View U

Partnership with
the Alliant Couple & Family Clinic

Special referral price: $50/session
Plus free consultation.

We are proud to partner with New Hope

View U is group therapy for kids in middle school aimed to connect and empower youth through interactive therapeutic sessions.

View U will provide them opportunities to look deeper into themselves, learn more positive lifestyles, and enhance their capacity to make healthier life choices.

“My grandson is so happy to be a part of this program, he enjoys it a lot and I see such a huge difference in his behavior already. He will definitely be continuing with this program for a while” said grandma of middle school View U participant.

There’s no question that the pandemic has been hard on children, whether or not their schools have reopened. A flood of research in recent months has found alarming spikes in depression and anxiety among children and their parents. Parents reached out to us for help so we designed a program that can improve mental health for our youth. The View U program provides opportunities for youth to use their time in positive ways, identify and cope with problems, build self-esteem, develop peer leadership skills, participate in bullying prevention activities, and mentorship opportunities. This program will serve more than 500 youth annually.

ViewU employs group therapy as a dynamic means to cultivate empathy. Through facilitated discussions and activities, students share experiences, deepening their understanding of peers’ feelings and challenges. This approach creates a communal space for emotional growth and connection.

Impactful Testimonials:

Our initiatives have garnered enthusiastic responses. A middle school student shared, “I’ve never laughed so much before!”—highlighting the positive experience of attending ViewU sessions. A parent commended the program for teaching their daughter to understand others’ perspectives, emphasizing the value of such skills learned at a young age.

Measuring Impact:

We commit to providing specific examples of successful outcomes, participant testimonials, and quantitative metrics showcasing the impact of our programs. Our data-driven approach ensures transparency and accountability, demonstrating the tangible results of our empathy-building initiatives.

Our program provides targeted youth safe places with

Group workshops spanning 7 sessions
1. Understanding the Power of You
2. Managing Stressful Situations and Finding Peace Within You
3. Leadership Networking and Social Skills
4. Identify Your Leadership Style to Learn to Bring Out the Best in Others
5. Tips for Successfully Planning Ahead and Time Management
6. Finding Your Voice in a Chaotic World
7. Looking Back, But Moving Forward: The Story of You
1-on-1 support
Monthly social hub that brings youth together for fun activities, games, life skills, and free snacks

There is a growing and unmet need for mental health services for children and youth.

View U Workshops

In our After School Program, kids engage in a variety of fun and insightful activities led by Tara Farajian, LCSW, and View U interns. Each week, students participate in personal insight activities that foster mindfulness and help them recognize the connections they share with one another.

In addition to these weekly sessions, we host monthly workshops filled with age-appropriate activities designed to instill empathy during these formative years. By teaching concepts of understanding, compassion, and acceptance, we lay a strong foundation for positive social development.

We proudly serve the diverse communities of Orange and LA County, focusing on elementary and middle schools within the Los Alamitos Unified School District. Our program impacts over 150 students annually, nurturing a sense of community and personal growth.

What are the Meeting Mindfulness Workshops?

Meeting Mindfulness is the name of our youth-led and youth-based initiative,
encompassing an innovative, engaging set of workshops created by the Youth
Center’s Leadership Council and in collaboration with mental health professionals.

– FAQ –

What is the purpose of the workshop series?

As a group of passionate middle and high school leaders here at the Youth Center’s Leadership Council, our aim with this workshop series is to augment students’ mental health consciousness, cultivate a culture of mindfulness throughout the community, and empower youth of all ages to develop and grow their self-awareness and confidence. Through various mindfulness activities from yoga and breathing to mindful listening, we have crafted a 12-part series aiming to impact students in 6th-9th grade.

What inspired these workshops? What’s the story behind the series?

The Leadership Council regularly meets throughout the year, always taking time to survey students and broaden our perspectives on youth needs and support within the community. As mental health is a current, prevalent concern amongst diverse audiences and groups, we decided to start an initiative that hopes to help youth from a youth based mindset; inspiration from board members can be found below. After test running the workshops at the Youth Center’s Summer Camp SHARK in 2023, we’ve refined and edited the workshops to fit various age ranges. We sincerely hope to create real change, real impact, and foster real support for students’ mental health.

What is mindfulness, and why is it important?

Mindfulness is defined as “the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.” It is incredibly vital for students to understand and embrace mindfulness, as it can allow for the development of critical life skills and awareness. Helping with stress management, cultivating individualized, practical skills and coping mechanisms, contributing to destigmatization, and more, mindfulness finds itself resonating deeply with youth around the world. In essence, it builds resilience, balance, self-awareness, and one’s connection with themselves and the world around them. We aim to craft this consciousness at an early age through interactive, engaging workshops!

What is the Creative Connections subseries?

Created by Kristen Chan, an experienced, dedicated Girl Scout striving to give back to her community through her Gold Award Project, the Creative Connections subseries introduces a more focused lens on mindfulness through comprehensive, original art therapy workshops. Inspired by the diverse individuality capacities of art, Creative Connections aims to enhance students’ perspectives on mental health by providing them with unique and inspiring outlets and skills.

Hotlines

California Peer-Run Warm Line

(855) 845-7415

A non-emergency resource for anyone seeking emotional support

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

(800) 273-8255

If you are feeling suicidal or if you are concerned about someone, there is help available right now. A trained counselor is ready to talk and provide help.

Suicide Prevention 24-Hour

(800) 799-889

Free 24-hour hotline that has TTY capability via one of its national call centers

California Youth Crisis Line (CYCL)

800-843-5200

24/7 emergency response for youth (ages 12-24) and families in crisis. Trained staff provide confidential crisis intervention counseling and refer callers to local service providers for issues like suicide, depression, bullying, health, identity, trauma, and human trafficking. The hotline offers compassionate listening without judgment, focusing on support rather than advice.