Community Partners

We can’t do our work alone! Since 1947, we’ve made forming a strong community network a priority. Together, with the organizations listed below, we aim to provide all community residents with the most comprehensive mental health support available.

Santa Barbara County’s Department of Behavioral Wellness provides case management and psychiatric care for residents with Medi-Cal or emergency needs, while the Mental Wellness Center complements these services with programs to promote community participation and wellness.
The Santa Barbara Unified School District and Goleta Union School District host our in-class presentations of Mental Health Matters.
We also teach Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid courses for faculty and staff, as well as for all graduate students who are pursuing California teaching credentials at UCSB, Antioch University-Santa Barbara, and Westmont College.
The Mental Wellness Center has agreements with local universities to provide clinical and undergraduate intern and trainee-ships to students interested in learning about public mental health. Students in a Master Degree Clinical Programs may be provided clinical supervision if they are working in one of our licensed residential homes or Fellowship Club. For more information contact Patricia Collins at pcollins@mentalwellnesscenter.org.
Medical facilities, such as Cottage Hospital and Sansum Clinic, refer patients to our services and are dedicated community partners.
The Pacific Pride Foundation has shared groups and presentations for teens and young adults.
City and County Housing Authorities provide housing subsidies for tenants in our apartment complexes, so that rents are affordable.
The Mental Wellness Center is designated as an approved Employment Services vendor for California’s Department of Rehabilitation. This means that we help adults with mental health diagnoses find competitive employment.
HICAP (Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program) provides free and objective information about Medicare through trained volunteers available at the Mental Wellness Center.
Local nonprofit organizations, such as the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, Direct Relief International, and the four homeless shelters in our community help to serve needs for food and housing.

The Santa Barbara County National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI SBCO) chapter works out of our offices to support and educate the public around mental illness issues. Along with our Family Advocates, the NAMI group greatly extends our ability to serve families and other caregivers of adults and youth living with mental illness.