The Crestwood Wellness and Recovery Center in Redding has incorporated an additional and powerful therapeutic tool in their dynamic recovery program known as Motivational Interviewing.  Motivational Interviewing is a person-centered therapeutic approach using a process that is infused with collaboration and personal choices and honors the person’s autonomy and self-direction. There are five principles to Motivational Interviewing, which includes developing empathy to elicit engagement; identifying discrepancy between where the person is not and where they want to be; avoiding conflict while passively rolling along with any perceived resistance; avoiding the development of counter positions between client and staff; and supporting the client’s belief in their own abilities to build self-worth. John Dalton, the facility’s Wellness and Recovery Director, explained, “Almost instantly after beginning the use of Motivational Interviewing, I noticed the clients being less resistive and more communicative.  We were able to elicit new information from each of the clients and there was the development of enhanced therapeutic relationships as clients and staff worked together toward each client’s self-identified goal.” Many of the clients involved with the Motivational Interviewing therapy stated that they felt in greater control of their own recovery, and that the staff working with them truly heard what they had been trying to say to others for years. The facility staff who have utilized the Motivational Interviewing technique also identified that it creates a collaborative conversation that leads to tremendous growth, empowerment, and healing.  By using the client’s own goals, beliefs, abilities, and reasoning, clients were less likely to resist the process of making positive changes in their lives.  The key to the therapy is the process of asking, listening, and informing the client in a reflective manner what was said during the conversation.  This interactive role between the clients and staff, which is grounded in the understanding of the importance of the clients’ perceptions and desires, has led to multiple success stories. One of their clients said, “I never knew that I possessed the ability to change my life in such a profound way.  My Service Coordinator helped me to hear my own voice, and then cheered me on as I began to make the changes in my life that I wanted to change.” Motivational Interviewing is just one of many tools that can be used in the recovery journey.  Yet, for many, it is that unique inner voice that once identified, heard, and acknowledged, can then be nourished, cultivated, and supported to help clients make self-empowered changes toward health and stability.

Most of us have suffered some degree of trauma during our lifetime.  A glimpse at human history shows us that we live in a traumatized world.   Since trauma is not fully acknowledged as a universal experience that requires continued attention, in many cases, it perpetuates.  It is crucial to recognize our unaddressed trauma because a high degree of stress does not merely cause discomfort, it disturbs us physiologically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.   We begin to operate from the part of the brain directing survival instincts rather than from an integrated, whole-brain perspective. The question of how best to heal trauma is a complex issue.   The Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) program, led by Carolyn Yoder, helps to clearly outline the causes, types, effects, obstacles, needs of trauma, as well as breaking the cycle of trauma.  “Unaddressed traumas affect not only those directly traumatized, but their families and future generations,” says Carolyn Yoder. These are all valuable concepts to consider and/or revisit for people who work in the mental health field.  It is also beneficial for our personal healing.  The more importance that is placed on self-awareness and growth, the greater amount of internal resources can be found to handle triggering events and unresolved pain.  Our capacities expand, building a repertoire of emotionally-intelligent responses to pain rather than dissociating or denying our trauma.  Conversely, if our society were to fully recognize its trauma, we would be less likely to place labels on the already wounded.  This would not only bring more awareness toward how trauma is treated, but would instill more compassion towards the traumatized. Breaking the cycle of trauma requires fortitude and courage.   It begins with the acknowledgement of the traumatic incident(s). The process of self-inquiry, grieving and honestly identifying fears is deeply transformative.  As Yoder states, “it unfreezes the body, mind and spirit so that we can think creatively, feel fully, and move forward again.” Trauma healing is about transformation.  Through personal reflection, we can break our own cycles.   By creating our own personal healing practice, we move a little closer to a society that endeavors to do the same. At Crestwood, we take a trauma-informed approach to care that includes being aware that the majority of our clients experience trauma and that the trauma then becomes the lens through which they view and experience the world.  The initial trauma-informed care training Crestwood received came through a SAMHSA grant. It has impacted the design of our programs in the environmental planning with comfort rooms, a library area and a Serenity Room.  The training included an introduction to trauma-informed care services and an overview of creating a trauma-informed care service model for our programs. We are continuing to work with trauma consultants, such as Raul Almazar, from Almazar Consulting & Senior Consultant to the National Center for Trauma

