Wellness Matters
Y o u r
W e l l n e s s
♦
Y o u r
W a y
♦
Y o u r
C o m m u n i t y
An E-Journal of San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services
November 2014
Respect! 24/7 Conference Draws a Crowd
By Cary Catching, Director of Safe and Supportive Schools, San Mateo County Office of Education
BE IN THE
KNOW
With the BHRS Blog:
www.smcbhrsblog.org
Get the latest news,
events, trainings and
engage in various mental
health and substance
use related discussions.
See page 2 for details.
In this Issue:
From the Director’s Desk
MHSA Update
2
3
Yes, I’ll Take a Book or
Two
4
BHRS New Interns
4
Cordilleras Corner
5
Trauma Sensitive Yoga
5
Top of the Toolbox
Pride & LGBTQ Commission Collaboration Begins
7
Employee Wellness
Spirituality Factor Conference
8
With the theme “Conditions
for Learning: Optimizing the
Emotional Health of Our Students,” this year’s expanded
Respect! 24/7 conference
drew a crowd of more than a
hundred school officials, community members, parents and
students to the San Mateo
County Office of Education
(SMCOE) on October 28. The
variety of sessions, geared to
all ages and stages, and a
format that allowed participants to stay for the whole day
or to drop in, attracted a diverse audience. And the event
could not have been more
timely, coming on the heels of
yet another school shooting
less than a week before, this
time at a high school in a suburb of Seattle, WA.
The day began with welcome
messages from Dr. Joan
Rosas, Associate Superintendent, Student Services, and
Cary Catching, Director of Safe
and Supportive Schools at
SMCOE, followed by a youth
panel who talked about their
experiences in school, the
challenges they faced outside
of school that impacted their
ability to do well, and supports
that helped them to succeed.
The students, most mem-
bers of the San Mateo County
Youth Commission, were candid in describing what they
need to support their mental
health, and the pressures they
face academically and socially. They spoke about the need
for teachers to be understanding, flexible, and sensitive to
the many competing demands
that teens face. Most were
unaware of the many mental
health resources available in
the county and described the
difficulty teens have reaching
out to someone when they
need help.
A variety of breakout sessions with a focus on what
school personnel can do, and
outside resources that are
available to support students
and families included: board
policies on suicide prevention,
trauma and its impact on
learning, mental health and
social/emotional issues of
very young children, parents
and teachers as allies, effective threat assessment in
schools, Youth Mental Health
First Aid, and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
(PBIS) and Restorative Justice.
A Resource Fair in the afternoon offered information on
services and resources in the
Resources from Respect! 24/7 Conference:

Peninsula Family YMCA: www.ymcasf.org/Peninsula
8

Teen Success: www.teensuccess.net
9

Training/Employee News 10
Employee Spotlight
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):
www.nami.org

StarVista: www.star-vista.org
Q-Tip for Quality
12

Sana Sana!
13
Behavioral Health Recovery Services:
www.smchealth.org/bhrs
Kevin Hines, keynote speaker
community that are available
to support families and youth
within the school setting. Representatives from the Peninsula Family YMCA, Teen Success, the National Alliance on
Mental Illness (NAMI),
StarVista, and San Mateo
County Behavioral Health Recovery Services, were on hand
to describe their services and
make contact with community
members.
The day was topped off with
an emotional evening keynote
delivered by Kevin Hines, author of the personal memoir
Cracked Not Broken, who at
the age of 19, attempted suicide by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge. One of only 33
to survive the fall, Kevin spoke
passionately about his life
story, his battle with mental
illness, and the experiences
and supports he received following his suicide attempt that
helped him regain his mental
health. “You are on the front
lines of helping youth,” he told
the audience. “You need to
educate youth about mental
health and begin early. What
you do today to help loved
ones and others is the key.”
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Your Wellness
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Your Way
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Your Community
From the Director’s Desk - Stephen Kaplan, Director, BHRS
Crisis System Collaboration-A
Work in Progress
About a year ago, the State
issued a request for proposals
to counties designed to improve local capacity to respond to people in crisis that
in large part is due to their
mental illness. One of the requirements of the proposal
was to catalogue existing crisis response efforts within the
county. Going through that
exercise was illuminating.
While here in San Mateo
County we do have considerable resources devoted to preventing crises and responding
to them, it was clear we have
not organized the resources
within a collaborative/partnering framework that would enhance leveraging our resources, identifying and filling
gaps, and building future capacity.
In July, BHRS convened a
meeting with representatives
from law enforcement, hospitals, emergency medical services, NAMI, office of emergency services, education,
community based organizations, probation, and the county managers office. We wanted to bring this group together
to see if there was agreement
in working toward building a
collaborative that would focus
on improving prevention of
and responding to crises. The
participants strongly affirmed
such an interest and they
were willing to devote their
time to make this work.
A survey was developed
(results can be found on our
blog at www.smcbhrsblog.org
to find out from the 70 participants how they would rate our
current effectiveness in the
following areas: crisis prevention; client and family supports; crisis response; post
response; and data/evaluation. Here are some of the
findings:
Prevention: approximately
57% felt we have effective
services, while 14% disagreed and 27% were neutral
Client and Family Supports:
45% agreed, 15% disagreed
and 27% neutral
Crisis Response: 54%
agreed, 11% disagreed and
32% neutral
Post Response: 26%
agreed, 11% disagreed and
32% neutral
Data and Evaluation: 0%
agreed, 31% disagreed and
69% neutral
For each of the items there
was a large percentage of
neutral responses which at
this point we are interpreting
that the respondents did not
have enough information
Stephen Kaplan
and/or they felt there is room
for improvement. The group
reconvened in September to
review the results of the survey and to start identifying
potential areas to focus on
including but not limited to the
following: linking people to
services prior to a crisis, a
place for people to go voluntarily, mobile crisis, enhanced
language capacity, follow up
after a Psychiatric Emergency
Service or hospitalization stay,
information sharing across
agencies, and develop an
evaluation tool to determine
how well we are doing.
