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Mental Health & Wellness Resources

2023-2024
🌿 Mindfulness doesn't demand much of your time – it's about seizing moments throughout your day to tune in to yourself and the world around you. 🌿
🌿 Welcome to Mindful March! 🌿 It's time to cultivate mindfulness in our daily lives. Let's take a moment to be intentional, present, and grateful each day. Whether it's through meditation, mindful movement, or simply pausing to breathe, let's embrace the power of mindfulness to bring more peace and clarity into our lives. Here's to a month filled with intention, focus, and inner peace.
🌟 It's Wellness Wednesday! Today's reminder: 'Be gentle with someone you feel inclined to criticize'—especially yourself. It's easy to fall into self-criticism but remember, kindness starts from within. 💖
 
🌟 Reminder: Make Uninterrupted Time for Loved Ones 🌟 
In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it's easy to lose sight of what truly matters. This week, let's prioritize carving out uninterrupted time for our loved ones.👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
🌟 It's Wellness Wednesday! 🌟
Let's embrace the spirit of Friendly February and spread positivity far and wide. Today's inspiration from Action for Happiness is: "Share something you find inspiring, helpful, or amusing." ✨ What brings you joy? Whether it's an inspiring quote, a helpful tip, or a hilarious meme. Together, let's create a ripple effect of positivity! Share your gems below, and let's make today brighter for everyone.
🌟 Welcome to another week of Friendly February! 🌈 This week, let's shift our focus to a powerful mantra: "Be Kind, Not Right." 💖 Small gestures of compassion and empathy can make a world of difference in someone else's day!
Embrace the spirit of Friendly February! This month is about meaningful connections and being the best friends we can be. Small acts of kindness create ripples, impacting more lives than we realize. Boost your happiness and spread positivity! Let's make February a month of warmth and friendship!
Communication is key to building and maintaining healthy, productive, fulfilling relationships. Healthy communication creates better relationships, helps people handle conflict, builds empathy, increases self-awareness, and builds trust.
Strong family ties, friendships, and community connections stand out as some of the biggest contributors to an individual's lifelong happiness. Foster healthy communication with the people in your life for a Happier January!
This January, we will be focusing on happiness and the importance of communication. Relationships have been shown to be a leading factor in determining human happiness, and healthy communication can keep those relationships strong. Good communication with our partners, children, peers, friends, family, and co-workers can all have an impact on the quality of those relationships and, thus, our quality of life. Check out the Action For Happiness Calendar of daily ideas for a Happier January!
Consider making a Wellness Checklist for Winter Recess. Encourage kids to think of activities that nourish their minds, get them outside to rejuvenate their well-being, or embrace the spirit of giving. Winter Recess begins Friday, December 22nd!
This season is a time for joy, gratitude, and togetherness, but it can also bring its fair share of stress. Be kind to yourself; consider simplifying celebrations for a more intentional and stress-free holiday.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, let's pause and spread a little extra warmth through small acts of kindness. Be generous—feed someone with food, love, time, or kindness! Embrace 'Do Good December' by giving the gift of time and attention. Shift your focus from material gifts to the precious treasures of moments. Generosity doesn't need a price tag; a listening ear, quality time with loved ones, or volunteering are gifts that truly last!
Welcome Do Good December! Let's create a ripple effect of positivity and make December a month of compassion and goodwill. Join us in spreading kindness whether through a small act of generosity, taking time to express gratitude to those who have made a positive impact on your life, or volunteering in the community. We can make the world a brighter place, one act of kindness at a time. 
New Ways November challenges us to embrace fresh perspectives and venture beyond the familiar. Despite the initial discomfort, our growth thrives on the small strides we make toward our aspirations. As we approach the Thanksgiving break, reflect on the paths you explored this month and contemplate the areas where you aspire to grow further.
Learning new skills requires time and practice, especially when learning from our mistakes. Consider asking yourself daily: “What is one small step I can take today towards reaching my goal?” Over time our small actions will add up to meaningful changes as we seek to learn and grow together.
November is all about celebrating New Ways! Trying new things helps us explore new interests. Consider trying a new food, a new workout, a new book, or a new route to work. A small change can lead to new outcomes. New Ways help us step outside our comfort zone to learn more about ourselves and others around us.