Crestwood Behavioral Health, Inc. started a big growth spurt in the spring of 2014 from Solano to San Diego. That year we opened two new distinct programs, with some exciting and significant outcomes and contributions. In April 2014, we opened our sixth Psychiatric Health Facility (PHF) at our Solano campus and in June, we opened our seventh Mental Health Rehabilitation Center (MHRC) on our first campus in San Diego. These programs are very different, but serve the same type of clients at different points in their recovery. The PHF is a soft place to land for clients who need to stabilize during a time of crisis. The MHRC is a gentle, homelike space conducive for clients to transition back into the community. The commonality between both programs is that they share the best of all of the research and practices that Crestwood has used in space conversion and intentional space utilization such as the welcoming room, comfort room, serenity room, living room, dining room and library The welcoming rooms are dedicated to the ritual of welcoming which is based on the research and information shared by Bruce Anderson of Community Activators. It also reflects the principles of Crestwood’s First Impression program. The welcoming ritual is our way of greeting the new client when they come through our doors. This initial engagement in our welcoming room is frequently one of the most important moments in treatment. The welcoming room has comfortable furniture, fruit and snacks and a quiet, peaceful environment for the client to be welcomed into our facility. The assessment process is also part of our welcoming ritual. We use a conversation approach for the assessment and we utilize the CARF-accredited Primary Assessment that is designed to be a narrative discussion with the client. This has been an effective tool in initiating the relationship with the client, setting them at ease and garnering the most accurate and authentic information. Crestwood’s comfort rooms provide clients with a calming place to be. We designed our comfort rooms based on extensive literature review, visits to calming and comfort rooms in New York State, attendance at conferences and interviews with experts in the field.  Our comfort rooms are used as a tool to teach individuals calming techniques in order to decrease agitation and aggressive behavior. The goal for clients in using the comfort room is to develop practical skills that can be used in inpatient settings and after being discharged from care. Our serenity rooms are based on research from a New York State grant on Positive Alternatives to Restraint and Seclusion (PARS) and serve a dual purpose. The first is to provide a space that is calming and self-regulating for clients to be in that then reduces the likelihood of coercive treatment. The secondary purpose is to honor the spiritual growth of each client by creating a sacred space designed to support them on enriching their spiritual journey. Our serenity rooms are dedicated to support the internal growth and opportunity for contemplation, meditation and introspection. The living rooms in our programs are designed to be an environment that is specifically for the community to congregate and visit. It is based on the promising practice in the Living Room model from Recovery Innovations. The space is less clinical and is as homelike as possible. The colors are comforting and the furnishings are aesthetically pleasing.  This room can be used for community meetings and occasionally for groups and staff interactions. It is a place where people are treated with respect, have choices and feel safe.  The other elements of the Living Room model that are in place include peer providers, Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), inclusion and comfort. This model is closely aligned with the full-array of trauma-informed care approaches that we employ. Our library space is designed to provide another indoor space to be used by and for the clients.  This space has resources including self-help books, meditation books and books for leisure. The space is light and open at all times for clients to use. Crestwood’s dining rooms support our wellness initiative which includes healthy heart diets and exercise. This room is also used for recreation activities, movies, arts and crafts, games and therapeutic groups. One room that we don’t have in the programs are the restraint and seclusion rooms.  Crestwood has an initiative to eliminate the use of restraint and seclusion so we have created a trend of decreased restraints and a greater understanding and awareness of the issues surrounding their use.  In 2011, Crestwood received a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to attend the Effective Use of Peer Programs to Prevent the Use of Seclusion and Restraints Conference in Boston. Crestwood was recognized at that training as one of the leaders nationally on reducing seclusion and restraint throughout our organization. Our level of seclusion and restraint for similar programs was one-fifth the national average according to SAMHSA consultants. Crestwood incorporates trauma-informed approaches into each program, as well as using WRAP principles and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) assumptions to create antecedent plans for clients and staff. As a result of creating these types of innovative spaces in our programs, Crestwood has been recognized by SAMHSA for the effective use of space and the positive effect it has on each client’s outcomes. All of these spaces are designed to provide our clients with the best environment possible to support their recovery.

