Mental Health & Counseling Resources
Mental Health & Counseling Services Available to CT Students:
My role as a school based mental health counselor is not to diagnose or provide long-term therapy. I am able to provide temporary/short-term counseling and mental health support to help you overcome issues. I provide counseling in areas of trauma, grief, anxiety, social skills, anger management, stress management, anxiety, depression, crisis intervention, self- regulation, self-awareness, LGBTQ+ issues, and much more. In the event that you find yourself needing more long term care, I can help you find safe and trusted community resources. I am happy to provide help and a list of outside agencies and clinical counseling services, if you should ever need them.
Confidentiality is respected, unless you plan on hurting yourself, hurting someone else, or someone is hurting you. You do not need parent or guardian permission to talk with me. I am available by text message, phone, email, zoom, etc. I provide crisis counseling/intervention and my office is considered a Safe Space here on campus, where you can come if you are in crisis, need a break, or need to talk to someone (we can connect through Zoom, too!)
Big Bear Mental Health Alliance
The mission of the Big Bear Mental Health Alliance is to combine the strengths and resources of its members to increase access to treatment options for the underserved/un-served members of the community who are experiencing severe and/or disabling mental illness; and to work together to obtain funding for this endeavor.
The Big Bear Mental Health Alliance is a partnership of 5 community agencies:
Healthy Start Student Support Program
The Big Bear Center for Change (Mental Health Systems)
For more information, please visit the Big Bear Mental Health Alliance website
The result was the Alliance for Behavioral and Emotional Treatment (ABET) contract with the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health to provide these services:
Full time psychiatry
Therapeutic counseling services
Dual diagnosis services for individuals with both mental health and substance abuse issues
Peer advocacy services
Van transportation to and from member agencies for services
Service referrals to member agencies and outside resources
24/7 Crisis line and counseling
Publication of a mountain-wide resource directory
If you are in need of emergency services please contact 911 or one of the emergency resources below
Local Organizations & Services:
Big Bear Sheriff Department: (909) 866-0100
Lutheran Social Services Family Counseling Center Crisis Line: (866) 729-9633
D.O.V.E.S. Domestic Violence Education & Services Crisis Line: (800) 851-7601
ABET Mental Health Crisis Line: (866) 729-9633
San Bernardino County Dept. of Behavioral Health (DBH) Helpline: (888) 743-1478
National Organizations & Services:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
California Youth Crisis Line: 1-800-843-5200
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741714
Didi Hirsch Mental Health 24-hour Crisis Line: 1-877-727-4747
The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and
suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ young people under 25. Support available by phone, text or chat 24/7.
Text START to 678678 | Or call TrevorLifeline: 1-866-488-7386
Care Solace
Bear Valley Unified School District, fosters a culture that promotes the health, safety, and well-being of students, parents and staff. In an effort to continuously support this commitment, the district has partnered with Care Solace.
Care Solace is an online resource with a live 24/7 concierge meant to assist individuals in finding local mental health related programs and counseling services. Care Solace is a tool for school staff and families to connect with community-based mental healthcare resources and providers. Their proprietary care navigation system taps into a vast database of mental healthcare resources to find carefully vetted local therapists and programs in minutes.
Care Solace is now available for use by district families and staff at no cost.
Please note, this service is an optional resource available by choice and is not mandatory in any way. Care Solace is not an emergency response service or mental health services provider. In the event of a life threatening emergency, please call 9-1-1 or the National Suicide Hotline 1-800-273-8255. If you are interested in seeking counseling-related services at this time, please consider visiting www.caresolace.com/bearvalley
*See flyer below for more information*
BearValleyLettertoFamilies.pdfStudent Support Services
Shonda Szabo provides assistance for those experiencing homelessness, raising foster youth and families from low to moderate incomes. She can also assist you in contacting the following services:
Bear Valley Community Collaborative
Holiday Giving Collaborative
Mental Health Alliance
Food Bank Lists
Clothing, hygiene kits, school supplies, backpacks, and more!
C4Yourself sign ups - Medi-Cal and EBT cards
Community resources including health, mental health and social services
Contact Information
Shonda Szabo
Phone
909-866-5070 ext. 1100
shonda_szabo@bearvalleyusd.org
Student Support Services are located at:
41945 Big Bear Blvd, Suite 222
P.O. Box 1529
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
BVUSD students are eligible for free mental health services during COVID 19. The San Bernardino County Dept. of Behavioral Health (DBH) offers confidential and free of charge services.
Please see the flyer for contact information.
As a reminder, please access your regular mental health provider for support. If you have private insurance, consider calling your carrier for a referral list that matches your needs.
For those who are seeking alternatives, here are some on-line therapy options:
The below is not a comprehensive list of providers in BVUSD and is NOT a formal referral from BVUSD. Please use discretion in selecting a mental health provider.
Community Clinical Counseling Services
Lutheran Social Services
Within the context of more intentional case management, LSS operates over 50 specialized programs, offering resources to people in need. These programs range from aging and disabled supportive services, resources for veterans, transitional and permanent affordable housing, job training and financial literacy, behavioral health services, youth mentoring and academic success, refugee and immigrant services, family services of all types, disaster preparedness and response, and many others.
For more information, click here
School-Aged Treatment Services (SATS)
The SATS program offers individual, group, and family counseling services with specific treatment for children and youth ages seven to 22 years of age who are experiencing severe distress due to a mental health condition and those who have had long term difficulties. They are a behavioral health program offering services to children and youth, birth to 22 years of age. We also offer a transdisciplinary team to provide a full array of services and programs comprised of a pediatrician, psychiatrist, clinical nurses, occupational therapists, and speech and language therapists.
For more information, click here