Optimism is measured by how you define events. You're halfway there if you can learn to define positive events in the following three ways:

  • Positive events occurred because of something you did.
  • Positive events are a sign of more good things to come.
  • Positive events are evidence that good things will happen in other areas of your life.
Today's Tip for Wellness: Practicing calming strategies and taking a few minutes daily to engage with self-care is essential.  Remember, taking care of yourself isn't selfish.
Care Solace is a complimentary and confidential service provided to students, staff, and families of FVSD, and it's available 24/7. Call or click for support in connecting you to mental health providers, (888)515-0595 caresolace.com/fvsdfamilies.
Today's Tip for Wellness: Practicing calming strategies and taking a few minutes daily to engage with self-care is essential.  Remember, taking care of yourself isn't selfish.
Welcome Optimistic October!  Don't be afraid to be a realistic optimist. See life as it is, but focus on the good.  An optimistic outlook makes people more resistant to stress and helps us be happier, more successful, and healthier. The best part about optimism is that anyone can learn how to do it.
2022-2023
 
 
Make time to do something playful! Celebrate the joys of summer: Watching a sunset, playing a sport, spending time in nature, trying new activities, or connecting with loved ones. May your summer break be filled with joy, laughter, and relaxation.
Wellness Wednesday Tip: Laugh often. Laughter is a powerful tool for practicing joy. Not only does it feel good, but it also has many health benefits, including reducing stress and boosting the immune system. Surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Whether it's your best friend or a coworker with a great sense of humor, spending time with funny people can be a great way to practice joy.
Today's Tip for Wellness: Feel the Joy that nature brings! Access to nature has also been found to improve sleep and reduce stress, increase happiness and reduce negative emotions, promote positive social interactions, and even help generate a sense of meaning to life.
Goodbye, Meaningful May, and Welcome Joyful June! Check out the Action For Happiness Calendar for ways to celebrate wellness every day of the month at https://actionforhappiness.org/
Wellness Wednesday Tip for Today: A sense of meaning and forward momentum helps keep us energized and hopeful. Look for meaning and purpose in everyday moments!
Meaning matters for happiness. People with a sense of purpose in life tend to experience more frequent and stronger positive emotions; feel more optimistic about the future; have greater life satisfaction; have higher psychological well-being; have more satisfying relationships; use their character strengths more, and feel better about themselves.
Friends, family, pets, work, volunteering, learning, hobbies, creative pursuits like making music or art, nature, faith – all give life meaning. People with a sense of meaning in life also report feeling happier, more satisfied with their lives, less depressed and anxious, and more satisfied with their jobs. Let's help each other find a way to make meaning in everyday things.
Welcome to Meaningful May and Mental Health Awareness Month! The focus of this month is to be part of something bigger. Meaning matters for a fulfilling and happy life. We all matter and can make a difference to do something bigger, beyond ourselves.
Wellness Wednesday Tip: Rest is fundamental to success, health, and happiness. There are many distractions in this digital world, and something (or someone) always requires your attention. No matter what your schedule or task list may look like, resting and unplugging is vital to your long-term health.
Wellness Wednesday Tip: Do what you love. Almost any form of exercise or movement can increase your fitness level while decreasing your stress. The most important thing is to pick an activity that you enjoy.
Wellness Wednesday Tip: Take Time to Talk about Transitions.  The end of the school year can be a nervous time for students, especially those who will be making a major transition into elementary school, middle school, high school, or college in the fall. Start the conversation now about that next beginning.
Wellness Wednesday Tip: Switch up your route, and you can literally bulk up your brain — specifically your hippocampus. This is the area thought to be the center of emotion and memory. A bulked-up hippocampus can help protect your memory and mental sharpness — and this has benefits that extend to many parts of your day.
When we practice present-moment awareness, we can savor each moment, make time feel like it’s passing slower, and get in touch with the fundamental wonder of being alive.
This week's wellness focus:  Stop, Breathe, Notice, Repeat Regularly. Both breathing and grounding skills help to control the symptoms of stress, anxiety and anger.  The best part; these skills are easy to learn! Practice with Star Breathing or visit the Mental Health and Wellness Resources on our FVSD website for this week's Wellness Wednesday Newsletter with videos and articles on grounding skills.
This week's wellness focus: mindful eating. Mindful eating means being fully attentive to your food — as you buy, prepare, serve, and consume it. Take time to appreciate your food's taste, texture, and smell and the companions you're eating it with.
Welcome, Mindful March! This week's focus: Acceptance. Be comfortable with who you are. No one is perfect, yet we often expect ourselves to be! When we learn to accept ourselves, we will likely be happier and better at learning and growing!
Today's tip for wellness: Tell a loved one or friend why they are special to you.
This week we are talking about mindfulness strategies. “Cool the pizza” is a breathing exercise that will help your child become more aware of their bodily sensations. Tell them to breathe in through their nose like they're smelling a piece of pizza. Then, tell them to blow out through their mouth, like they're cooling the piece of hot pizza. Practice this often when your child is calm, then remind them to "Cool the pizza" when things heat up.
Happy Wellness Wednesday. It's National School Counseling Week and we want to take a minute to thank our school counselors for all they do to assist our students in achieving success, personal/social development, and career readiness. FVSD Counselors, we appreciate you!
 