Crestwood Behavioral Health’s whole person approach to healing, wellness, recovery and resiliency includes a focus on enhancing or developing a meaningful role in one’s daily life. As psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl, observed, “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.” Research in positive psychology has found that a meaningful role can lead to a positive attitude, increased happiness, sense of belonging, sense of purpose, increased self-worth and promotes self-accountability. At Crestwood we embrace the need for meaningful roles and it is one of our four Pillars of Recovery that also includes Hope, Empowerment, and Spirituality. It is defined as positive identities within the places we live, learn, work and socialize, which creates a sense of purpose and value. Crestwood’s healing and resiliency-building campuses promote this in many ways. The people we serve contribute daily to our campuses, including co-creating schedules of activities, participating in the functions of the day and educating staff, either through co-presenting at staff education meetings or participating in change of shifts. Meaningful roles also come from those we are in a relationship with. Our clients are recognized and valued for their relationships as a roommate, parent, child and community member. As a community member, our clients contribute in positive ways such as volunteering at local homeless shelters or animal rescue groups. Clients often also take on the role of teacher or mentor as they come together to support their fellow residents in their healing. Our Crestwood campuses also provide opportunities for meaningful roles through shared group activities such as art shows and sporting events like the Crestwood Olympics, where more than seven campuses get together for fun and friendly competition. At Crestwood, opportunities for meaningful roles for our clients do not stop at their discharge. Clients are supported in their recovery and wellness journey by being given the chance to come back and contribute through sharing their personal experiences of recovery at our campuses, volunteering in our communities or continuing with a job they achieved through Dreamcatchers Empowerment Network. Patty Blum, Crestwood Executive Vice President, says, “Supporting and encouraging meaningful roles at our campuses helps to provide our clients with a connection to their values, ethics and higher selves. All of these responsibilities -great or small- give their daily existence purpose, and as such, become their meaningful roles.” Contributed by: Cindy Mataraso, Director of Operations Crestwood Sacramento Home Office

Alternative therapeutic approaches have been used to treat a variety of medical and psychiatric issues.   It is often found that an unbalanced physiological system can negatively affect a psychological system, producing symptoms of pain, stress, and nervousness, which can then worsen an existing disease. As more evidence becomes available through scientific research, it appears that stabilizing a person’s physical state, leads to improving their mental state and overall well-being. With this concept in mind, Crestwood Wellness & Recovery Center in Redding decided to conduct an assessment and analysis of their clients and found that many of their clients possessed muscular skeletal complaints that they claimed affected their mood and psychiatric condition. To address this need, the facility’s treatment team decided to incorporate a chiropractic approach to help their clients. The treatment team contacted Dr. Ronald Henninger, a local chiropractor, to begin the process of treating their clients. This new chiropractic approach is in addition to the existing modalities used in their clients’ wellness plans and with the intention of offering enhanced treatment from a greater holistic perspective. Dr. Henninger has a passion for treating people with physical and psychological issues and said, “Working with these clients is rewarding and fulfilling, they are truly special and wonderful people.” The response from the clients has been overwhelmingly positive to this chiropractic program.  One female client, who has utilized a wheelchair for many years, said that after her first few chiropractic adjustments, “I can now sit up much straighter and my back doesn’t hurt. I feel so much happier.” The staff also reports a male client who often mumbled and was hard to hear, is now speaking much louder and with greater clarity after receiving chiropractic treatment from Dr. Henninger. The holistic approach of using chiropractic medicine, in addition to traditional mental health tools, appears to be beneficial in treating clients with both physical and psychological symptoms. Once again, Crestwood continues to lead the way with innovative approaches in mental healthcare and helping to inspire others toward success.

