Blog
The Alameda County Everyone Counts Campaign aims to track, analyze, and respond to how individuals with mental health challenges are portrayed in the media. We review numerous media examples and choose one to which community members can respond to the author or editor that posted the piece.
Finding Peace in the Battle: Strategies for When the Body Impacts the Mind
This post originally appeared on the PEERS website. By Steve Hayes “Hey! Why do you walk like that?” “Do you ...
New Study Finds that Anxiety Relief may Lie in the Gut
This post was originally published on the PEERS website. The original article can be found here. By Leah Harris Feeling ...
Psychologists Sound the Alarm on AI Chatbots for Mental Health
By Leah Harris CN: mention of suicide In a time where generative AI is increasingly permeating our day-to-day lives, young ...
The Resolution
By Kivi Neimi Every January, we are assailed with articles about resolutions, “new” trendy resolutions, weight loss resolutions, quitting just ...
Black History Month: Remembering and Honoring the Mental Health Legacy
By Leah Harris This Black History Month, we recognize Black leaders in the area of mental health, many of whom ...
Keys to Breaking the Bedtime Procrastination – Anxiety Cycle
By Leah Harris Bedtime procrastination, also sometimes known as revenge bedtime procrastination, happens when people delay going to sleep to ...
Ringing in 2025 with Kindness: A Powerful Force for Personal and Community Healing
By Leah Harris January is National Mental Wellness Month, and it also happens to be the time of year when ...
The Holidays – PEERS Blog
By Kivi Neimi Heading into the dark time of year, I always say I am not going to hibernate. Hibernation ...
Survey Says: Solitude is Essential For Mental Health during the Holiday Season
The holiday season is filled with expectations of joy and cheer. But between increased time with extended family, other social ...
Navigating Election-Related Stress and Uncertain Times
By Leah Harris The stress Americans feel about the election may be a punchline on late night television shows, but ...
On Suicide Prevention Month, Lived Experience Advocates Speak Out for Non-Carceral Support
Every September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and lived experience advocates are speaking up for anti-carceral approaches to supporting people ...
New Year, New Reads: Four Mental Health-Themed Books to Nourish Your Spirit in 2024
By Leah Harris Books are good medicine. For as long as the written word has existed, people have found solace ...
Breaking the Holiday Blues: Overcoming Loneliness with the Power of Connection and Kindness
By Leah Harris If you’re feeling lonely during the holidays, you’re not alone, and this simple practice might help Americans ...
Protecting your mind and body in times of global conflict
By Leah Harris It’s been over a month since the Israel-Hamas war began, and the onslaught of news and traumatic ...
April is Autism Acceptance Month: What Self-Advocates Want People to Know
By Leah Harris This month, you may see references to both “Autism Acceptance Month” and “Autism Awareness Month.” What’s the ...
New Exhibit Showcases Black Movement History Leaders, Past and Present
By Leah Harris During Black History and Black Futures Month in February, Massachusetts-based Wildflower Alliance, in collaboration with New Life ...
For Tricia Hersey, the “Nap Bishop,” Rest is Resistance, Racial Justice
By Leah Harris There’s intense social pressure, especially around the time of New Year’s, to set goals to be better, ...
Navigating Fatphobia During the Holidays
By Leah Harris CW: fatphobia, body shaming The holidays can be stressful for all kinds of reasons. Parties and social ...
Looking for a Way out of the Fog
After receiving a mental health diagnosis, journalist Stephanie Foo embarks on journey to answer one question: can complex PTSD be ...
Body Doubling: Not Just for ADHD
Enter body doubling, a productivity hack that can help you start and complete the tasks you dread the most. By ...
Heat waves, climate change, and your mental well-being
By Leah Harris It is widely known that the extreme heat being driven by climate change is impacting mental health ...
Celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month 2022!
Celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month 2022! By Leah Harris It’s Mental Health Awareness month again, and there are nearly ...
Earth Day 2022: Celebrating the Mental Health Benefits of Digging in the Dirt
By Leah Harris In honor of Earth Day this April 23, we’re taking a closer look at the mental ...