We are excited about the
strong interest and enthusiasm for developing a strong
and effective collaboration.
We will be meeting again in
January to continue our work.
If you are interested in participating please contact Mary
Taylor-Fullerton at [email protected]. 
Follow the New BHRS Blog: www.smcbhrsblog.org
Check out the new BHRS blog for the latest news, events, trainings and provide comments/feedback
on topics related to San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services that are NOT included in Wellness Matters. Here’s a peek at what’s on the blog:
 Improving Crisis Response
 Recovery Month photos and beautiful artwork from the Recovery Art Show
 Medicated Assisted Treatment Expansion
 A Better Understanding of Mental Illness Hasn’t Reduced the Stigma Around It
Follow (subscribe to) the blog to be notified via email whenever new information is posted.
Page 3
W e l ln e s s M a t t e r s
November 2014
Mental Health Services Act Update - Doris Estremera, Manager of Strategic Operations
On October 1, the Mental
Health Substance Abuse and
Recovery Commission released the San Mateo County
Mental Health Services Act
(MHSA) Three-Year Program
and Expenditure Plan FY
2014-2015 through FY 20162017 & Annual Update FY
2014-2015.
The presentation included
program highlights from FY
2012-2013. Among these are:
BHRS served 556 clients in
our Full Service Partnerships
(FSPs), 2,765 in System Development and reached 6,235
individuals in Outreach and
Engagement programs. Based
on FSP data outcomes for 698
new enrollments since the
inception of the programs
through 2013, there has been
a 63% decrease in hospitalization and 39% decreased incarceration for adults; for children/youth, 60% decreased
out-of-home placement, 39%
increased school attendance,
and 47% increased school
grades.
In Prevention and Early Intervention programs, we served
90 in our Prevention and Recovery in Early Psychosis program, 420 aged 0-25 in programs for early childhood and
school age and transition age
youth, 771 adults and older
adults, and 3,786 all age
groups in community outreach
programs.
Under the MHSA Innovation
component, we have served
over 500 clients at the Central
and South County Clinics in
our Total Wellness program
focused on integrating
healthcare services into behavioral health clinics. Clients
are showing improvements in
health and functioning.
We developed this ThreeYear Plan with a comprehensive community planning process with nearly 300 stakeholders engaged throughout
the process including clients,
family members, community
organizations, and community
members.
The proposed expansions for
FY 2014-2017 came out of
months of soliciting feedback
from different sectors of the
community and the prioritization from the community input
session in mid-July.
The proposed expansion
areas are shown in the tables
below.
Today, November 5th, marks
the close of the public comment period. After appropriate
revisions, the Plan will be presented to the Board of Supervisors for their approval.
For more information about
MHSA and the Three-Year
Plan, check out
www.smhealth.org/mhsa or
contact [email protected]. 
Component
Expansions for FY 2014‐15 through FY 2016‐17
FSP
Support & assistance program for individuals living in communi‐
ty & connec ng them with employment, volunteer, friendship centers, etc.
Drop In Center (South)*
Cost $
Per Unit/#
Non‐FSP
FY 14/15**
$75,000
FY 15/16
$300,000
FY 16/17
$300,000
$75,000
$300,000
$300,000
FSP slots for Transi on Age Youth with housing
$46,000 (5)
$57,500
$230,000
$230,000
FSP slots for Older Adults
$23,000 (5)
$28,750
$115,000
$115,000
Expansion of supports for Transi on Age Youth
$3,500 (40)
$35,000
$140,000
$140,000
Expansion of supports for Older Adults
$3,700 (35)
$32,500
$130,000
$130,000
$303,750
$1,215,000
$1,215,000
FY 14/15**
$37,500
Cost $
FY 15/16
$150,000
FY 16/17
$150,000
$12,500
$50,000
$50,000
$50,000
$200,000
$200,000
TOTAL CSS
Component
Expansions for FY 2014‐15 through FY 2016‐17
PEI
Expansion of culturally aligned and community‐defined outreach and engage‐
ment, focus on emerging r/e/c/l communi es and outcomes and replicable prac ces (Outreach Team).
Expansion of S gma Free San Mateo, Suicide Preven on and Student Mental Health efforts.
TOTAL PEI
* Reprioritized from Previous Expansion Plan. ** One quarter
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Yes, I’ll Take a Book or Two
Mental Health Loan
Assumption Program
Cycle Closes
November 30th
The MHLAP is funded
through the Workforce,
Education, and Training
component of the Mental
Health Services
Act. Awardees can receive up to $10,000 in
educational loan repayments in exchange for a
12 month service commitment in the public
behavioral health system.
For more info, visit:
www.smchealth.org/
bhrs/mhlap
San Mateo County Library’s
Big Lift Little Libraries are popping up all over the County
and Coastside Behavioral
Health is proud to have one
available! Little Libraries are
a “take a book, return a book”
way for communities to share
books and a love of reading. A
Little Library is simply a box of
books where anyone can borrow a book (or two) and bring
back another to share. The
goals of the Big Lift Little Libraries are to encourage a
culture of reading in San
Mateo County and increase
access to books for children
and families at the point of
need.
