DBSA California

01/04/2026

Wow, it’s the new year! 🥳🎊 We thank YOU for your support through 2025! In 2026, we are ending isolation and healing together. We are honored to keep serving our community!

Let’s highlight some amazing programs and events DBSA California hosted in 2025. Because of your support we were able to host:

🤲 392 Support Groups
🖼️ 42 Creative Arts and Educational
Workshops
🎉 2 Poetry Showcases
🙋 7 Special Guest Speaker Events (featuring peers telling their own stories of resilience and perseverance)
🫶 4 Facilitator Trainings

We served:
🤝 179 Average UNIQUE individuals each month
🕦 with a total of 16,515 Service Hours
(1,376 average per month)

And hosted 2 NEW ongoing groups:
🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ True Colors, serving LGBTQIA community
🫂 Friends and Family Support Group, for those
with loved ones living with a mental health condition

Let’s keep going in 2026!

12/23/2025

This year, our community showed up for one another in many powerful ways, and a big part of that were donations! Your gifts help create safe spaces and ensures our programs continue into the new year. Make your year-end gift before December 31 and get a little gift from us 😉 Shout out to Alejandra and Michael for sporting our DBSA California swag!

🎁 Donate $100 → Receive a FREE DBSA California mug
🎁 Donate $200 → Receive a FREE mug and t-shirt

When you give by December 31, you’re helping keep our peer-led support groups free and accessible across California. Your generosity also makes it possible to offer inspirational and educational guest speakers, creative workshops, and special events.

We invite you to make your year-end donation today and start the new year by supporting connection, community, and hope.

💙 Donate now via the link in bio or visit dbsacalifornia.org/donate

12/11/2025

Take a sec listen to ’s poem called “Autistically Yours” 💕, a hilarious but raw piece about her lived experience as an autistic person. Drop a comment below if April’s poem resonates with you!

April Beth Marshall is a poet whose work celebrates q***r joy and personal empowerment with the kind of electric honesty that makes you laugh, cry, and maybe text your ex. A former stand-up comic, professional wrestler, actress, and writer, she brings a lifetime of reinvention to every line she delivers. Check out her work at itsmeapril.com

12/08/2025

“Writing has always been a powerful outlet for me—a way to express my emotions and find clarity when words escape me. I believe everyone has a voice, and this group is a space for you to discover and embrace yours.” -Chrissy Phillips, Professional Counselor, Author, and DBSA California Board Member

Join Chrissy every 2nd and 4th Monday for our Creative Storytelling space from 5pm-6pm. Share a piece you’ve been working on or just be amongst the creative energy of your peers. Zoom link is in the comments!

12/06/2025

Just in time for gift-giving season 🎁 Our new DBSA California shop is live. Your holiday shopping can give back in meaningful ways! Every purchase supports peer-led mental health support across California. Check out the shop at DBSAcalifornia.org and peruse the goodies, maybe even get yourself a mug for brewing something warm this cozy season ❄️

12/04/2025

Hi, Wendy here! 👋 I am DBSA California’s Executive Director and I just wanted to share how grateful I am for your support of our organization! Because of your generosity, everyone affected by mental health challenges has a place to be seen and heard. Together, we can end isolation by healing together.

With your donations we can continue our effort to:
🫂 Provide more free support groups
🌱 Train more facilitators
❤️‍🩹 Develop new life-saving programs

Donate now at DBSACalifornia.org/donate or check out our shop for some awesome merch so you can take DBSA anywhere you go! All your purchases go to supporting our cause. My personal favorites are our mugs and beautifully illustrated t-shirts!

12/02/2025

is here, and Gabriela is sharing how DBSA California showed up for her when she needed it most—plus giving you a peek at some of our branded swag! Her story is a powerful reminder that one support group can change everything. Your generosity helps more people find that same support. Donate now at DBSACalifornia.org/donate or visit our online store. Every purchase fuels our mission of peer-led support! 🤲

11/25/2025

We’re proud to stand as a vital lifeline for community members living with depression, bipolar, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health challenges. Every day, our peer-led virtual support groups, wellness tools, and mental health resources offer connection, hope, and practical support, but none of it is possible without you!

is just around the corner, and your contribution can make an immediate difference. Give now to ensure these resources remain free, accessible, and ready for anyone who needs them. Donate at dbsacalifornia.org/donate.

We’ve been there. We’re here to help. Now we need you by our side. 🤲

11/17/2025

Join us on November 20th for a wonderfully inspirational free event! Plenty of time for Q and A after Tiran's talk. Everyone welcome. Register at the link and we'll see you there! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/from-surviving-to-thriving-with-tiran-jackson-tickets-1970837146960?aff=oddtdtcreator

11/10/2025

NEW Friends and Family Support Group, Thurs, Nov, 13th, 6:00-8:00 Pacific.
Do you have a loved one that struggles with a mental health condition? You Are Not Alone! Join Us, Share Your Experiences and Offer Support. Find Zoom Link in the Comments.
Discussion Topics May Include:
Coping skills and self-care for caregivers
Setting healthy boundaries
Identifying effective communication strategies
Navigating family dynamics
Supporting medication management
Navigating the healthcare system
Accessing community resources
Recognizing early signs of a mental health crisis
Addressing grief, loss, or trauma resulting from a loved one’s illness.

09/13/2025

Join us this Thursday for our Second Poetry Showcase!

Hosted by the ever-inspiring **Gabriel Gutierrez**, this virtual event features a powerful headlining performance by award-winning poet, advocate, and storyteller **April B

09/02/2025

Just as a compass points us in the direction we're looking to go, our heart can do the same when we tune it to the direction in which we want to go. Join us Wednesday September 3rd 5:00-6:15 for a FREE heart-opening session including exercises to help you to tune into your true desires and set your inner compass to point you in that direction.
Paula is a trauma-informed yoga for mental health instructor carrying an MA from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and with training in crisis intervention and su***de prevention.
Click below to register ❤️

Tools for integrating mind, body, and spirit with Paula Smeaton, MA