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Mental Health

For people living with mental health challenges including caregivers and others interested. Here you will find documents to assist with advance care planning for serious illness including a mental health crisis, conversation guides, and links to helpful resources including videos. These new and innovative advance care planning tools and resources, were produced by collaboration between the Behavioral Health Division, County of Sonoma (BHD), the Community Network for Appropriate Technologies, the Coalition for Compassionate Care of CA (CCCC), and Goodwill Redwood Empire. This section of our website was added in late 2018 thanks to funding from the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF).

In 2021 the Peer Pilot Leadership Council updated the site to include the Making A Plan Toolkit section and a new section for Related Training & Resources containing related orientation videos and PowerPoints among other things.

Making a Plan Toolkit

The Making A Plan Toolkit includes a Workbook, a Forms booklet, and the companion piece titled: Mental Health Supportive Care Plan. In addition to helping you express health care wishes, the Making a Plan Toolkit can help clarify what to do with your important possessions if seriously ill or at the ending of life. Making A Plan-Thinking Ahead Workbook (pdf) Making A Plan Part II Forms (pdf) Mental Health Supportive Care Plan with Checklist (pdf) Mental Health Supportive Care Plan with ... Read More

Mental Health & Wellness: Coping during the coronavirus outbreak

Mental Health & Wellness: Coping during the coronavirus outbreak was compiled by Sonoma County Emergency Services to provide helpful resources in English and Spanish. Here can be found helpful resources for people of all ages including resources when needing help right now.

Mental Health Support Services

There are many programs in Sonoma County providing assistance to people living with mental health challenges. Peer Support programs are good links into existing services. Those helping to develop the tools and resources provided here on this website include: Interlink Self-Help Center, the Wellness and Advocacy Center, Goodwill-Redwood Empire and Sonoma County Behavioral Health. ... Read More

Mental Health Supportive Care Plan

No matter what our health problems may be, it is important that we are all recognized and respected as being the best source of information about ourselves and what is important to us. If you are unable to make decisions or communicate for yourself when facing mental health challenges, the Mental Health Supportive Care Plan (MHSCP) could help guide people you trust, your designated Health Care Agent and health professionals when providing needed care and support. It can help you direct them to make ... Read More

NAMI Sonoma County

NAMI Sonoma County (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals affected by mental illness, and their families, by providing mental health education, support and advocacy. NAMI Sonoma County collaborates with community partners to raise awareness and understanding of the challenges of living with mental illness, to dispel the stigma that keeps many from seeking help, and the hope of recovery through treatment and support. This website provides access to ... Read More

Peer Support Specialist Certification (SB 803)

https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/Pages/Peer-Support-Services.aspx This website tracks implementation of Senate Bill (SB) 803 (Beall, Chapter 150, Statues of 2020) chaptered into law September 2020, requiring DHCS to seek federal approval to establish Peer Specialist as a provider type and to provide distinct peer support services under the SMHS and DMC-ODS programs. While services provided by peers can currently be claimed under the provider type "other qualified provider" within the SMHS program, ... Read More

Petaluma People Services Center Counseling Department.

The Petaluma People Services Center Counseling Department is dedicated to providing for mental health needs in Southern Sonoma County. We believe that everyone wants to grow. It is not a weakness to seek out psychotherapy; it is an act of courage. We offer a sliding fee scale to better serve the counseling needs of individuals, couples, families, and children. PPSC provides individual, family, group and couples counseling. Our staff has experience with a wide variety of issues including: Relationship ... Read More

Related Training & Resources

This section has videos for Peer Community Orientations to Advance Care Planning with Mental Health in Mind. In addition to videos for 5 minute, 15 minute and 1 hour orientations, PowerPoints are included along with adaptations for Peer Family/Friends versions. This section also includes Trusted Helper Guidelines, an Advance Care Planning Facilitator’s Job Description and annotated links to other related trainings and more. Peer Orientation Videos Using the links below, those PowerPoint ... Read More

Role Plays: Entering into the conversation

For the Peer Pilot Training, the Community Network and Peer Pilot Advisory Group created role plays to help peers learn how to enter into difficult conversations about planning for serious illness and the ending of life. These are helpful for peer support workers, clinicians and other caregivers working with people with serious mental health challenges. Click here to view/download Role Plays ... Read More

Russian River Empowerment Center

The Empowerment Center is currently closed because of the Shelter in Place order. RREC is providing virtual services via Facebook including daily call-in check-in; publicly posted resources center; musings & monologues Mondays; Music & Movement Mondays; Top Tips and Ted Talks Tuesdays; Where & What Writing and Whimsical Whatever Wednesdays; Thought Therapy and Three Things Thursday. Read More.