Through volunteers at
Google and Genentech, organized by Hands On Bay Area,
Big Lift Little Libraries were
constructed and filled with
books for children during June
2014. These little libraries
were such a success at the
clinic that we developed our
own full of adult books!! The
books provided are in both
English and Spanish to meet
the needs of our local community. Feel free to stop by and
maybe get a new book or two
to reenergize your love of
reading! 
- Bindu Khurana
BHRS Welcomes 2014-2015 Interns
The annual BHRS Intern Orientation was held on September 10-11 at the San Mateo
Garden Center. Thirty-one
new BHRS interns/trainees
attended the 2-day orientation. The new interns/trainees are stationed at worksites
around San Mateo County for
this academic year. The interns/trainees represent multiple behavioral health disciplines and are pursuing various degrees and licenses
(including MSWs, MFTs,
PysDs, PhDs, NPs, and drug
and alcohol certifications).
Twenty interns have been
awarded the Cultural Competency Stipend. Recipients
participate in one of the county Health Equity Initiatives,
and they also conduct a cul-
ODE/Initiative representatives.
tural competence project during the year that is aimed at
improving the cultural responsiveness of our services and
staff.
The goals of the orientation
were to introduce the participants to BHRS’ mission and
vision and programs and services, as well as provide clinical training and help interns
establish a sense of cohort.
BHRS staff members provided
information and wisdom on
each of these topics. Director
Steve Kaplan welcomed the
interns/trainees and encouraged them to use their fresh
perspective to ask questions
and put forth their ideas about
how to make BHRS better.
Selma Mangrum, Kacy Carr,
Tim Holechek, and Clara
Boyden, participated in Managers on Parade and introduced participants to BHRS
programs and services. Tiffany Totah provided an engaging
presentation on Crisis Management; Jei Africa spoke dynamically about health disparities in San Mateo County and
cultural humility; Mary Taylor
Fullerton and Tacia Burton
provided a highly regarded
presentation teaching participants how to use a traumainformed perspective in their
clinical work; and Katy Davis
reminded participants to practice self-care as they begin
their clinical careers.
Other highlights from the
orientation included a moving
presentation by Stamp Out
Stigma, a warm introduction
to the Office of Consumer and
Family Affairs, and an informative presentation on Total
Wellness by Shirley Chu. Orientation ended on an exciting
note with the annual Amazing
Dialogue at which all nine of
the Health Equity Initiatives
and other community initiatives displayed much enthusiasm and energy for their
groups through their tabling
efforts. The Spirituality Initiative won the interns’ hearts
and was awarded the best
table prize, and the intern
team, “No Wrong Doors” won
the Initiative trivia contest.
Much fun was had by all who
participated! The interns/trainees are off to a
great start. 
- Katy Davis
W e l ln e s s M a t t e r s
November 2014
Cordilleras Corner: Redesign Project - Terry Wilcox-Rittgers
The 16 Bed MHRC Model
Large institutionalized settings for treating the seriously
mentally ill are becoming a
thing of the past. These institutions provided standardized
methods of treating large
numbers of people with a minimum number of staff but often did little to focus on “True
Recovery.” The Recovery Model and Recovery Movement
have brought new light into
the world of mental illness.
However, it has been challenging and limiting to try to maximize recovery while living in
large institutions like State
Hospitals and large Mental
Health Rehabilitation Centers
(MHRC).
Our new Cordilleras Campus
will be transformed from a
large, old three story institution with 117 beds to a state
of the art campus with five 16bed MHRC’s, Campus Center
and Adult Residential Housing.
All of the housing on this campus is being designed to more
closely resemble the homes in
which consumers will live in
when returning to the community.
Research in our field has
shed a great deal of light on
the benefits of having these
smaller homelike MHRC’s.
Social isolation is significantly
reduced when people are living in smaller communities. In
these more natural environments, people become more
involved, feel more valued,
and are more likely to engage
in the recovery process. Outcome studies show decreased
incidents of aggression, increased recovery in shorter
lengths of time, quicker reintegration into the community
and an improved quality of
life. People who feel good
about their environment recover more rapidly.
Safety and improved focus
of treatment will be additional
benefits of the 16 bed MHRC
model. Consumer and staff
safety has always been a challenge in large institutions due
to their size, limited staffing,
large population and mixing
consumers who have a wide
range of challenges and age.
We will have the opportunity
to provide more tailored treatment to address the needs of
individual consumers in these
smaller settings. For example,
frail, older adults with medical
complexities can be treated in
one MHRC while younger
adults with other challenges
can be treated in another
MHRC. The optimal facility
scale and design would address both requirements for
security, monitoring and safe-
Terry Wilcox-Rittgers
ty and provide focused treatment approaches for residents to practice skills of everyday life and become more
autonomous.
The 16 bed MHRC model
also allows us to receive MediCal reimbursement that we
have not been able to receive
while treating consumers in
larger institutional settings.
Due to federal law, we have
never been able to bill for the
services provided to our consumers for their treatment in
State Hospitals or MHRC’s.
This is not the case with 16
bed programs which fall into
another category due to being
less than 17 beds. We will be
using the bulk of the savings
we receive in Medi-Cal reimbursement to cover the increased cost of running these
smaller, more richly staffed,
homelike settings. 
