunities and financial literacy.
3. New House
New House helps men achieve sobriety through the support of others in a common goal of recovery, the development of brotherhood, and encouragement of full outside employment.
4. Mission Harbor
Mission Harbor is dedicated to treating the residents of SB County and surrounding areas by providing sustained recovery through individual assessment and treatment design.
5. Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health
Established in 1945 as a school for children with disabilities in Goleta, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health is now a national nonprofit partner serving many of the most vulnerable members of our society in areas of autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, specialty mental health, and child welfare.
6. Child Abuse Listening Mediation (CALM)
For 50 years, CALM has been on the cutting edge of childhood trauma treatment and prevention to heal children and families, and build resilient communities throughout Santa Barbara County.
7. Mental Wellness Center (MWC)
Since 1947, MWC has been improving mental wellness in the Santa Barbara community through building hope for individuals and families, and providing support in recovery, and raising awareness of mental health.
8. PathPoint
PathPoint is a non-profit organization supporting people with disabilities and mental health diagnoses to pursue their dreams through strengthening workplace abilities, building life skills, and developing meaningful relationships.
9. The Thriving Initiative
The Thriving Initiative is a nonprofit organization that provides UCSB and neighboring communities with free programs dedicated to inspiring resilience in response to violence by promoting holistic community healing initiatives.
We’re proud of our community for building and bettering existing systems for prevention and response. There are so many resources beyond what we were able to include in this short list. We wish we could include them all and are grateful that there are so many. Mental health is essential to our overall health, and the importance of attending to mental health has become even more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that mental health issues will continue to become destigmatized, and that people in our community and beyond seek out the services that could benefit their health.
We also want to conclude by saying that immediate assistance is available for those in need of help by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK or by calling 1-800-662-HELP.
