Mental Health and Well-Being for California's Youth

KCBS Radio In Depth

This week, we’re turning the focus onto California’s youth and mental health. We'll look at the conversations that young people are having, the care they are shaping, and at the work going on behind the scenes to ensure that mental health wellness is available for all.

Starting with Never A Bother - that’s the name of a campaign in California. It’s part of the state’s Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative and was created by the California Department of Public Health’s Office of Suicide Prevention and more than 400 youth and young adults across California. The purpose of this campaign? To reach young people who are struggling and who need support when it comes to their mental health and well-being.

To tell us more about Never A Bother, we hear from Dr. Sohil Sud, Director of the California Health and Human Services Agency’s Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, and Angela Soto Cerros, a member of the Youth Advisory Board.

Then we hear from Joy Alafia, Executive Director of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, who is one of the many supporters of Assembly Bill 665, which goes into effect July 1st. The goal here is to make mental health care more inclusive for all youth, regardless of income, and ensure they receive the support they need.