We experience many changes in life. Change can often be frightening, daunting and it can cause anxiety and resistance.  There are seasonal changes, economic changes and personal changes for each of us. The definition of change includes the act or process of making or becoming different and to undergo transformation. What we do know about change is that it is inevitable. Change is the only constant in life, it is the one thing we can count on, and it can be an incredible opportunity for growth. Crestwood Behavioral Health Inc. has change as one of our primary goals in providing mental health recovery services. In the world of mental health recovery, change is the goal as a person moves through the recovery process.  Change allows a person to learn new behaviors, to let go of characteristics that are no longer needed and to replace them with more beneficial ones. It can be as simple as learning to take a bus or as dramatic as letting go of fear and replacing it with trust.  It can be learning to let go of regret and replacing it with gratitude and learning to let go of selfishness and replacing it with kindness and love. It is through change that people learn to live independent lives and to support each other and themselves. So as we face change, remember that it is an opportunity to stand and take that next step forward and it is in this movement that we will continue to grow and thrive.

Crestwood Behavioral Health, Inc. is an organization that is built by and for people desiring to make a change in the world by creating a continuum of services that empower our clients to live and succeed in their communities. As an organization, we lead the mental health community by example. As individuals, we lead our community of staff, clients, peers, families, business partners, county stakeholders, faith communities, schools and neighbors by example. Our greatest resource at Crestwood is our human resource. The humanity in human resources is the gift Crestwood brings to this field. The humanity in Crestwood leadership is the cornerstone in the framework of service to others. We exemplify the eight dimensions of servant leadership-listening, empathy, healing, mindfulness, stewardship, growth, and community building, all of which are clearly aligned with our Crestwood values of family, character, flexibility, commitment, enthusiasm compassion, and collaboration. Our values are also linked with our recovery pillars of hope, empowerment, meaningful roles and spirituality. These values, pillars, and dimensions become the lens from which we lead, drive the work we do every day and what we use to develop new leaders from within our Crestwood family. Our staff members embody these values and they serve as the foundation for the programs and services we provide. It is the responsibility of each of our campus Administrators and leadership teams to uphold these values on a daily basis, in all aspects of their positions and roles. Our Administrators are expected to lead, manage, supervise and demonstrate a wide- array of skills and abilities on a day-to-day basis. Crestwood is a learning community. It is expected that a person in leadership will be trained, oriented, coached, developed and recognized in all areas of their roles. In order to support and grow servant leaders in our organization, we have created a leadership training curriculum and a full mentorship program. Crestwood’s mentorship program process starts with a robust orientation and onboarding that welcomes our new Crestwood family members. The orientation is designed to create an inviting and compassionate community of employees who care for themselves, each other, and the clients and stakeholders we serve. Orientation is infused with tools for engagement and culturally relevant adult learning methods. After orientation, mentorship continues for our employees with our Crestwood Academy. Through our Crestwood Academy we engage employees through coaching on the fly, in-services, trainings, workshops, conferences, webinars, environmental practices, demonstrations, mastery of skills and competency building opportunities. Throughout this process, our employees are encouraged to look for ways to achieve their goals, to reach their aspirations, as well as to advance their careers at Crestwood in their field of choice. Our employees are given the opportunity to achieve advanced degrees, licenses and certifications through our Crestwood Scholarship Program. Advancing leaders may also engage in our succession planning process, where management and leadership team members, including Administrators, identify possible new candidates for leadership positions. Our succession planning at Crestwood involves developing our servant leaders, in all departments, through our comprehensive values-driven mentorship program. Although the mentorship has training, homework, and benchmarks for success, the cornerstone of this program is the relationship built among leaders – a relationship built on honesty, collaboration, compassion, transparency, integrity and love. Crestwood proudly achieved the rare CARF Exemplary Conformance to the Standards for our leadership succession planning process and mentoring to identify future potential leaders in our organization and then providing them with training, education and support to prepare them for these roles. At Crestwood we are determined and motivated to continue to lead, inspire and keep the humanity in everything we do as we develop our next group of leaders that will take us well into the future and will continue to make a difference in the world we live in. Contributed by: Patricia Blum, PhD Executive Vice President

