Forum to explore how SLO County measures up on the 'mental wellness' scale

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• A boost for local counseling

  A boost for local counseling

  A collaborative project between the Community Counseling Center of San Luis Obispo County and Transitions Mental Health Association will provide free counseling and therapy to people living with severe mental illness in San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande.

  Therapists will be available to assist clients at two wellness centers run by Transitions Mental Health in those cities.

  Until now counseling wasn’t offered among the other programs offered at the centers, such as peer and support groups, and job and housing assistance.

• San Luis Obispo County Public Health Agency campaigns for healthier lifestyle

  San Luis Obispo County Public Health Agency campaigns for healthier lifestyle

  Hoping to persuade San Luis Obispo County residents to make healthier lifestyle choices, the county Public Health Agency joined National Health Week and recognized April as "county government month" with the theme "healthy counties, healthy families."

• Viewpoint: Inspirations for healthier living in San Luis Obispo

  Viewpoint: Inspirations for healthier living in San Luis Obispo

  Springtime often inspires new beginnings and fresh starts, which makes it the perfect time to inspire healthier living, and the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department is blossoming with healthy inspiration!

  The Public Health Department is participating in two nationwide campaigns in April to make our residents aware of the abundance of local programs and services available to help us all live healthier. April 2-8 is National Public Health Week, and this year’s theme is “A Healthier America Begins Today.” April is also the time to celebrate “Healthy Counties, Healthy Families,” which is the theme for this year’s National County Government Month.

  The intent of these two nationwide campaigns is to motivate change at all levels — as a nation, as a community, and as individuals — because the consequences are troubling if we continue the status quo.

• Viewpoint: Don’t lump mental illness in with violence

  Viewpoint: Don’t lump mental illness in with violence

  Your article “SLO County ends year with 5 homicides: Mental illness might have played a part in three of the incidents” (Dec. 31) contained careless references to mental illness and violence that seem to imply that illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, in and of themselves, predispose a person to violent behavior.

  In fact, increased rates of violent behavior in persons with major mental illness are largely accounted for by other factors, mainly substance abuse and/or anti-social and impulsive personality traits, which are independently associated with increased rates of violent behavior. Other factors contributing to increased rates of violence in persons with and without mental illness include demographic factors such as poverty, low educational level, and exposure to violence in childhood home.

  When these various factors are taken into account, there is almost no difference in violence rates between populations with and without mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

• Suspect in Christmas 2010 killings is found not guilty by reason of insanity

  Suspect in Christmas 2010 killings is found not guilty by reason of insanity

  Murder suspect Andrew Downs has been found not guilty by reason of insanity. Judge John Trice ruled that Downs did not know that what he was doing was morally or legally wrong when he killed Beverly Reilly and Kathy Yeager on Christmas Day 2010.