Public Mental Health Partnership
| | March is National Social Work Month | | |
National Social Work Month is a time to honor the millions of dedicated professionals who act as the glue in our communities. Social workers are more than just providers, they are advocates, therapists, problem-solvers, and champions who meet people in their most vulnerable moments to help them find a path forward. A special thank you to all the social workers on our PMHP team and throughout Los Angeles County as we celebrate you this month!
| | Brighten a Social Worker's Day:
Send Them One of Our GIFs | | Simply right click on the GIF you'd like to send and either share it to a text message/email or save it on your computer or mobile device to send at a later time. | | |
Jane Addams, widely known as the "Mother of Social Work," was a pioneer whose influence reshaped the American social landscape at the turn of the 20th century. In 1889, she co-founded Hull House in Chicago, one of the nation's first settlement houses, providing childcare, education, and healthcare to marginalized immigrant communities. In 1931, she became the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, located in Chicago, is a National Historic Landmark, free and open to the public. It hosts exhibitions and programs that connect histories of social transformation to the present. For more information, visit https://www.hullhousemuseum.org/
| | “The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life.”
—Jane Addams | | Listen to Sidewalk Stories | | |
All episodes of our narrative podcast series, Sidewalk Stories, are now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and on our website. Sidewalk Stories is inspired by the stories of those in service to people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles. Homeless service providers, such as outreach workers, clinicians, and interim housing staff, witness extraordinary moments of transformation, connection, and redemption with their clients and we at PMHP wanted to find a way to bring these inspiring stories to the public and spotlight the vital, often unseen work of homeless service providers.
Our team interviewed LA County Department of Mental Health HOME providers and each conversation was as moving as the last. From the very start, we could hear the passion for their work in their voices. Using these interviews as inspiration, writers created monologues that were then performed by talented voiceover artists and paired with thoughtful sound design. The episodes are the product of a remarkable collaboration among homeless service providers, writers, artists, actors, and administrators, all committed to bringing these stories forward to raise awareness and reduce stigma for people experiencing homelessness and the providers who walk alongside them.
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Excerpt from Episode 2: Swiss Army Book
And then there was that book, the letter J Encyclopedia, which I believe was strategically chosen as it’s not too big yet not too small, Goldilocks approved.
One time he had it tucked under his neck like a pillow (not sure how that was even comfortable). Another time, he turned it into a table for a game of Solitaire. And then one day I noticed a good number of pages torn out from the middle, only to later learn those were his makeshift tissues.
The Swiss Army Book I called it.
But today, at our first encounter, Encyclopedia J was opened in the middle, resting on top of his face as if it were a sleep mask.
Had I met Hank forty years earlier, I would never have expected to meet him in his literal man-cave where the LA River crossed the 10-freeway. We should never have met at all.
Listen to Swiss Army Book
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Excerpt from Episode 10: The Boat
I don’t remember what it’s like to be a real person.” She said, matter-of-factly, in a way that broke my heart.
Living on the streets for that long, she’d gotten used to being ignored. When people don’t treat you like a “person,” it’s easy to believe you aren’t.
But there are ways to remind yourself…
Sometimes, it’s the little things that make us feel like a person...like being able to go to church every Sunday, getting a haircut so that you look your best, or simply being able to wear red lipstick because you want to.
When you lose that… all that big stuff starts to not matter. You don’t care about keeping clean, because who are you trying to impress? You don’t care about the roof over your head, because nothing feels like home anyway… But if you can hold on to those things, even if everything else around you is uncertain… you can hold onto that feeling a little longer.
Listen to The Boat
| | ACT and FACT Training Collaborative | | |
Are you a California ACT and FACT Provider?
Register for our March Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) and Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) Training Collaborative:
Collaborative Team-Based Care in ACT and FACT
Collaborative interprofessional teamwork is the cornerstone of effective service delivery on ACT and FACT teams. In this training, we will define interprofessional, transdisciplinary approaches to healthcare and discuss how these approaches differ from interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary team approaches. We will discuss key features of transdisciplinary teamwork on ACT and FACT teams and guidelines for facilitating effective team collaboration through daily team meetings. We will also review characteristics of teamwork that promote provider wellbeing and facilitate the successful implementation of evidence-based practices within healthcare teams.
This training is available through our California ACT and FACT Learning Center with 1.5 CEs available.
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The session will be repeated on the following dates/times:
- Thursday, March 19, 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
- Thursday, March 26, 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
- Monday, March 30, 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
| | | Housing Hurdles in LA County | | |
PMHP will explore challenges and barriers that unhoused Los Angeles County residents, and providers that support them, experience in accessing, transitioning into, and maintaining housing during a two day training. Current data on homelessness as well as housing types and system navigation will be reviewed alongside strategies and tools providers need to work with client readiness for housing, matching housing types to client needs, and core housing landscape navigation skills.
The live training will take place on Wednesday, March 11th & Thursday, March 12th from 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM with 4.0 CEs available.