Navigating Anxiety and Vicarious Trauma in These Times
By Leah Harris We live in a time of rapid, shocking, and sometimes traumatic change. Vicarious trauma, sometimes known ...
For Tricia Hersey, the “Nap Bishop,” Rest is Resistance, Racial Justice
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash By Leah Harris There’s intense social pressure, especially around the time of New Year’s, to set goals ...
Black History Month 2022 Has a Health and Wellness Theme
By Leah Harris According to the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History (ASALH), the theme for Black History Month ...
4 Keys for Navigating a Second Covid Holiday Season
By Leah Harris Though they can bring so much joy, the holidays have long been a source of stress for ...
Self-Care with Mental Wellness Podcasts
By Leah Harris Writer Anna Borges once referred to mental health podcasts as self-care, and we couldn’t agree more. Podcasts have ...
Three Keys to Mental Sustainability Amidst Climate Change, Disasters
By Leah Harris The rapidly intensifying effects of climate change have begun to take a toll on the mental health ...
How You Can Help Support the Mental Well-Being of Afghan-Americans and New Arrivals
By Leah Harris The world is watching in horror as the crisis in Afghanistan unfolds. But for the over 60,000 ...
What Simone Biles Taught the World about Putting Mental Health First
By Leah Harris Simone Biles, widely considered to be the world’s G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time) gymnast, made international news ...
July is Bebe Moore Campbell Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
Also known as BIPOC Mental Health Month, this month carries on the famed author’s legacy Photo by Autumn Goodman on Unsplash By Leah ...
Celebrate Queer Mental Wellness with these Resources in the Bay Area
By Leah Harris Happy Pride Month! This Pride season, here’s a roundup of local and national resources that support and ...
How to Be an Ally to AANHPI Communities
By Leah Harris This month, we spotlight the intersection of Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and ...
Oakland’s MACRO Program Pilots Non-Police Mental Health Crisis Response
The new program aims to improve the treatment of individuals going through mental health crises in Oakland By Leah Harris ...
Women’s History Month: Five Women Changemakers in Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
By Leah Harris In honor of Women’s History Month in March, we highlight five innovative women advocating powerfully in mental ...
Self-Care with Mental Wellness Podcasts
By Leah Harris Writer Anna Borges once referred to mental health podcasts as self-care, and we couldn’t agree more. Podcasts have ...
PEERS Perspectives: Rethinking New Year’s Resolutions
By Leah Harris One of the most painful, chaotic years any of us can remember has drawn to a close ...
Your Pandemic Holiday Season Survival Guide is Here!
By Leah Harris Even before the pandemic, the holiday season was a very challenging time for folks living with mental ...
Navigating Election Stress in Uncertain Times
By Leah Harris It has been said so often that we live in “unprecedented times,” with a highly contentious election ...
Prevent Suicide, Promote Wellness in Communities Hard-Hit by COVID-19
By Leah Harris A new CDC survey is raising awareness about the increased risk of mental health challenges, substance use, and suicide ...
Climate Change is Impacting Our Mental Health. What Can We Do?
By Leah Harris Climate Change is Impacting Our Mental Health. What Can We Do? In October 2018, the United Nations ...
Resources and Tools for Coping with the Pain of Race-Based Trauma During These Times
By Leah Harris Resources and Tools for Coping with the Pain of Race-Based Trauma During These Times Even before COVID-19 ...
People with “Lived Wisdom” Share Strategies for Navigating Panic, Worry, and Isolation
By Leah Harris People with “Lived Wisdom” Share Strategies for Navigating Panic, Worry, and Isolation The coronavirus pandemic has left ...
How the Wisdom of Intentional Peer Support Can Help Us Navigate COVID-19
By Leah Harris Intentional Peer Support (IPS) is a relational approach developed in the 1990s by Shery Mead and other activists ...
Veteran Peer Support Saves Lives, Eases Transition to Civilian Life
By Leah Harris Veteran Peer Support Saves Lives, Eases Transition to Civilian Life Veteran peer support has been getting some ...
