Counseling in Santa Monica, CA. Find the Right Therapist.

Related Sites:
City Of Santa Monica
California Board of Behavioral Sciences

Therapist Santa Monica California

Counselor Santa Monica Canyon, Las Flores, Ocean Park, Sawtelle, Home Junction, Alsace, Marina Del Ray, Wilshire

Santa Monica is a famous resort town in western Los Angeles County, California. Although Santa Monica has fewer than 90,000 residents, it is bordered on three sides by the city of Los Angeles, so Santa Monica citizens have easy access to all the amenities offered by the big city. Families will enjoy a trip to the Santa Monica Pier, which includes the famous Santa Monica Looff Hippodrome carousel. For those who like to shop, the city's three distinct shopping areas - Main Street, Montana Avenue, and the Downtown District - offer hundreds of varying shopping opportunities.¹

Mental Health in Santa Monica

Although homelessness is a major issue for communities throughout the greater Los Angeles area, homeless individuals in Santa Monica are more chronically homeless, are older, are more often women, and have more mental health issues than individuals without homes in other areas of Los Angeles County. On any given day in Santa Monica, somewhere between 2,300 and 3,000 people are without a permanent residence, far more than local shelters can accommodate.² As a result, many of Santa Monica's residents do not get the social services and mental health care they need.

Resources for individuals that live with a mental illness are available for free from the Los Angeles chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). A key component of the resources provided by NAMI are peer-to-peer education classes. The ten-week class is taught by three trained facilitators who have personal experience living with a mental illness. Participants in the program get a host of resources, including a relapse prevention plan they can use to identify thoughts, feelings and behaviors that may warn of an impending mental health issue. The class also engages students in mindfulness exercises to help with calmness and focused thinking. More information about NAMI's programs is available by calling 310-889-7200.³

Current Initiatives

Families with gifted children can take advantage of the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program offered by the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. The GATE program offers advanced educational experiences for children who demonstrate exceptional intellectual abilities. While gifted students engage in the regular curriculum, differentiated instruction offers them enhanced opportunities for scholastic pursuits. Additionally, the school district provides resources for parents of gifted children, including tips to help with homework. For further information about the GATE program, contact your child's school.⁴

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References

1. Wikipedia. (2017). Santa Monica, California. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Monica_California.
2. Ocean Park Community Center. (2017). Santa Monica Homelessness. Retrieved from http://www.opcc.net/tabid/255/Default.aspx.
3. National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2016). Peer-to-Peer Classes. Retrieved from http://www.namila.org/free-programs/peer-to-peer-classes/.
4. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. (2017). Gifted and Talented Education Program. Retrieved from http://www.smmusd.org/edservices/GATE/GATEPlan.html.

Santa Monica is located in Los Angeles County, California. It has a land area of 8.41 square miles and a water area of 0.00 square miles.  The population of Santa Monica is 93,220 people with 46,688 households and a median annual income of $76,580. .

Therapy Affordability Meter for Santa Monica, CA

Mostly Affordable

Establishing weekly sessions with a professional therapist is considered affordable in Santa Monica for the average family. While sustaining a commitment to therapy is usually not an issue, if mental health treatment feels like a burden please ask your counselor about accepted insurance plans or sliding scale fees. Low cost counseling and affordable therapy are also sometimes offered by listed city and university level clinics, check with your local Santa Monica public health department.