Our Founder and Executive Director, Nahla Kayali, started AccessCal with the hope to one day provide culturally and linguistically sensitive mental health services to the underserved community. Since 1998, AccessCal has evolved and grown to providing close to 100 services in 16 languages. However, helping individuals uplift their mental and emotional well-being in a safe and sensitive environment stays core to our mission. We have a caring team of behavioral health professionals that offer marriage and family therapy, as well as group, couples and individual counseling services for children, teens and adults. We also aim to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness in the Arab-American and Muslim-American community. Mental health awareness is conducted year-round through workshops, classes and our annual wellness conference called, Peace of Mind. Through these interactive forums, we address issues of depression, anxiety, stress management, cultural adjustment, grief, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), domestic violence, suicide prevention and parenting among others.
This Mental Health Awareness month, we are continuing our year-round efforts to break the stigma as well as to provide avenues for our community members to relax and de-stress. We have initiated a digital communications campaign to highlight the importance of mental health. Additionally, we have organized a range of activities for people of all ages, such as the youth, the elderly, families and individuals to participate in. To participate, please email our Mental Health Case Manager, Aliza Ahmed, at aliza@accesscal.org.