Rising U.S. Suicide Rates Prompt Calls for New Approaches to Suicide Prevention
By Leah Harris Rising U.S. Suicide Rates Prompt Calls for New Approaches to Suicide Prevention The Centers for Disease Control ...
Forthcoming Book Calls for Unapologetically Cultivating Black Mental Health
By Leah Harris Forthcoming Book Calls for Unapologetically Cultivating Black Mental Health February is Black History Month, and Dr. Rheeda ...
The Bay Area Warmline goes Statewide
The Bay Area Warmline goes Statewide By Leah Harris In a massive victory for peer-run services and crisis prevention, California ...
Let Recovery Values Inspire You to Make Positive Changes in 2020 and Beyond
By Leah Harris Let Recovery Values Inspire You to Make Positive Changes in 2020 and Beyond With a new decade ...
Destigmatizing Mental Health on Campus: The Stanford Settlement and the Urgent Need for Change
By Leah Harris Destigmatizing Mental Health on Campus: The Stanford Settlement and the Urgent Need for Change College can be ...
Queering the Holidays: Strategies to Cope When Your Family Doesn’t Accept You
By Leah Harris Queering the Holidays: Strategies to Cope When Your Family Doesn’t Accept You If you’re LGBTQ+, family rejection ...
‘Gut-Brain Axis’ May Provide Clues for Trauma Recovery
By Leah Harris Could Your Gut Influence Fear Responses in PTSD? New Study Suggests the ‘Gut-Brain Axis’ May Provide Clues ...
New Study Cites High Levels of Political Anxiety in America: Tips for How to Cope
By Leah Harris New Study Cites High Levels of Political Anxiety in America: Tips for How to Cope Civic engagement ...
Therapy on Stage: Reclaiming Power, Healing Trauma through Theater and the Expressive Arts
By Leah Harris Therapy on Stage: Reclaiming Power, Healing Trauma through Theater and the Expressive Arts Human beings have been ...
Climate Change is Impacting Our Mental Health
By Leah Harris Climate Change is Impacting Our Mental Health. What Can We Do? In October 2018, the United Nations ...
Mothers at Risk
by Leah Harris Overdose, Suicide among Top Causes of Death for California Mothers: Could Peer Support, Trauma-Informed Care, and Advocacy ...
Common Shares About Abuse
By Leah Harris Hip-hop Icon Common Writes Memoir of Resilience after Childhood Trauma Content Warning: The following material includes discussion ...
Harm Reduction in Oakland
By Leah Harris California Harm Reduction Legislation Poised to Offer Treatment, Alternative to Criminalization for Drug Users Late last month, ...
How to Reach Out for Support
By Leah Harris How to Reach Out for Support When You’re Struggling with Your Mental Healt. We often hear the ...
Can Tattooing be Therapeutic for Trauma Survivors?
By Leah Harris Can Tattooing be Therapeutic for Trauma Survivors? Traumatic experiences can leave visible and invisible scars on survivors ...
Movement and Your Mental Health
Our physical and mental health are deeply intertwined. The state of our mind can affect the health of our bodies ...
Black History Month 2019: Resources on Black Women, Stigma, and Mental Health
Black History Month 2019: Resources on Black Women, Stigma, and Mental Health It’s Black History Month! This year we are ...
Sally’s Place
Sally’s Place, Alameda County’s First Peer-Run Respite, Opens its Doors On Monday, January 21, 2019, Sally’s Place, Alameda County’s first ...
How Will You Resist Stigma in 2019?
How Will You Resist Stigma in 2019? It’s a new year, and with it comes resolution season. While it’s great ...
Making New Years’ Resolutions that Stick
The beginning of each new year finds us flooded with advertising and messages designed to remind us of where we ...
Childhood Trauma and Adult Empathy
New Study Finds Correlation between Childhood Trauma and Adult Empathy We know from the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study and other research ...
Eating Disorder Recovery and the Holidays
Eating Disorder Recovery and the Holidays: Tips to Support Yourself and Others This Season While the holidays are associated with ...