Welcome to Friendly February! We need each other more than ever right now! This month let's focus on reaching out to connect with others and doing our best to be a good friend.
When it comes to happiness, teenagers who get a small amount of exposure to screen time, between one and five hours a week, are happier than those who get none. The least happy ones were those who used screens for 20 or more hours a week.  Try these tips for a social media detox.
When it comes to happiness, it is important to highlight the joy we feel when we connect with one another. Take time to slow down from hectic schedules for a happier January!
Welcome to Happier January! This month, we're encouraging everyone to focus on small steps to boost happiness - for ourselves and others around us - to spread kindness and hopefully inspire others to do the same.
 
Wellness Wednesday Archives
Below are some resources provided by FVSD's Support Services team of School Counselors and School Psychologists, which may be helpful for students and families.
 
 
Coping with Stress
 
FVSD Resources
 
Care Solace Support 
CareSolace is an online resource meant to assist individuals with finding local counseling-related services.  To use CareSolace, individuals answer ten basic questions in order to receive an extensive list of referrals to applicable care providers.
 
CareSolace takes into account all types of private insurance, as well as Medi-Cal, Medicaid, and Medicare when generating lists of referrals.  If uninsured, CareSolace will also identify nearby care providers that allow individuals to pay out-of-pocket for services.  CareSolace is available for use by FVSD students, families, and staff at no cost.  Please note that this service is an optional resource available by choice and is not mandatory in any way.  CareSolace does not require a user's name, address, phone number, or date of birth. Please use this link to reach out to CareSolace.
 
Middle School Counselors
FVSD Middle School Counselors are available to provide students with academic, social/emotional, and college and career support.  Contact your Middle School Counselor via email by clicking on their name below:
 
 
Middle School Guidance Techs
FVSD Middle School Guidance Techs are available to provide students with support in the areas of attendance, academic and organizational support, as well as homework completion.
 
If immediate assistance is needed, do not wait for a response from these FVSD resources. For emergencies, call 9-1-1. Also, see the following emergency resources below.
 
Community Health Partners
As a reminder, please access your regular mental health care provider for support.  If you have private insurance, consider calling your carrier for a referral list that matches your child's needs.
 
For those that are seeking alternatives, the following online therapy options are available:
 
 
The above list is not a comprehensive list of providers in Orange County and is not a formal referral from FVSD.  Please use discretion in selecting a mental health provider.  Click on the link for additional community support and resources.
 
Emergency Resources
  • Fountain Valley Police Department: 714-593-4485 (non-emergency line)
  • Huntington Beach Police Department: 714-960-8811 (non-emergency line)
  • OC Links: 855-625-4657
  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or dial 988
  • Crisis Assessment Team (mobile county team): 866-830-6011
  • California Youth Crisis Line: 1-800-843-5200
  • Crisis Text Line: text START to 741741
  • Didi Hirsch Mental Health 24-hour Crisis Line: 1-877-727-4747
  • Deaf or Hard of Hearing Text Support: text HEARME to 839863
 
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
SAMHSA's Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress during natural or human-caused disasters.  This national hotline is dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress.  The toll-free, multi-lingual, and confidential crisis support service is available to all residents in the United States and its territories.  Stress, anxiety, and other depression-like symptoms are common reactions after a disaster.  Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
 
Mental Health Resources Available through Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC)
Children's Hospital of Orange County is an excellent source of information about how best to support the mental health of children during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Informational resources provided by CHOC include multiple online articles, blogs, and webinars accessible through these links:
 
 
Additional resources provided by CHOC include: