Weekly Wrap-Up
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Announcements
 

How Those With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Cope With Added Angst Of COVID

From the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, experts and media have warned of a mounting mental health crisis as people contend with a pandemic that has upended their lives. A recent KFF poll found that about 4 in 10 adults say stress from the coronavirus negatively affected their mental health. (KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF, the Kaiser Family Foundation.)
But those with obsessive-compulsive disorder and other serious anxieties face uniquely difficult mental health battles, including trying to distinguish concerns brought on by their conditions from general fears shared by the public about COVID-19.

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California Schools Turn to Mindfulness to Help 
Students Cope with Stress

Breathing exercises can help students cope with stress and improve their ability to learn, studies say
 
As students face cascading uncertainties about school, the pandemic, racial unrest and their futures, some school districts are turning to a simple practice to help young people deal with stress: mindfulness.
 
The exercise of quiet breathing and focusing on the present moment, mindfulness is a way to become aware of one's emotional state and usher in a sense of calm. It can be particularly helpful for young people as a means to boost attention skills and cope with stress, according to a 2019 report published by researchers at Harvard's Center for Education Policy Research.
 



San Ramon Student Creates Winning Design for New California License Plate on Mental Health

Commemorative plates to raise money for student wellness centers throughout state
 
A student at Dougherty Valley High School designed the winning entry for California's "Mental Health Awareness License Plate Competition."
 
Winning license plate design by Dougherty Valley High student Anshuree Banerjee. (Image courtesy Graham Wiseman)
 
Selected from a pool of submissions created by high school students throughout the state, San Ramon's Anshuree Banerjee's design was selected as being the best design to accurately reflect the importance of mental health care.

Events

The Mental Health Association of San Francisco is excited to be organizing a series of discussions around race and social justice. The next event will be this Friday, June 26, at 5 PM. This will be a safe space for anyone and everyone to speak up, vent, and talk through their feelings, thoughts, and emotions surrounding the suffering and destruction taking place in our country.
 
This Friday, MHASF will be facilitating a discussion about Being An Ally In A Racist Society with the hosts of our "People of Color". Support Group: Dewonna Howard & CW Johnson.
 
Our other host will be Kozi Arrington who also cohosted our first event on June 5, 2020. Here's a column Kozi wrote about the first event and which includes feedback from one the participants:
 
 
To receive the link for this Friday's discussion, please email [email protected]



Wednesday, June 30, 2020
1:00 to 2:00 pm Eastern Time

An Introduction to Dialectical Behavior Therapy
 
Sara LandesThe purpose of this series is to provide guidance on implementing the recently updated VA/DOD Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Assessment and Management of Patients at Risk for Suicide (CPG). The CPG for Suicide Prevention Webinar Series will raise awareness about the guidelines and provide health care clinicians, leadership, and scientists information about using these approaches in practice and research.
 
This first webinar provides an overview of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) focused on biosocial theory for those new to DBT and those who want to make better referrals for DBT.






 

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