No Feeling is Final
“No Feeling is Final:” New Mental Health Podcast Explores Suicide and Reasons for Living “Just ask for help,” is a ...
Shattering the Silence Surrounding Suicide: PEERS hosts The S Word Documentary on May 18!
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States (CDC). There is one death by suicide in the US every 12 minutes ...
May is Mental Health Month 2018: National and Local Ways to Celebrate Recovery and Defeat Stigma
May is Mental Health Month is here once again. There are numerous ways to make your voice heard and to ...
Embrace Your Voice: April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
While preventing sexual violence and providing support for survivors should be a focus all year round, April is a month ...
NBA Stars Speak Out about Mental Health, Resilience
In recent weeks, several NBA players have spoken out about mental health, paving the way for boys and men to ...
The Power Threat Meaning Framework: A Hopeful New Way of Understanding Human Distress and Resilience
For too long, the understanding of human distress has been individualized, ignoring the context for people’s behaviors and symptoms. But ...
Mass shootings, mental health, and stigma
Tragic mass shootings understandably have led to widespread alarm and a search for solutions. In the days following the Parkland ...
New Study Shows More Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Youth are Coming Out, Experiencing More Mental Health Issues
A study recently published in Pediatrics contains some familiar and new findings that have important implications for families, mental health and health ...
Iconic Hip Hop Artist Jay-Z Takes on Mental Health Stigma
February is Black History Month, and legendary rapper Jay-Z has emerged as a hero to African-American communities struggling with the ...
Mental Health-themed Comics Destigmatize, Inspire, and Heal
Graphic art can be an incredibly powerful vehicle for fighting stigma when it comes to trauma, mental health, and resilience. With ...
Putting Your Mental Health First in 2018
At a time of year where everywhere you look there are “New Year, new you,” posts and articles, New Years’ ...
Tips for Surviving the Holidays in Recovery from Addiction
While the holidays can be stressful for everyone, this time of year can be immensely challenging for persons in recovery, ...
Try a Sound Bath for Relaxation and Stress Reduction
A healing modality that has begun to take off in the West in recent year is “sound healing,” involving the ...
#MeToo and Recovering after Sexual Trauma
The #MeToo hashtag and movement, started ten years ago by activist Tarana Burke, was made viral in a tweet by actress Alyssa Milano ...
Finding Love When You Have a Behavioral Health Condition
In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, comedian Maria Bamford discussed her experience with dating after a prolonged mental health crisis ...
Coping in the Face of Tragedy
We live in particularly difficult times, with natural and human-made disasters and tragedies occurring on what feels like a constant ...
Listen Up for Mental Health: Podcasts to Help You Feel Less Alone, Get to Sleep
The podcasting world is seeing an explosion in growth, and mental health podcasts are no exception. It seems that this ...
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month! Suicide Attempt Survivors and Hopeful Suicide Prevention Messages Featured at the 2017 Video Music Awards
2017 continues to be a powerful year for public discussion and dialogue about suicide, and this year’s Video Music Awards ...
New Suicide Prevention Documentary, The S Word: Interview with Bay Area Advocate Kelechi Ubozoh
This month is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and Suicide Prevention Week is September 10th-15th. The S Word is a groundbreaking new documentary ...
Want to Boost Your Mental (and Physical) Health? Try a “Forest Bath.”
We all know that too much time spent indoors, secluded from the natural world, can be problematic for our psychological ...
Keys to Building Resilience throughout Your Life
There is a common misconception that resilience -- the ability to “come back” after life’s stresses, challenges, and traumas -- ...
#IWantYouToKnow Hashtag Highlights Truths, Misconceptions about Mental Health
Living with a mental health or substance use condition can be difficult enough on its own sometimes. Well-meaning but unhelpful ...
How to Support a Loved one with a Behavioral Health Challenge
Krista MacKinnon, a parent and a person who is herself in recovery from bipolar disorder, is a nationally-recognized expert in ...
New Memoir Chronicles a Health Reporter’s Journey through Anxiety
Health reporter Andrea Petersen’s new memoir On Edge: A Journey through Anxiety is a first-person exploration of what it’s like to live ...
Facebook Teams up with Trevor Project to Offer Online Suicide Prevention Tools to LGBTQ Youth
The research is clear: LGBTQ youth are at greater risk of suicide than their straight peers. Facebook recently announced that it will ...
May is Mental Health Month: Social Media (and Local) Opportunities to Fight Stigma!
Social media has the powerful potential to defeat stigma through sharing the lived experiences of everyday people who are living ...
Stigma, Spirituality, and Mental Health
All too often, spirituality and mental health are seen as occupying different worlds. Given this long-standing division, people with mental ...
New Book Explores Link Between Mental Health and Genius
The exploration of the link between mental health conditions and creativity or genius is nothing new. Books such as Touched with ...
Marriage Equality Associated with Fewer Suicide Attempts by Sexual Minority Teens
While suicide attempts are not as well-studied as suicides, the available data suggest that sexual minority teens attempt suicide at ...
New Survey Shows Record Number of Americans Stressed Out by Politics
The American Psychological Association’s (APA) annual Stress in America™ survey “measures attitudes and perceptions of stress among the general public ...
Eating Disorders and Recovery
National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is February 26-March 4 this year, and this year’s tagline is “it’s time to talk about ...
Black Mental Health Resources for #BlackHistoryMonth
In February we celebrate Black History Month together. In addition to honoring all of the women and men whose extraordinary ...
Portrayals of Mental Health Experiences on the Silver Screen Have Lasting Impact
Hollywood has a mixed record on how persons living with behavioral health experiences are portrayed. While some films, such as Take ...
New Peer Support Forum Launches in December
Sherry Dang is a Santa Cruz-based entrepreneur who has started a new peer support forum called “Talking Stick.” She was ...
Coping with Holiday Stressors
We’ve set our clocks back, and the hours of daylight are steadily decreasing. As the holiday season continues, many people ...
Powerful New Campaign Calls on Adults to Help Support Children Exposed to Violence, Trauma
According to the 2015 National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence, 58 percent of youth in the U.S. were exposed to violence at ...
National Survivors of Suicide Loss Day: November 19, 2016
Approximately 85% of people in the United States know someone personally who has completed suicide. For each person who dies ...
Thank Discovery Kingdom for Shutting Down Asylum-Themed Halloween Attraction!
It’s Halloween season again, and unfortunately, there are asylum-themed amusement park attractions galore. Advocates launched into action when they heard ...
Bay Area Survivor of Childhood Abuse Starts New Magazine to Defeat Stigma
Anxy, an exciting new magazine featured in Bustle, is designed to break down the stigma behind mental health conditions and expose ...
National Mental Health Day of Prayer
Please join us at the Alameda County Administration Building Courtyard, 1221 Oak Street in downtown Oakland to celebrate the National ...
Queer/LGB Youth Risk Factors
It’s National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and a new report highlights a population at high risk for suicide: LGB youth ...
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
September is also known as National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Important dates to remember this month include World Suicide Prevention ...
How Pets Can Help Promote Mental Wellness
Research shows that owning a pet helps to decrease stress. Levels of oxytocin (the “feel-good” hormone) rise in the brain, ...
Run DMC’s Darryl McDaniels writes New Memoir on Suicide, Recovery
Darryl (DMC) McDaniels, of the hip-hop group Run DMC, has written a new book, Ten Ways How Not to Commit Suicide ...
How Can We Better Support Youth with Trauma Histories in the Juvenile Justice System?
According to a new analysis in Youth Today by Lauren Beretto, a member of the policy team at the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, ...
American Debate: Should we bring back Asylums or integrate people with mental health challenges into the community?
The Commonwealth Club hosted a debate on treating mental illness by asking, should we bring back asylums? Here is more ...
Read Senator Mark Leno’s take on Mental Health Peer Certification in California
According to an article posted on The Painted Brain by Senator Mark Leno, "This bill would require the State Department ...