Mental Health

December 10, 2012 - Niroga Institute is offering a mindfulness training workshop to community organizations serving youth and families. The 1 - 1.5 hour workshop is called a COMBO (COmmunity Mind BOdy) meeting, and includes a training in TLS (Transformative Life Skills). The TLS training offers a practice that integrates yoga, meditation, and breathing techniques for stress management, self-care, and healing from primary/secondary trauma. The training can be adapted for youth, parents, families,...Read more »

November 27, 2012 - Are you a young person (anywhere between 14 and 30) who has experience with mental health challenges, foster care, residential treatment, juvenile justice or other systems of care? Want to get paid to write about it? Pathways 2 Positive Futures is seeking writers for its SpeakOut feature on issues relevant to youth and young adults. Each month, a question related to a current news story or research finding is chosen based...Read more »

November 14, 2012 - The Children’s Bureau has released a new guide for youth in foster care to help them understand their feelings and behaviors and make decisions about their mental health care, including whether psychotropic medications might help. Making Healthy Choices: A Guide on Psychotropic Medications for Youth in Foster Care includes useful information, worksheets, and tips for empowering youth to understand their options and make healthy choices. The guide is available for free in English...Read more »

November 14, 2012 - FYA member Fred Finch Youth Center's Board of Directors is pleased to announce its selection of Tom Alexander as its next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective October 29, 2012. READ MORE. Read more »

November 14, 2012 - The California Alliance of Child and Family Services, in partnership with Dr. John Lyons, will present a series of regional trainings to further the implementation of the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) across California. The focus of these trainings will be to increase the availability of certified CANS trainers. This training will be offered in Alameda County on November 29 and 30, 2012.

October 31, 2012 - Portland State University’s Pathways RTC will present a webinar on the foundational understanding of brain development and the neurobiology of traumatic stress on November 13 from 10:00-11:00 AM.  Integrating neuroscience research findings into programs for transition-age youth is crucial for designing and delivering effective services. Just as emerging adults are transitioning across systems, their brains and minds are also in transition and continuing to develop. Indeed, the final stages of the brain’s structural...Read more »

October 16, 2012 - There's still time to RSVP for our Children's Policy Forum this FRIDAY, October 19th, at Preservation Park in Oakland! During 2012-13, a pivotal time for children and youth across California, The Alameda County Interagency Children's Policy Council, Foster Youth Alliance, and Center for Child and Youth Policy at UC Berkeley are pleased to lead a series of conversations on the status and needs of children in Alameda County. Our first forum will be...Read more »

September 19, 2012 - As part of his series covering sexual exploitation in Oakland, Examiner.com contributor Mark Fisher has featured FYA Member WestCoast Children’s Clinic’s C-Change program and their recent groundbreaking research paper in his most recent piece, "Oakland clinic is serving six times as many trafficked minors as in 2009." The piece describes WestCoast's work and the findings, as well as their recommendations for reform: "The policy recommendations targeted getting minors out...Read more »

September 14, 2012 - The Queer and Trans Network of Alameda County will dedicate their meeting this month to a SKILL SHARE SESSION. Communities United Against Violence (CUAV) presents: Building Healthy Relationships Workshop/ Skill Share on Thursday, September 20, 2012 from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Madison Apartments. (Details in this FLYER and at the REGISTRATION LINK.)  The concept for this skillshare workshop is to build healthy relationships through knowing & trusting ourselves. In this workshop the self-determination butterfly...Read more »