The Comprehensive Health and Prevention Program (CHPP) provides resources and trainings around mental health, which include suicideawareness, honoring LGBTQ+ identities, counselor’s collaboratives, and brief interventions. The Mental Health Resources provided are to give you the necessary tools to assist students in navigating through difficult times. Some of these resources can even be useful for adults. All it takes is one person in a student’s life to make a difference. 

Recognize, Respond, Connect (RRC): Supporting the Behavioral Health of Our Students​​

The training is available on the Aces Aware Website - Recognize, Respond, Connect ​​

The California Department of Public Health, Office of School Health, the California Department of Education, and subject matter experts have developed this free, self-paced, 50-minute training to provide information on how school staff, as trusted adults, can support the social, emotional, and physical well-being of students by creating learning environments where students feel safe, accepted, and valued. This training is aligned with the requirements of California Education Code Section 49428.2(c) and welcomes participants into a community of staff that can access a wide range of other training opportunities to support their students. Created for all school staff (grades 7–12), the training teaches simple, practical ways to build trusted relationships with students and contribute to safe and supportive school communities where everyone can thrive, provides an overview of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and other common adversities that can affect students' ability to learn, connect, and thrive, and guides staff in recognizing signs of distress, responding with empathy and support, and making referrals for students experiencing behavioral health challenges. 

Free Youth Mental Health First Aid Virtual Trainings

California Senate Bill 153 requires that 100% of certificated staff and 40% of classified staff receive youth mental health training.  We are proud to collaborate with Blue Shield of California to offer this training free of charge to our school communities in California.  Learn how to recognize and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among our youth. March 2026 sessions are open for registration, and filling fast. This training requires approximately 2 hours of mandatory pre-work that must be completed prior to the live session. Your instructor will provide detailed instructions after you submit the registration form.

AB 748 – Mental Health Assistance Posters and Templates
(AB748 adds Section 49428.5 to the Education Code)

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billCompareClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB748&showamends=false

AB 748 requires that on or before the start of the 2023-2024 school year, each school site in a school district, county office of education, and charter school serving pupils in any of grades 6 to 12, create a poster that identifies approaches and shares resources regarding pupil mental health.

• On or before the start of the 2023-24 school year, each school site in a school district, county office of education, or charter school, serving pupils in any of grades 6 to 12, inclusive, shall create a poster that identifies approaches and shares resources regarding pupil mental health.
• The school site may partner with pupils enrolled at that school site, local, state, or federal agencies, or nonprofit organizations, for purposes of the design and content of the poster.
• The language in the poster shall be age appropriate and culturally relevant, and the school site may partner with pupils enrolled at that school site, local, state, or federal agencies, or nonprofit organizations, for these purposes.
• The poster shall be displayed in English and any primary language spoken by 15 percent or more of the pupils enrolled at the school site as determined pursuant to Section 48985.
• The poster shall be no smaller than 8.5 by 11 inches and use at least 12-point font.
• The poster must display at a minimum the following:
  • Identification of common behaviors of those struggling with mental health or who are in a mental health crisis, including, but not limited to, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, emotional dysregulation, bipolar episodes, and schizophrenic episodes.
  • A list of, and contact information for, school site-specific resources, including, but not limited to, counselors, wellness centers, and peer counselors.
  • A list of, and contact information for, community resources, including, but not limited to, suicide prevention, substance abuse, child crisis, nonpolice mental health hotlines, public behavioral health services, and community mental health centers.
  • A list of positive coping strategies to use when dealing with mental health, including, but not limited to, meditation, mindfulness, yoga, breathing exercises, grounding skills, journaling, acceptance, and seeking therapy.
  • A list of negative coping strategies to avoid, including, but not limited to, substance abuse or self-medication, violence, abuse, self-harm, compulsivity, dissociation, catastrophizing, and isolating.
• Commencing with the 2023-24 school year, the poster shall be prominently and conspicuously displayed in appropriate public areas that are accessible to, and commonly frequented by, pupils at each school site.
• The governing board of a school district, governing body of a charter school, and the county board of education shall have full discretion to select additional appropriate public areas that are accessible to, and commonly frequented by, pupils to display the poster at the school site. These areas may include but are not limited to, bathrooms, locker rooms, classrooms, classroom hallways, gymnasiums, auditoriums, cafeterias, wellness centers, and offices.
• The poster shall be digitized and distributed online to pupils through social media, internet websites, portals, and learning platforms at the beginning of each school year.
• To assist school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools in developing policies for pupil suicide prevention, the department shall develop and maintain a model poster, in collaboration with mental health experts, pupils, and administrators, in accordance with this section to serve as a guide for school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools.
• No basis for civil liability is created by this section for any school district, county office of education, or charter school serving pupils in any of grades 6 to 12, inclusive.

The Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE) has created posters and templates for your district to utilize. Please visit the following Canva links to access and revise templates to meet the needs of your district and/or school site.

Instructions: Please click the link, in Canva, go to “File” and then “Make a Copy.” Once you have made your own copy, you can revise it to add the information mentioned above to the guidelines and click “Share” to download your revised poster.

• https://bit.ly/AB748MHPosterTemplate1

• https://bit.ly/AB748MHPosterTemplate2

• https://bit.ly/AB748MHPosterTemplate3

• https://bit.ly/AB748MHPosterTemplate4

• https://bit.ly/AB748MHPosterTemplate5

SB 224 – Pupil instruction: Mental Health Education
(SB 224 adds section 51925 CA Education Code)

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB224

Mandated Mental Health Education: Senate Bill (SB) 224 was signed into law October 2021 and serves as a significant component of addressing the mental health needs of K-12 students. Education Code 51925 specifies that each school district, county office of education, state special school, and charter school that offers one or more courses in health education to pupils in middle school or high school shall include in those courses instruction in mental health that meets the following requirements: 

• ​​Well-designed instruction on the overarching themes and core principles of mental health 
• Signs and symptoms of common mental health challenges 
• Evidence-based mental health services and supports 
• Promotion of protective factors 
• Recognition of warning signs to promote awareness and early intervention, and avoid a crisis, including: 
  • Seeking assistance from school-based mental health professionals and services 
  • Evidence-based, culturally responsive practices 
• Connection to overall health and academic success and co-occurring conditions 
• Mental health challenges across populations, cultures, ethnicities, socioeconomic status, etc. ​
• Addressing mental health stigma, including peer to peer and lived experience 

Resources

• CA Health Education Framework's Mental Health Education web page
• Youth Mental Health Training Program
• SB 224: School Mental Health Instruction Expansion Plan

• Mental Health Education Instructional Materials Assessment Tools:

• Grade 7-8: Mental Health Education Instructional Materials Assessment Tool (External Link)
• Grade 9-12: Mental Health Education Instructional Materials Assessment Tool (External Link)

Click here for a list of Workshop Handouts and for School-Based Crisis Team Guidelines. 

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For more information, or if you have any questions, feel free to locate your preferred contact on the Comprehensive Health & Prevention Programs contact page here.

Last revised December 28, 2023.