The Orange County Department of Education hosted its second annual Mental Health Summit at the Hilton Orange County on Thursday, Aug. 22.
The daylong event, which aimed to broaden access to mental health resources for educators and other professionals, drew about 400 attendees — or twice as many as the previous year.
Funded by the Mental Health Student Services Act and the Student Behavioral Health Incentive Program through a partnership with CalOptima, the summit offered two distinct tracks tailored to the specific needs of school-based mental health professionals and district mental health leaders. Sessions for administrators included navigating mental health funding complexities and building effective support systems.
Mayu Iwatani, OCDE’s administrator of mental health and wellness, said the field continues to grow every year.
“Schools are starting to hire their own clinicians, social workers and more counselors,” she said.
So as the community grows, this gives them an opportunity to connect with each other and learn from each other on what they’re doing and implementing in their districts.”
Along with Iwatani, event organizers included OCDE Behavioral Intervention and Mental Health Coordinator Amy Becker and regional mental health coordinators Monique Rodriguez, Courtney Valdez and Sharmeen Mahmud.
“Together, this group orchestrated a summit that not only doubled its attendance from last year but also created the conditions to offer meaningful mental health resources at no cost to those who educate and support our students,” Orange County Superintendent Dr. Stefan Bean said.
Watch the brief video above, produced by OCDE’s Media Services team.