Imagine a group of people sitting in a circle coming together for a unified purpose, to celebrate the graduation of one of their own. The graduating peer excitedly sits in the middle of the group, with a huge smile on their face, because their day has finally come; they’ve made it to graduation! A beautiful rock has been painted and tailored specifically for that person. The rock is passed around the circle into the hands of all those in attendance, as they share their memories and best wishes for the graduate. Within that rock all the good thoughts are wrapped up into it and then given to the graduate. At Crestwood Chula Vista, they started a tradition to honor their graduates. When faced with their first successful graduation in December 2015, they wanted to start a special and unique tradition, so they gathered together the people they serve and asked how they would like to celebrate their graduation. Many of them offered insightful and valuable input and all these great ideas were then considered by the community. When all was said and done, the most popular idea for a graduation ceremony came from one of their dearest residents, who has since graduated, to start a goodbye group with a “good memories” rock. The good memories rock, which is decorated according to the desire of its future owner, is passed around from person to person in a circle that surrounds the person who will soon be leaving the campus. Each person who holds the rock is then asked to speak, sharing kind words, dear memories and warm wishes to the graduate. And so, the tradition for their peer goodbye group was created and continues to this day. For the last goodbye, right before the graduate is completely discharged, they go through what is called their “High-Five Goodbye.” Clients and staff line the sides of the hallway leading to the exit with extended hands and then whistle, cheer and chant the graduate’s name. The graduate walks down the hallway, usually with a huge smile, and receives high-fives, and sometimes hugs. Some cry, some laugh, and some shout. The one thing they all have in common is their excitement to move onto the next chapter of their lives and recovery; they’ve made it! This tradition has carried over to not just client graduations, but also when their staff move on from Crestwood or are promoted to other campuses. Wanda Anderson, Service Coordinator at Crestwood Chula Vista, said, “Goodbye groups provide closure for staff and the people we serve and are a wonderful opportunity to give honor to those who so deserve it. We love our special tradition and if your campus does not have a tradition to honor your graduates, we hope that this may inspire you to start one of your own.” Submitted by: Wanda Anderson, Service Coordinator and Shanel Stec, Activity Coordinator, Crestwood Chula Vista

Crestwood San Diego Honored at the 31st Behavioral Health Recognition Dinner On the night of June 9th, staff from Crestwood San Diego, Crestwood Chula Vista and the Crestwood Home Office, gathered at the San Diego Mission Valley Marriott to attend the 31st Annual Behavioral Health Recognition Dinner. The Behavioral Health Recognition Dinner is a chance to celebrate and recognize individuals and groups who provide outstanding service in San Diego County’s behavioral health field. Behavioral health and substance abuse programs are invited to submit nominations for any of the 12 categories of community awards.  At this year’s event, Crestwood San Diego was the proud and humble recipient of three awards - Support Person of the Year, Clinician of the Year and 24-Hour Facility of the Year! Frank Chargualaf, who is the Transportation Coordinator at Crestwood San Diego, was awarded Support Person of the Year. Frank’s incredible passion and dedication to connecting clients to needed medical appointments helped him win this award.  He has assisted so many clients to overcome obstacles with their insurance, California IDs, Social Security cards and pre-authorizations so that they may connect to their needed medical appointments in the community. “Frank has enhanced so many lives by improving their health and wellness and we are so proud of him,” said Robyn Ramsey, Administrator at Crestwood San Diego. Clinician of the Year was awarded to Dr. Krauz Ganadjian. Dr. Ganadjian is the Psychiatrist and Medical Director at both Crestwood Chula Vista and Crestwood San Diego. Robyn said, “Dr. Ganadjian honors the Crestwood values and has a compassionate treatment approach, as well as the flexibility to work with the team and clients to develop individualized plans to best help each client.  We are so grateful for the wonderful working relationship we have with Dr. Ganadjian!” And finally Crestwood San Diego took home the big award of 24-Hour Facility of the Year! Crestwood San Diego has only been open for three years, but has become a key part of the continuum of care in San Diego County.  Their stakeholders and clients have embraced and appreciated what makes their campus special such as compassionate care, a warm and homelike environment, WRAP, DBT, Dreamcatchers Empowerment Network, Zumba, Yoga and more. Janet Vlavianos, Crestwood’s Director of Development and Corporate Initiatives, accepted the award on behalf of Crestwood San Diego. Joining her on stage was Crestwood San Diego’s first program graduate, Julie, who has also been employed at the campus for two years. She made a powerful speech to a room with more than 650 attendees and truly portrayed what Crestwood stands for and honors. Congratulations Crestwood San Diego, Frank Chargualaf and Dr. Krauz Ganadjian for receiving the recognition you all deserve for the incredible work you do every day for our clients that makes it possible for them to succeed in their recovery. Contributed by: Robyn Ramsey, Administrator, Crestwood San Diego