Congratulations to the recipients
of the 2014 Housing Heroes
Award (front row) presented by
the BHRS Change Agent Committee:
Front: 2014 Housing Hero Recipients - Bertha Sanchez; Martha
Irizarry; Melissa Platte; Jasmina
Ragoobeer; Nikki Adams; Judy
Dell'Ara
Back: Danielle Lacampagne,
BHRS; Lee Harrison, BHRS; Mary
Taylor Fullerton, BHRS; SM County Supervisor Carole Groom; SM
County Supervisor Dave Pine;
Steve Kaplan, BHRS Director;
Lisa Barendrick, Telecare Corp.
Page 5
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Your Wellness
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Your Way
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Your Community
Trauma Sensitive Yoga
Children’s Fund
Holiday Gift Program
'Tis The Season…
For giving! And once
again, The Children’s
Fund Holiday Gift Program is under way.
Soon you will see our red
collection barrels at locations throughout the
County. Please purchase
a new toy and place it
unwrapped, in the barrel.
Your gift will go to one of
the needy children and
families served by BHRS,
Family Health & HSA. On
behalf of the Children’s
Fund, thank you for your
generosity and Happy
Holidays!
Contact Tim Holechek, at
650.301.8656 for how
your unit can obtain gift
tags staff who are interested in fulfilling a particular wish for a child.
We (Gabriela Breton and
Diane Marquez, Central Youth
clinicians) completed the 5th
year of our Mindfulness and
Compassion group for adolescent girls. Our goal is to give
girls healthy strategies to use
when in pain. One of the many
mindfulness techniques we
use is yoga. Yoga practice
keeps one focused in the body
which helps create a grounding awareness in the present
moment. One of the most profound legacies of trauma may
be the painful sensations in
the body, which may include:
the feeling of unbearable
physical sensations; crushing
feelings in the chest, a rapid
heartbeat, tense shoulders
and chest, and agonizing
stomach and abdomen pain.
The body can become one's
own worst enemy and carries
the memory of having no control over the course of your
life. Most people who have
experienced trauma feel unsafe in their own body. It is
apparent that these traumatic
visceral memories are stored
somatically, which is why leaders in the field of trauma are
using somatic therapeutic
treatments, such as yoga, to
heal.
According to a 2008 study
published in the Yoga Journal,
Americans spend $5.7 billion
annually on yoga classes and
products. Over 15 million
Americans practice yoga and
this number continues to
grow. However, there is a
population that is left out of
this boom - trauma survivors.
This is because yoga instructors, without prior notice,
might touch the student to
help maneuver their body to
assist them with a pose, and
some instructors may not offer
options to modify the pose if
the student is uncomfortable.
In many trauma situations, the
victim feels overwhelmed by
another, their body controlled,
overpowered, coerced.
That’s why we are extremely
careful about what we say,
what poses we use and extremely sensitive to not triggering any of our participants
in our group. If a pose doesn’t
feel comfortable for them, we
always provide options. We
take it very slowly and do very
simple poses at first, and we
stress the importance of listening to their bodies. With
trauma sensitive yoga, we
encourage our clients to stay
present and mindful to what is
happening in their bodies,
instead of dissociating. This
allows them to be sensitive to
any bodily sensations that
warn them of any triggering.
A high priority in teaching
yoga to a trauma survivor is to
have a relationship with them.
The girls in our group have
had individual therapy with
one of us, which helps establish trust and openness. Because any little sensation in
the body can be scary for the
individual, this trust is a major
source of support.
We teach clients through the
practice of yoga to be mindful
of the breath and body and to
learn how to listen inwardly so
that they can best take care of
themselves.
Research has shown that
yoga practices, including meditation can reduce autonomic
parasympathetic activation,
and muscle tension, as well as
decrease physical symptoms.
Traditional therapy around
trauma takes place through
talking and focuses on the
mind, neglecting the physical
dimension of trauma.
Through yoga we can begin to
tolerate the unwanted physical sensations in the body.
Often the goal of traditional
therapy is to change. However, in the mindfulness ap-
proach, we encourage our
clients to relate differently to
their experience by acknowledging and accepting the uncomfortable emotions and
physical sensations that are
present moment to moment.
Our clients learn how the nature of emotions and physical
sensations are transient and
can be survived.
The four main principles of
Trauma Sensitive Yoga, developed by David Emerson are:
 Environment-provide a
space of safety by having
two leaders, one to present
the postures and the other
to assist in the process.
 Teacher qualities –create a
welcoming and supporting
attitude of acceptance, nonjudgment and friendliness.
 Assist—physical assist is a
clinical issue for trauma
survivors that we generally
do not offer.
 Language—create language
that invites clients to try
something new when discussing poses, such as: "if
you are comfortable.” Listening to their own bodies is
more important than doing
what the leaders want.
As the popularity of yoga continues to grow, there is a need
to create awareness about
trauma survivors in order to
prevent them from being left
out and becoming further isolated. 
- Gabriela Breton and
Diane Marquez
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W e l ln e s s M a t t e r s
November 2014
Top of the Toolbox
The Wellness Toolbox is a
key element in a Wellness
Recovery Action Plan (WRAP),
which is a self-help tool for
developing a plan to create
and maintain personal wellness and recovery. Inspired at
Work conducted the second
annual survey of individuals
who attended the Recovery
Happens Resource Fair and
Picnic and asked them to
weigh in on their top three
wellness toolbox items. One
hundred-five people stopped
filled out the survey. Participants identified 50 wellness
tools in all. It’s not an easy
task to narrow wellness tools
down to three. This year we
had a person add gardening
to the toolbox and another
who swore by ironing as a key
strategy for wellness. Due to
multiple ties for a spot in the
top ten, there were seventeen
tools at the Top of the Toolbox
in 2014.