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In the meantime, below are resources that may be helpful:
Online tracking system specifically for DMH staff that provides up-to-date vacancy information for participating residential care facilities (must sign up for log in credentials and access). Please note at this time MHRLN is only available to staff of DMH directly operated and contracted agencies.
Sober living homes are facilities that provide safe housing for participants that are in different stages of their treatment recovery. Since there is a range of types/formats of sober livings within Los Angeles County, it is important to become familiar with each location's requirements, guidelines, expectations, and ability to support your clients.
This community resource has helped people list and locate housing in Los Angeles County, including affordable, special needs, emergency housing, and more. Listing and searches are free.
| | Save the Date: 17th Statewide Conference | |
Your Los Angeles Public Library card does more than just check out books. It unlocks a wide range of resources from audiobooks and streaming movies to online courses.
Media
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Libby is an innovative in-browser and mobile app designed to make borrowing and enjoying e-books, magazines, streaming services and audiobooks from the library easier than ever. Libby is available on your browser and for Android and iOS devices.
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Kanopy offers critically-acclaimed movies, recent releases, inspiring documentaries, international films and more to stream for free (with 27 credits each month).
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hoopla is a digital media platform that gives access to digital entertainment content from any mobile device or via any browser. hoopla offers e-books, e-comics, magazines, full length feature movies, episodic television programming, full musical albums and unabridged audiobooks.
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Freegal is a free and ad-free digital music service that offers unlimited streaming and 5 free, permanent MP3 song downloads per week, featuring over 15-18 million songs, including Sony Music's catalog.
Online Courses
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UniversalClass offers hundreds of online CE classes. They include lessons, exams, assignments, discussion boards and actual assessments of your progress.
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Gale Courses offers a wide range of highly interactive courses. As a library card holder in good standing, you are entitled to these courses at no cost. Courses run for six weeks and new sessions begin every month.
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Mango Languages offers free, online language learning including Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Arabic, Korean, Russian, Tagalog, Greek, Latin and more. Mango has English language courses for speakers of 19 different languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, and Russian. Learn on the go with the Mango Mobile app for iPhone and Android.
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Craftsy is an online resource for all creative makers that includes over 3,000 hours of diverse video instruction for patrons that are just getting started or looking for advanced techniques.
Technology Rentals
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Tech2go items for rental, including laptops, hotspots, and solar panels, are available to adults with a library card in good standing. Some items may require that patrons sign a Mobile Device User Agreement upon checkout at a library location.
Los Angeles Passes/Discounts
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California State Parks Pass - The First Partner’s Office and the California State Library provide free vehicle day-use entry to over 200 participating state park units operated by State Parks to Los Angeles Public Library card holders. The pass entitles the user to a free vehicle day-use entry for one passenger vehicle with capacity of nine people or less.
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Discover & Go lets you explore LA museums and attractions through an exciting partnership between the Los Angeles Public Library and local cultural institutions. Log in to Discover & Go with your Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) card and reserve free or low-cost fee passes to participating organizations.
Source: https://www.lapl.org
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Meditation
Research shows that meditation offers not only calm, but also helps with anxiety and depression, cancer, chronic pain, asthma, heart disease and high blood pressure.
To get started, all you need is a few minutes each day. Later you may want to work up to 10, 20, or 30 minutes. You can try some suggestions below and if one doesn’t work, try another.
Types of Meditation:
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Deep breathing. Sit or lie down comfortably. Rest your hands on your stomach. Slowly count to four while inhaling through your nose. Feel your stomach rise. Hold your breath for a second. Slowly count to four while you exhale, preferably through pursed lips to control the breath. Your stomach will fall slowly. Repeat a few times.
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Mindfulness Meditation. Focus on your breath. Notice anything that passes through your awareness without judgment. If your mind starts to tackle your to-do list, just return to focusing on your breath.
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Visualization. Close your eyes, relax, and imagine a peaceful place, like a forest. Engage all your senses: hear the crunching leaves, smell the damp soil, feel the breeze.
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Repeating a mantra. Sit quietly and pick any meaningful or soothing word, phrase, or sound. You can repeat the mantra aloud or silently. Experts say the repetition creates a physical relaxation response.
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Participate in a meditative form of exercise. Try tai chi or qi gong, which use soothing, flowing motions.
Source: Mental Health America
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Download the Free UCLA Mindful App for iOS and Android
With this easy-to-use app, you can practice mindfulness meditation anywhere, anytime with the guidance of UCLA Mindful.
The app offers:
- Basic Meditations for getting started in 19 different languages
- Wellness Meditations for people suffering from challenging health conditions
- Informative videos exploring how to get started, supportive meditation postures, and the science of mindfulness
- Weekly Hammer Museum Podcasts and Drop-in Recordings -- 30 minute meditations on different themes you can search for and bookmark
- A timer to meditate on your own
| | Thank you for reading the Winter Edition of PMHP Quarterly! | | | | |
