The Ventura County Office of Education provides training for middle and high school students who serve as Wellness Peers in middle and high school settings. In these training students will learn to:

• Support and be a resource to students
• Help your fellow students access the Wellness Centers
• Create a safe and welcoming space for all students
• Connect students with appropriate community resources
• Communicate and engage in public speaking

The training provides high school students with three full days annually of content and activity, while middle school students receive two full days of training each year. Local experts and organizations are preferred providers of the training, as they have vested roots and connections within the community, as well as cultural competence in serving the demographic diversity within the county. The trainings focus upon topics such as reducing stigma in relation to mental health, increasing access to mental health services for students with disparities in access to care, suicide awareness and prevention, creating safe spaces, mindfulness activities, trauma-informed practice, building resilience and making healthy choices.

VCOE provides training in partnership with Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH) via the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA). Youth outreach and training focuses on recognizing early signs of behavioral health and substance use concerns, encouraging timely help-seeking, and understanding how to access school-based wellness services and county behavioral health resources.

Structured youth workshops and student courses:

• Support outreach by raising awareness and teaching students to identify early behavioral health needs
• Support access by teaching students how to navigate behavioral health systems and facilitating entry into services
• Support linkage by creating direct pathways for students to connect to behavioral health services after

Through this work, there is an identified focus on suicide awareness and prevention efforts, and youth serving as Wellness Peers receive training in how to recognize and respond to warning signs through the following trainings:

• Youth Mental Health First Aid
• safeTALK / QPR (suicide prevention and early identification)

Students who are interested in becoming a Wellness Peer should reach out to the staff within their school’s Wellness Center. Click here for a list of Wellness Centers within Ventura County Schools.