Last year “sleep” topped the
list, but this year exercise was
at the top – strenuous physical exercise and exercise in
general was a number one
priority for respondents when
it came to personal well-being.
Next most popular was laugh-
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
ing, in second place again this
year, lending support to the
saying that laughter is the
best medicine. Family time
came in third on the list, acknowledging the importance
family plays in maintaining
wellness.
Sleep landed fourth in the
ranking – still a front-runner
for healthy minds and bodies.
Music made it to the top five,
ranging from listening quietly
to singing at the top of your
lungs in the car.
Tied for sixth place was
dancing (a new addition to the
top ten this year), good conversation and surrounding
myself with positive company.
Spiritual pursuits was a preferred wellness tool for many,
highlighting the importance of
personal beliefs and the availability of communities of support for people who use this
wellness tool.
There was a three-way tie for
eighth place on the list: eating healthy food and treats,
being with the person you love
and having a sense of humor.
Rounding out the list, meditation and time with friends tied
for ninth place, followed by
reading and drinking water
tied for tenth place.
Five of the wellness tools
listed here specifically involve
relationships with others, highlighting how important it is to
have meaningful connections
with others and create supportive networks. Who do you
have in your life that affirms,
encourages and accepts you
as you are?
Half of the wellness tools are
the same as last year’s survey: exercise, laughter, family
time, sleep, music, surrounding yourself with positive company, spiritual pursuits, eating
healthy and being with the
person you love. It could be
that our community is developing a core group of wellness
tools through this survey. Ultimately, each person develops
their own list of helpful strategies. What’s in your toolbox?
It’s your personal list on how
to feel good every day.
If you are interested in joining a WRAP group, call the
Office of Consumer and Family
Affairs for more information
and the location of a group
near you: (650) 573-2224. 
- Debra Brasher, Inspired at Work
BHRS Chinese
Outreach
Services
協康
Culturally competent
services include:
Outreach, engage-
ment and support
Linkage and referral
services
Community Educa-
tion/Awareness
Contact Sunny Choi
Phone:
(650) 573-2403
Email:
[email protected]
Page 8
Your Wellness
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Pride Initiative and LGBTQ Commission Collaboration Begins
Family Assertive
Support Team
Are you concerned
about a family member who may be showing signs or symptoms
of serious emotional
distress and don’t
know what to do?
Call FAST:
(650) 368-3178
We Make a Difference
AND We Come to You!
Spanish and Mandarin
speaking capacity are available. Other languages are
available upon request.
Free service made possible by
the voter-approved Mental
Health Services Act (Prop. 63).
The inaugural meeting of
San Mateo County's elevenmember LGBTQ Commission,
the first of its kind in California was held on September
26th in the Board of Supervisors Chambers with members
of the Pride Initiative among
those present to celebrate
this historic event.
Jei Africa, Director of the
San Mateo County Office of
Diversity and Equity, was
sworn in as one of the commissioners by Supervisor
Dave Pine who officiated. During public comment, Lauren
Szyper, Pride Initiative Cochair enthusiastically welcomed the new commissioners and expressed enthusiasm about future opportunities for collaboration on mutu-
al goals in service to the
LGBTQ communities of San
Mateo County.
In an effort to maximize collaboration, liaisons from both
the Commission and the Pride
Initiative have been attending
each other's monthly meetings. The Pride Initiative was
pleased to include two members of the LGBTQ Commission who joined in the October
15th two-year strategic planning session for the Pride Initiative. Priority areas were identified around LGBTQ -specific
trainings, resources and educational events during the two
and a half-hour brainstorming
session.
The Pride Initiative meets on
the second Wednesday of
each month 3:30 - 5:00 PM at
the Congregational Church of
San Mateo, 225 Tilton Avenue, San Mateo. The LGBTQ
Commission meets on the first
Tuesday of every month at
455 County Center, Redwood
City, 6:30 - 8:30 PM. More
information about the LGBTQ
Commission is available at
http://lgbtq.smcgov.org. Contact Lauren Szyper or Katy
Davis, Pride Initiative CoChairs at [email protected]
or go to
www.smchealth.org/pride for
more information about the
Pride Initiative. 
- Lauren Spyzer and
Honora Miller
Employee Wellness Program
The East Palo Alto Community Counseling Center had a
staff retreat on September
26th at the Captain’s House at
Coyote Point Recreation Center in San Mateo. Employee
Wellness was a central theme
embedded throughout the
agenda which included a balance of mind, body, and spiritual activities. We discussed
our progress over the past
year, looked at ways we could
continue to improve services,
and we discussed the importance of completing timely
clinical documentation.
The activities were restorative in nature and encouraged
team building, while providing
a restorative experience for all
staff. Activities entailed yoga,
mindfulness walks, aromatherapy, creating work selfcare picture frames (see photos), sleep hygiene psychoeducation and enjoying a
“Fitting In Fitness” class.
“Fitting In Fitness” is one of
the Wellness Classes offered
to county employees. Dawn
Rollandi, our instructor, did a fabulous job
motivating staff to
find ways to fit In fitness during work
breaks to support
staff in developing
healthy work habits.
