May is Mental Health Month, and the Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness is celebrating its 60th anniversary of providing services within Santa Barbara County communities.
Mental Health Month was established in 1949 with the goal of increasing awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in the lives of Americans and to celebrate recovery from mental illness.
Behavioral Wellness encourages the community to take action with their mental health as well as the mental health of others and remove the stigma which prevents people from receiving the support and services needed.
There are a number of activities taking place to support this effort during the month of May:
— Tuesday: Board of Supervisors to honor May as Mental Health Month by resolution
— Thursday and Friday: Zoom Headspace Webinars to assist with signing up for the free Headspace meditation app offered through Behavioral Wellness, 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Spanish and 5:30 p.m. Friday in English
— May 10, 17, 24, 31: Zoom Youth Digital Literacy Workshops, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
— May 14: Indigenous Inter-Tribal Wellness Gathering, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Santa Maria High School Practice Field South
— May 26: Zoom Peer Empowerment Conference, 9 a.m. to noon.
To learn more, visit www.countyofsb.org/274/behavioral-wellness. For assistance accessing Behavioral Wellness services, call the 24/7 toll free Crisis Response and Services Access Line at 888-868-1649.
email: mcmahon@newspress.com
