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New Generation, New Conversations

Connecting The Community

SafeSpace “New Conversation” Videos: A True Success

This past summer, the SafeSpace Youth Advisory Board received funding from the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Community Fund to create five short videos that highlight various solutions to some of the most prevalent mental health issues facing teens today. They focus on the positive ways young people can support each other and spread hope.

During National Suicide Prevention Week (Sept. 9-13) SafeSpace released the “New Conversations” videos to schools and communities. Not surprising, the response was overwhelming and positive. The videos, written and produced entirely by local young people, touch on topics such as the power of peer to peer communication, reaching out, stress, and dealing with loneliness. Each video includes a set of discussion questions and information sheets that can be used in classrooms or at home. This effort was in response to the recent media portraying mental illness as a hopeless condition. Our youth feel current news focuses exclusively on the negative manifestations of the disease, rather than engaging in shared solutions and promoting support. They want to change the conversation and stigma, from one of despair to one of possibility.

All videos were vetted by psychologists, psychiatrists, medical doctors, parents and teens. SafeSpace utilized the services of the Riekes Centers Media Services Department to film and produce the videos.

SafeSpace Youth Advisory Board Expands to Local Middle Schools and San Mateo

The SafeSpace Youth Advisory board has grown significantly from six schools to sixteen middle and high schools with over fifty teens involved. Schools include public, private and charter schools and span the San Francisco peninsula. SafeSpace youth are currently working with school administrators, faculty, athletic directors, wellness coordinators, and counselors to implement a variety of teen mental health initiatives on school campuses.
 
Local Therapists Meet To Discuss Challenges around Teen Mental Health and Services in Our Community
 

SafeSpace hosts monthly clinical Brown Bag Lunches for family and teen clinicians to meet and network. Over the course of several meetings, therapists discussed the need for open community groups to support the mental health and wellness of families and teens in our community. This informal gathering of clinicians in our community will provide a space to meet, relax, bounce ideas off of, and provide support for colleagues. We are currently working with clinicians to coordinate hosting these events. To learn more, please contact mmangiardi@safespace.org

RSVP through Eventbrite.

Ripple Effect

Common Misconceptions about Therapy
By: Isabella Marinos, San Mateo SafeSpace Youth Advisory Board Member


Therapy is defined as “treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder.” However, if therapy is intended to relieve or heal a disorder, then why do people fear it? Just recently, I had an encounter with a friend who suffers from severe insomnia and mild depression. He had reached out to me for help, so I suggested that he try out therapy, immediately he declined. He said that therapy is for “…crazy people, right?” Wrong. That very statement represents how prominent the stigma surrounding mental health is in our society. Now ask yourself, what do you think of when you hear the word therapy? Do you imagine being trapped in a small room with a stranger holding a clipboard? Or do you feel that you must be suffering from a severe mental illness to attend therapy? When faced with this question, many people do see the little man with the clipboard or do feel that they need to be mentally ill in order to seek help. These images and opinions have a direct correlation to the media’s portrayal of mental health. These images are damaging, as it leaves people feeling discouraged from attending therapy or seeking help in general.

In actuality, there is a surplus of benefits that can sprout from attending therapy. Some benefits include extra support, relationship reparation, and finding your purpose. Every therapy session differs in problem-solving and self-discovery. It is essential to recognize that each individual’s mental health journey differs from person to person. It is important to focus on your journey as well as avoid comparing yourself to others. And remember, be kind to yourself! Progress and healing take time, as long as you’re trying your best that’s all that matters.

Isabella Marinos is a Mills High School senior who currently serves as the lead SafeSpace Advisory Board member at her school.

In Your Corner

Overcoming FOMO
By: Michelle Mangiardi, SafeSpace Administrative Coordinator


The Fear of Missing Out, also known as FOMO, is a phenomenon experienced by many teenagers and adolescents. So much so, that the term was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013 meaning, “anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on social media.” Many holidays, like the 4th of July or Halloween, cause FOMO. Where does this anxiety stem from? A lot of times, it is from feeling like everyone is asking you what your plans are, and with who and feeling the need to have something special arranged. Other times, it’s from really wanting to go do something, but other obligations may get in the way. To add fuel to the fire, these events are scattered on social media heightening pressure to feel like you need to be there. Naturally, this can be tough on anyone’s psyche, but those with mental illnesses such as social anxiety or depression may feel the effects even more. What can we do to assuage this? A recent TalkSpace article helps us see ways to keep FOMO at bay:
  • For starters, images on social media are not always what they seem. Images often project the best moments and portray situations more positively than what they are.
  • Do a social media detox! Removing yourself from social media, even if just for a few days, may help with comparing yourself to others.
  • Keep yourself busy and dedicate time to yourself.
  • Appreciate the good. Think about things, people, and places that you are grateful for rather than on where you might be missing out.

Of course, some of these tips are easier said than done, but remember, that you are not the only one experiencing FOMO and that there are others who understand what you are feeling and going through during these times.

-Michelle Mangiardi (SafeSpace Administrative Coordinator, Guest Counselor at Hillview Middle School and graduate student at San Jose State, Department of Education, Concentration in Counseling)

From all of us at Safespace Center,
thank you for your continued support.




For more information, please contact Managing Director,
Lesley Martin: lmartin@safespace.org