For decades we have been studying stigma in mental health from the research of Irving Goffman in Asylums in the early 1950’s, to the more recent work of Patrick Corrigan’s Don’t Call me Nuts and Robert Whitaker’s Mad in America . Today we continue to study stigma as evidenced in the recent 2015 research by Patricia A. Carlisle’s, Mental Health Stigma: How to overcome mental health stigma in America . So we have to ask where we are as a society in terms of stigma, fear and mental health. What have we accomplished? Have we made any progress or changed attitudes? Have we created inclusion for our friends and family with mental health issues? Have we shifted beliefs? Are we any closer to creating an environment where teenagers can tell their parents or friends about their voices? Can a 20-year old let a college know they are taking a semester off to go into a behavioral health program? Can a 32-year old nurse ask for accommodation because they are experiencing severe symptoms of bipolar type 2 and still be eligible for a promotion? Can we bring a behavioral health program to a vacant community hospital, bringing 50 to 200 jobs to that small town and be welcomed, rather than attacked? Sadly, in 2017, the answer to these questions is still no. So the mandate today, more than ever, is to wage war on mental health discrimination, stereotypes, stigmatizing images and inflammatory media coverage, national leaders who ridicule and mock, shaming language, intolerance and hatred. It is fear that stops people from telling someone they are experiencing a mental health crisis. It is fear that prevents people from getting help. It is fear that stops parents from getting treatment for their children. It is fear that creates the environment where a community feels vindicated in fighting mental health services coming to their community. This fear and hatred is the stigma that people who have mental health issues live with every day. Stigma is more debilitating than the diagnosis or symptoms. It is a dark shadow hanging over you. It is the barrier to accessibility. It is the barrier to friendships and relationships. It is the barrier to finishing a degree, pursuing a career or even working at all. It is the barrier to recovery. It keeps you sick and disabled if you let it and if our society accepts it. Today we must speak up, make political choices, and fight legal battles to impact this fear and hate of mental health issues. During a recent California land use legal battle, an 85-year old mother, who is a leader in NAMI, closed the public comment section in the meeting with the following statement, “There are two four-letter words - FEAR and HOPE. You choose.” Fighting stigma, fighting fear, fighting hate and discrimination is a battle to be fought by everyone. We must make it our battle and we must win. We must join with the California Institute for Behavioral Health Solutions (CIBHS) and other national movements such as Stamp Out Stigma, NAMI, and Each Mind Matters to fight and eliminate stigma in our services, families, communities and our world. Until the stigma and fear that surrounds mental health has been eliminated, the world will be a darker place, making it more difficult for people to get the help they need and deserve. As former President Bill Clinton said, “Mental health issues are nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all.” Contributed by: Patricia Blum, PhD Executive Vice President

The evening of Sunday, October 8th in Napa County started out for many of us as a calm night, watching football, enjoying the return of loved ones from trips away and a night to prepare for the next work day. Later that night, with very little warning, the weather took a horrific turn, with winds that tore through the area at 70 miles per hour. And with the winds, came deadly fast-moving fires that became infernos almost instantly. Shortly after 1:00 am on that Monday morning, many of us were awoken to the notification sound on our cell phones, alerting us that a Nixle alert had been received. Then our phones became this continuous beeping of alerts notifying us of the fires and evacuations. The notifications were so widespread, it was hard to comprehend what was occurring. Multiple fires were being reported in Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties. The winds were so strong that it fueled the fires faster than anyone had anticipated. People were forced to flee from their homes with very little warning and had to leave everything they had behind. Sadly, not everyone was able to evacuate in time and some people perished in the fires. Our Crestwood Leadership Team moved into a heightened state, first assuring those we know, love and are responsible for, that they are safe. Then as leaders, we moved into a place of support and compassion for our staff and clients, to ensure that they and our campuses were safe, and that we were addressing the needs of everyone that needed help. For many of our Angwin staff these fires triggered prior trauma, as they had already been through the Rocky, Jerusalem, Valley and Clayton fires that had caused significant destruction in 