Supporting Community Resilience Through a Trauma-Informed Approach

PHI’s Cypress Resilience project trained 1,372 individuals in 2024 in adult, youth and Spanish mental health first aid across the state of California, with funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMSHA). The trainings supported communities in building mental health response skills and strengthened the confidence of people working in communities impacted by substance use.

Cypress instructors facilitate trainings using personal stories, examples, and lived experiences in order to help to build skills that participants can use in both professional and personal contexts—whether it’s to support the connection of clients to mental health services, challenge systems that do not serve the mental health needs of the community, or build confidence to address concerns about friends.

Based on survey responses, in 2024, participants connected over 1,400 individuals to mental health resources and services after their training. That same year, and in partnership with the California Department of Public Health, the Office of Refugee Health and PHI’s Sehat initiative, Cypress led a grant program for community-based organizations that provided trauma responsive, culturally and linguistically proficient peer counseling and mental health services to refugee populations in California.