Blog Post Written By: Tiana Dudley, Director of School Partnerships ​

“The tree is only as healthy as the root.” - @decolonizingtherapy

As we step into December, we get ready to end the Gregorian New Year, wrap up work with our clients and their families, and prepare for the holidays.  We keep in mind ways to hold our clients and their families through the winter break.  We often put ourselves on the back burner as we tend to others.  We play multiple roles in our families (chosen or biological and sometimes both). We are the nurturers. We are the “listening ear.” We are the ones who hold compassion. We are the “understanding ones.” We are the givers.  We can be challenged to give to ourselves what we generously offer to others – compassion, love, kindness and grace.
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In Audre Lorde’s collection of essays, “A Burst of Light,” she reclaims self-care as self-preservation and “an act of political warfare.”  She invites us to tend to our hearts and soul – as means to heal.  That is the essence of radical self-care. Inviting us to say “no” and re-prioritizing ourselves, which is crucial in order to continue doing our work.  We’ve all been bombarded with “self-care activities” such as getting our “me time.”  While that is a start, we must step further into the act of radical self-care in order to heal ourselves, those who were unable to heal in past generations and our seeds, so they carry a little less than we do in this lifetime.  For example, for many first generation folx like myself, we tend to over-work and often hear family members telling us “Not be lazy” and not to take time off when we are really “not that sick.”  Value is placed on working and taking a day off is considered a luxury.  I invite folx to reclaim their time and deconstruct how this has shown up in their personal lives.  As Audre Lorde reminds us, “it’s self-preservation.”  I invite readers to deconstruct and challenge the narratives that have been passed down through generations and become societal norms. 

​Resources to consider:

• @selfloverainbow – will give you reminders on how to take care of your body, soul and heart.
• @thetappingsolution – it's a great resource on using tapping for anxiety and helping you sleep.
• Set up a monthly calendar of acts of self-care. Check out the calendar on Light the Change’s (LTC) monthly newsletter, “In the Kitchen."

When all else seems too hard, maybe you just need a pep talk. Call (707) 873-7862 for a pep talk from some of our youngest teachers from K-6th grades from West Side Elementary School. AND above all, be kind to yourself and show yourselves some grace. 

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Blog Post Written By: Karina Gonzalez, Clinical Supervisor 

The Mosaic Outpatient School-Based Program has been in partnership with Hayward High School for nearly a full decade! Our current therapy team onsite includes Amber Keil, ASW, PPSC, Cristina Scott, Psy.D., and Julissa Navas, a clinical trainee from UC Berkeley who provides mental health services to students and families, including individual, group, and family therapy, as well as consultation and training to school staff and partners. Hayward High is rich with diversity and Hayward pride! The majority of students who attend Hayward High have a relative who also attended the school. We also have several school staff members who are alumni themselves. As such, the school has built strong relationships with families and the larger community, and it is a gift to us to be a part of it.
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Mosaic staff has had the unique opportunity of being at the forefront of developing the Coordination of Services Team, with one of our clinicians facilitating the meeting up until 2020. We also had the privilege of bringing many trauma-informed resources to support student and staff wellbeing in partnership with the Kaiser Permanente Resilience Initiative for many years. Our staff has also been part of a larger collaboration to expand social-emotional curriculum resources district wide. Currently, we work to provide key insight into our students emotional and behavioral needs as we navigate the ongoing trauma of the pandemic.  This can include classroom and staff presentations, consultation meetings with staff, and presentations for caregivers. Last month, we participated in HUSD’s parent power sessions by facilitating a workshop for more than 25 Hayward caregivers on the topic of Parenting Through the Pandemic and Beyond.
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The words from a couple of our Hayward High School partners illustrate the quality of the partnership and collaboration we have created and deeply cherish:

Name: Anisa Siddeeq
Position: Senior Mental Health Counselor
What led you to your current position: I've always wanted to get involved in work centering mental health and when I saw the opportunity to be a counselor, I thought it would be a great experience.
What inspires you to do this work: Some days are difficult in this work, but I believe in the impact of what we do and that is what keeps me grounded.
What is a recent highlight you’ve experienced in the work or an important lesson you’ve learned in this role: An important lesson I've learned in this role is accepting that you're human- it sounds silly but when you are in a position of being a role model it's hard to remember that. Showing up as my authentic self helps the students more than acting like you have it all figured out every single day. 
Share your life motto or something unique about yourself: My life's motto is you don't have to show up perfectly because showing up as you are is enough.