2016 and 2017. Those staff now became the fire veterans to support the staff that were now experiencing firsthand the fear and the power of destruction that fires can do. Many of them were evacuated or had family and friends that were evacuated. Their concern then turned to the possibility of evacuating our Napa Valley 52-bed campus, which thankfully did not happen. In the days that followed it was amazing to see the outpouring of support from staff from other campuses who offered assistance in the form of vans, evacuation sites, masks, emergency phone supports, donuts, hugs, prayers, and just a “How are you and how can I help.” To those of you who were visibly present and those sending silent prayers and good wishes, we all thank you! As the fires were contained and people were let back into their homes or learned that their homes had been destroyed, our Crestwood staff rallied around everyone with love and support. We have learned so much from this experience and we will take those lessons forward to help us in our development of our next emergency preparedness plans. One thing that I know is we will never be the same. When you experience the fear, the lack of any control and the absolute love and compassion of people, you are changed. It is an appropriate time to again reflect on our mission and values as an organization. They were created to help guide our organization. They are the foundation of who we are, not only as a business, but at the core of who we are as people. I am so proud to work for an organization where I was blessed to experience those values from people when we needed it the most! To all who have suffered loss or pain in the Northern and Southern California fires, our prayers of support are with you and your families.   Contributed by: Pam Norris, Director of Operations

At Crestwood Chula Vista, we celebrate our spirituality. We strive to create an open and free environment for all clients and staff to embrace their spiritual beliefs and practices and who identify with various faiths such as Islam, Catholicism, Christianity, and Judaism. We also have those who consider themselves agnostic or atheist. We do not judge anyone for what they choose to believe and how they choose to express those beliefs. When people think of spirituality they may automatically think about a certain religion, but spirituality is so much more than that! Spirituality is one of our Pillars of Recovery at Crestwood and we define it as a connection to a greater power, others and self and a way to find meaning, hope, comfort and inner peace in life. Spirituality is a lifestyle, and for many, it is the very core of who they are as individuals. We live in a multicultural society and we are surrounded by an array of religions and spiritual practices. Our world is rich in culture and that is a beautiful asset to healthy living. Each week I have the wonderful privilege of facilitating our spirituality groups with our clients. We have created learning and hands-on experiences with each culture, belief and spirituality practice we’ve studied. We devote an entire month to a specific faith/spirituality practice and we post flyers throughout the campus announcing that month’s spirituality group and topic. For example, last July, we focused on Judaism and we went through a PowerPoint presentation that laid out its foundation. The next week we learned about the Israeli flag and painted that flag as we listened to Israeli music. For our next group meeting we watched a documentary on Judaism, which our clients absolutely loved! The final group was centered on what Challah bread means to the Israeli people and learned about Shabbat and ate Challah bread together. During August, we studied Islam. One of our clients is from Afghanistan and since Afghanistan is an Islamic country, we chose to focus on his home country. Our first week started out with a PowerPoint presentation that helped clients and our staff learn the fundamentals of Islam. The following week we learned about the significance of the Afghan flag as we all painted it. We also painted mosques as we learned about the roles they play in Islam. The next week, I read to the clients from the Quran as they completed Islamic word searches. They really enjoyed hearing the words of the Quran, which for many of them, was the first time. For our last group session that month, we gathered in the recreation room and watched an excellent documentary on the Islamic faith and spiritual practices. When choosing the topics for each month we invite the clients to select what they would like to focus on. For the month of September, they requested that we learn more about Christianity; for October, the clients asked to discover the treasures of Buddhism; and in November, they asked to learn about the traditions of Catholicism. At the end of each group, I like to ask clients what their golden nuggets are of what they have learned and what they will take with them. Each week I am amazed at the insightful answers that they share with the group and it is wonderful to see they truly are enjoying this experience. I am so blessed to have the support and encouragement from our leadership team to fully engage our staff and clients in our spirituality groups. As Billy Corgan, the musician with Smashing Pumpkins, said, “I think a spiritual journey is not so much a journey of discovery. It’s a journey of recovery. It’s a journey of uncovering your own inner nature. It’s already there.”   Contributed by: Wanda Anderson, Service Coordinator Crestwood Chula Vista