Several of East Palo
Alto staff later shared that the
retreat was a positive experience as it provided for time to
put daily stress away and instead listen, observe, and
learn from each other. Some
of the staff have shared that
they feel closer to each other
as a result, “I feel like we were
all on the same level at the
retreat,” remarked a team
member, “It was comfortable
being around everyone, like a
family.” There was time allotted to learn more about each
other’s special talents, such
as, interpretive dance and
yoga. Open dialog was facilitated in order to share ideas
about how the staff can work
better as a team, make improvements to the aesthetics
of the clinic, and improve the
delivery of our services.
The retreat offered time for
personal reflection by taking
advantage of the beautiful
surroundings and uniqueness
of Coyote Point. Throughout
the day staff enjoyed nature,
breaking bread together, conversations, and getting to
know new staff members .
The focus on Employee Wellness assisted the team in feeling a sense of relaxation. It is
safe to say that we are all
looking forward to our next
retreat! 
- Talisha Racy and
Dana Hartman
W e l ln e s s M a t t e r s
November 2014
The Spirituality Factor Conference
On October 9-10, San Mateo
County consumers, family
members, contractors, and
staff participated in the 2nd
northern regional California
Mental Health and Spirituality
Conference at the AllenTemple Family Life Center in Oakland. This conference was a
tremendous opportunity for
people across the state to
share their experience, wisdom and research in the importance of integrating spirituality into mental health and
substance abuse recovery.
Representatives from San
Mateo County BHRS Office of
Diversity and Equity (ODE)
joined 800 enthusiastic people from throughout California,
all of whom find value in weaving spirituality and behavior
health together to support
recovery from mental health
and substance abuse challenges. In this atmosphere of
unity, there was great emphasis placed on honoring diversity as well.
On opening day there were
several welcoming ceremonies including an African Traditional Libation Ceremony
accompanied by Diammano
Coura Dance Company, a Native American blessing and
dance from National Compadres Network, and a Hawaiian
hula which expressed a prayer
of love and welcome. Transition age youth were wellrepresented throughout the
conference. Armand Dushae,
an inspirational rapper, and
Jason Chu, a local hip hop
artist, sang songs from the
heart as day two opened.
There was an inspiring MIME
performance, as well.
There were many panel discussions, including researchers, Ethnic Services Managers, Mental Health Directors,
and advocacy groups from
across the state. We were
proud to have our BHRS staff
and contractors represent our
efforts and models of implementation via panel discussions focused in the areas of
consumer and family, Faith
Leaders and provider viewpoints. Specifically, Jairo
Wilches from the Office of
Consumer and Family Affairs;
Inge Greenwood, a family
member and strong advocate;
William Kruse, a consultant
with the Spirituality Initiative;
Veronica Ochoa, Psychiatric
Social Worker at the Central
County; and Maria Lorente,
Psychologist at Central County
and ODE shared their work in
integrating spirituality into
their specific areas of expertise. Jairo, along with Bill
Kruse and Chase Montara,
were members of the conference planning committee, as
well.
Over 40 workshops were
offered throughout the two
days, four of which were offered from San Mateo County.
From San Mateo County, Gabriella Breton and Diane
Marquez presented their work
with adolescent girls entitled
“Mindfulness and Compassion
Coping Skills.” William Kruse;
Melinda Parker, an RN with
Adult Resource Management
and the co-chair of the Spirituality Initiative; and Veronica
Ochoa represented the Spirituality Initiative with a presentation called “Integrating Spirituality as a part of Recovery into
BHRS: What we have
learned.” Chase Montara, cochair of the Spirituality Initiative, and Maria Lorente presented on the “Reflection:
Thinking about Spirituality”
groups that have been offered
through ODE, and the countywide efforts that went into
making these groups possible.
Elisheva Herrera, of Time Out
Apps and Art Unity Movement,
presented a workshop entitled
“Drumming for Peace and
Wellness.”
Scholarships were provided
by ODE to consumers and
family members to attend the
conference. We are grateful
also to Debra Brasher at Heart
and Soul, who provided transportation to and from the conference for those consumers
who wished to attend.
This conference brought to
light and advocated for the
integration of spirituality into
our work. Individuals touted
the benefits of collecting data
to support our efforts and incorporating drumming, spirituality focused groups, sweat
lodges, dance, music therapy,
and many other practices into
treatment and recovery from
mental health and substance
abuse challenges. Those of
us who participated felt enriched and encouraged that
we are on the right track in
our efforts to offer ways for
those who desire to do so to
access spirituality as a tool for
recovery, and to reduce the
stigma around spirituality.
Due to the remarkable success of this conference, Alameda County is discussing
offering this conference on a
yearly basis, so there will be
upcoming opportunities for all
to participate in this inspiring
event. 
- Melinda Parker
Page 9
Page 10
Your Wellness
♦
Your Way
Trainings
Mental Health and
Substance Abuse
Recovery Commission
Wednesday, December 3
3:00 – 5:00 pm
Health Services Building
225 37th Avenue
Room 100, San Mateo
Commission meetings
are open to the public
and are generally held
the first Wednesday of
the month. For location
or more information, call
650.573.2544 or visit:
www.smchealth.org/MHSARC
Training Questions?
Contact Katy Davis
[email protected]
Psychiatric Grand Rounds
12:15 -1:30 pm
Health Services Building, 225
37th Avenue, Room 100, San
Mateo
“Violence Risk Assessment in
Community Mental Health
Setting”
Tuesday, November 25
Presented by Cameron
Quanbeck, MD. Medical Director, Cordilleras Mental Health
Center, San Mateo Medical
Center, Dept. of Psychiatry.
