Boys & Girls Club develops mental health services

New partnership with Petaluma People Services Center will include group, individual and family therapy|

In the height of fire season, a youth saw what appeared to be smoke outside the Sonoma Valley Boys & Girls Club, and quickly pulled the fire alarm, causing momentary chaos.

There was no smoke, just the haze of the misters used to keep campers cool on a hot summer days. But years of living under the fear of fire have made some kids hyper vigilant, a sign of trauma that has the potential to affect their well being.

Fires, floods, power outages, sky-choking smoke and 21 months of pandemic. These are some of the major events that have shaped the experiences of everyone living in this region, and for local youth, the impact has been heavy.

According to the county-wide YouthTruth survey, 43% of students have felt so sad or hopeless for two weeks or more, it caused them to stop doing usual activities in the past year.

Two nonprofit leaders who have been worried about how these experiences have affected local youth have looked to expand their services, ensuring local students have access to mental health care. A partnership between Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley and Petaluma People Services Center, with funding by Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund, now provides professional emotional behavioral support at the Maxwell Club, a new program that got underway this month.

"The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on our youth's mental health as evidenced by the YouthTruth survey and, more importantly, our own eyes. Unfortunately, Sonoma Valley's few mental health providers are completely overwhelmed," said Diana Sanson, Catalyst Fund grant coordinator. "The Boys & Girls Club Sonoma Valley, in partnership with Petaluma People Services, is well positioned to provide mental health programming to local youth and teens in a supportive and trusted environment."

In addition to its many programs, Petaluma People Services Center (PPSC) has for more than 40 years been a teaching facility, said Elece Hempel, executive director of the nonprofit that will oversee the mental health intern based at the Maxwell Club. Interns at PPSC hold advanced degrees in such areas as clinical social work or marriage and family therapy, Hempel said, and they are under the guidance of PPSC’s experienced staff.

“Interns are required to complete an ungodly amount of hours” in training, she said.

To begin, the intern will conduct group sessions, as they get to know the youth at the club, developing a relationship and establishing trust. The club members in the group will learn skills and be empowered “to take care of one another,” Hempel said. Parents and staff members will be able to refer kids to the program, although parental permission is always required.

Cary Snowden, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley, said getting professional mental health care at the club has been on her mind for some time now. She watched as Sonoma Valley youth experienced one trauma after another and saw the need for support services skyrocket when COVID-19 caused schools to shut down in March 2020.

“Sonoma Valley is like an island” when it comes to mental health services, Snowden said. Some families in the Valley don’t have easy access to services in Petaluma or Santa Rosa, so it made more sense to her to bring those services to the community. PPSC, which offers a wide range of mental health care in Petaluma for youth, families and beyond, seemed like a natural partner for the club, given their level of experience.

Both Hempel and Snowden anticipate the need for behavioral support to become clearer and larger than what one intern can manage. They envision expanding the program to other sites as well as enveloping families in the services, so local youth feel supported on multiple levels. Additionally, PPSC has the knowledge and skill set to connect families with insurance providers that can help cover the costs involved in seeking counseling.

Results of Sonoma County Office of Education’s YouthTruth survey illustrate the need for such a program, not just in Sonoma Valley, but all over the county. YouthTruth is a national nonprofit that works with communities to conduct surveys to learn areas of strengths and weaknesses, and how to make improvements.

YouthTruth Survery.pdf

SCOE’s survey included more than 18,000 students (74% of the county’s student population) as well as 35% of parents and guardians, and 86% of school staff from the 10 districts (56 schools) in the winter of 2020-21.

Of those reporting at least one obstacle to learning, such as distractions at home or family obligations, 63% were in high school and 65% in middle school. Depression, stress and anxiety topped the list of hindrances that affect 70% of students surveyed on their ability to do their best in school, the survey found.

Those students who identify as non-straight report even higher occurrences of depression, stress or anxiety in both middle and high school. The same holds true for those affected by the region’s fires.

The results of the survey opened a lot of eyes, Hempel said, adding that the area is “behind the curve” in providing emotional support to youth and families. Parents are trying to figure it all out, she said, and could use more resources.

“The behavioral health needs have gone unmet,” Hempel said.

The nonprofit leaders are excited about the new program, and hope to see it grow sooner rather than later.

“This is long overdue, the community has been waiting for this,” Snowden said.

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