“Incorporating Mindfulness
an Wellness Approaches for
Youth”
Tuesday, December 9
Presented by John Rettger,
Phd. Director of Mindfulness
Program & Clinical Researcher
Stanford Early Life Stress and
Pediatric Anxiety Program,
Stanford University, School of
Medicine.
Wellness Recovery Action
♦
Your Community
Planning (WRAP)
November 12 & 14
2-Day training in San Mateo
for staff and clients/consumers. Self care thorough development of your own WRAP
plan. Register with Karen:
[email protected]
Harm Reduction Part II
Friday, December 12
8:30 am—3:30 pm
225 37th Ave, Rm 100, San
Mateo. For staff who already
have exposure to HarmReduction and want to deepen their clinical understanding. Sign up on LMS or contact Moe Mati: [email protected].
Employee News
Welcome
Jose
nect
Cabrera, Service Con-
Shanelle
Cotton, Canyon
Oaks Youth Center
Robert
Hoover, Service
Connect
Julien
Ling, Accounting
Stephanie
Padrez, School
based MH—Palos Verdes
Richard
Stelmack, Account-
ing
Congratulations
Hector
Moncada, appointed permanent Supervising
Mental Health Clinician for
Coastside Clinic.
Mariana
Rocha, promoted
to Program Specialist on
the Primary Care Interface
team.
Employee Service Awards
10 Years
Christina
Bolanos, Canyon
Oaks Youth Center
Heidemarie
County
Analyza
Salise, MIS
Brendan
County
Ernst, South
Scherer, Central
Employee Spotlight
Kelly Sheridan
Administrative Secretary II
Adult, Older Adult and Youth
Services
Years at BHRS/SMC:
7.5 years/8 Years
Hometown:
San Jose, CA
What do you do?
I provide administrative support to the Deputy Directors of
both Youth, and Adult & Older
Adult services. However, the
majority of my work involves
providing assistance to the
managers, helping staff by
developing tools, programs,
forms, etc., to make their jobs
easier, as well as help out on
different projects.
What do you enjoy most about
your job?
My job is rewarding because
everything I do helps the staff
in my department do what
they do best. I love sharing
what I know. Not a day goes by
that I don't get a call or have
someone stop by to ask me
how to do something or for my
assistance in making a
thought/idea in their head
come to life. My creativity
comes in handy for much of
what I do.
Most rewarding/memorable
experience:
After 3 years of using a computer, I was asked to teach the
staff basic computer skills.
When all was said and done, I
had written a detailed professional looking 64 page computer training manual with tips
and tricks to help the most
novice user. Most of what I
know is self taught. I have
since gotten Microsoft Certified in Word and Excel and
continue to learn more every
day.
Favorite hobbies/activities:
I enjoy jewelry making, baking,
crocheting, hiking, aqua fitness, boating, playing "buddy"
games on my Kindle, and going to my husband's gigs
(performs 80s rock-nroll/dance music at local clubs
and outdoor summer concerts).
“If I weren’t in my current role, I’d
be…” An instructor for computer training courses. 
November 2014
W e l ln e s s M a t t e r s
Page 11
Employee News
Employee of the Month—Yahaira Ortega
Yahaira has been a great addition to the Pathways Team since
she started with the county in December 2010. She is a great
team player, she communicates well and is just a beautiful person to work with. As a family partner for the mental health court,
these qualities have made her very valuable and successful in
her work. She engages well with clients and their families, helps
them navigate the criminal justice system, provides family resources and offers a level of compassion that this population
rarely sees. She has positively impacted San Mateo County and
has demonstrated outstanding performance for her clients, our
community and the Pathways Team. Congratulations!
Photo: Supervisor Dave Pine,Yahaira Ortega, Supervisor Carole Groom
and Supervisor Don Horsley.
- The Pathways Team
Red Cross Recognizes BHRS
Terry Wilcox-Rittgers and Joicy Mean
represented the many BHRS staff
who worked endless hours and days
to assist the survivors of Asiana
Flight 214, their families and their
countrymen recently at the American
Red Cross Community Heroes Breakfast. Many thanks to these dedicated individuals, the staff who covered
for them, and their families who supported them during that time.
- Terry Wilcox-Rittgers
2nd Annual NAMI and The Children's Fund Golf Tournament
The 2nd Annual NAMI and The Children's Fund Golf Tournament was held at Crystal Springs Golf Course (on one of the
hottest days of the year). The tournament was a four person
scramble, after which there was a dinner, awards reception,
and auction hosted by Mitch Juricich from the Hooked on
Golf television series. The event raised close to $4,000 for
the Children’s Fund and will help support the many assistance programs they operate. (Charitable contribution to the
Children’s Fund can still be made through payroll deduction
via open enrollment).
BHRS’ foursome of Steve Kaplan, Pat Miles, Anita Booker
and Brad Johnson had excellent drives all day long but had
trouble on the short game (pitching and putting). They finished with a very respectable score of 1 under (71). The winning foursome’s score was an incredible 58!
- Brad Johnson
Page 12
W e l ln e s s M a t t e r s N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 4
Q-Tip for Quality - By Quality Management Staff
Next QIC Meeting:
Wednesday
January 14, 2015
10:00 am—Noon
2000 Alameda de las
Pulgas, Room 201,
San Mateo
Annual HIPAA Training for all
BHRS Staff
Maintaining clients’ privacy
and the confidentiality of their
Protected Health Information
(PHI) is of paramount importance throughout
healthcare, and is especially
critical in behavioral health
systems. The Department of
Health Care Services (DHCS)
requires yearly confidentiality
and HIPAA training to ensure
that mental health providers
stay up-to-date in regulatory
requirements.
All BHRS staff members are
required to take an online
Confidentiality and HIPAA
training. There are two trainings and the one you take is
determined by your hire date:
Staff hired before June 11,
2013: Full BHRS Confidentiality & HIPAA-2014
Newer Staff - hired on or
after June 11, 2013: Brief
BHRS Confidentiality &
HIPAA– 2014. As the recent
email QM sent to staff about
this requirement said, the
training must be completed by
December 5, 2014.
CEU’s are provided for licensed staff, so you gain
hours along with the valuable
information!
Over 400 staff and others
have previously taken the updated HIPAA training and provided positive feedback. Last
year we assigned the HIPAA
Update training to all BHRS
staff and 100% have completed the training!
The overall rating of the
training was extremely positive, with the breakdown: 39%
excellent, 36% above average,
24% average, and 1% below
average/poor.
Comments indicated that
trainees had a better understanding of:
Restrictions
on including
PHI in emails
Not to leave unsecured PHI
anywhere, including your
office
The importance of getting
and updating signed consents to release information
Better awareness of the
very restrictive privacy rules
for Alcohol & Other Drug
services (under 42 CFR,
Part 2)
And several other topics
To find these trainings and
many others available on the
county website, go to the link
below.
QM always appreciates any
feedback or ideas you’d like to
share with us. 
BHRS Online Trainings: www.smhealth.org/bhrs/providers/ontrain
ODE Internship Offers Challenging Yet Gratifying Experience
Working as an Intern for the
Office of Diversity and Equity
(ODE) was the most challenging yet gratifying experience of
my life.
In my family, mental illness
is heavily stigmatized. My older brother has a developmental delay and learning disabilities which makes him different. For most of my life I have
defended him when he was
bullied, teased and taken advantage of. He continues to
suffer from anxiety brought on
by this but refuses to seek
help because of stigma.
When I found out about the
opportunity to work with ODE,
I was very excited to join the
team in their work. I was able
to work with the Parent Project®, the African American
Community Initiative (AACI),
Stigma Free San Mateo and
directly with individuals living
with serious mental illness.
ODE focuses on embracing
cultural diversity and uniqueness in our community. I have
always thought that cultural
humility is the most important
component of working with
people. The cultures we all
live in truly make up who we
are and it is very important to
respect that. ODE has a clear
understanding of this dynamic
and I will carry the principles I
have learned to every future
opportunity.
The experiences of my
brother and others I have met
along the way have influenced
my decision to go into social
work. I hope that I am able to
continue working to reduce
stigma and advocating for
those who have suffered because of it. 
- Sheri Broussard
Page 13
November 2014
W e l ln e s s M a t t e r s
Sana, Sana, Colita de Rana!
Sana, Sana, Colita de Rana!
Cuidate Hoy Para un Mejor
Manana (Sana, Sana, Take
care of yourself Today for a
better Tomorrow).
San Mateo County, Office of
Diversity and Equity’s (ODE)
Latino Collaborative cosponsored our 2nd annual Sana Sana event with the
Healthy Weight Collaborative (
SMMC) on September 20th to
celebrate Latino Heritage
month and recognize National
Childhood Obesity Awareness
month.
This informative and fun
filled event was hosted in
South San Francisco and
worked to unite our Latino
community and provided ways
to achieve both physical and
emotional health. We were
honored to have South San
Francisco Board of Supervisor
Adrienne Tisser share her support during the opening remarks. This commencement
was strengthened by Kira Vilanova’s (anchor for Univision)
inspiring key note speech
about the importance of community health and maintaining
one’s physical and emotional
health.
Community members were
offered a variety of ways to
put a healthy twist on traditional foods, learned stress
management techniques, participated in spiritual drumming, Zumba, parenting techniques, and learned about
resources for mental health
support, insurance benefits
and immigration policies.
Workshops were tailored to
both adult and youth needs,
giving our community a range
of care options and creative
ways to start making healthy
changes in their lives. The
event supported 30 agencies
who tabled at the event,
providing information about
County resources and connecting our community to organizations that will support
their goal of positive, healthy
life changes. The day ended
with an amazing and much
enjoyed performance by Ballet
Folklorico.
We are thankful to ODE in
supporting this event. It is
integral in helping our community to continue to make
healthy changes. Research
has shown that in California
obesity rates for Latino children has doubled in the last
decade, that older Latino
adults and Latino youth are
vulnerable to the stress of
immigration and acculturation
and that the Latino community is considered a high risk
group for depression, anxiety
and substance abuse. Working together, we can help people understand that small
change, such as going out for
a walk, talking to a counselor,
eating more fruits and vegetables can make a significant
difference in their physical
and mental health.
To subscribe to Wellness
Matters or to view
previous issues, visit:
www.smchealth.org/wm
(To subscribe, click the
red envelope at the
top of the page.)
Forward comments,
suggestions or contributions
for Wellness Matters to
Diane Tom, Editor:
[email protected]
- Hector Moncada
Behavioral Health and
Recovery Services
San Mateo County
Health System
225 37th Avenue, Suite 320
San Mateo, CA 94403
Phone: 650.573.2541
Fax: 650.573.2841
Website: www.smchealth.org
Blog: www.smcbhrsblog.org
www.sanmateo.networkofcare.org/mh