Crestwood Behavioral Health

03/25/2026

A Message from Patty Blum, Crestwood Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President

Spiritual Contentment

There are times when we may experience intense joy that leaves us smiling for days, or there may be other times when we experience the opposite in which we find ourselves in the depths of sadness and despair. Both of these circumstances can also lead to the moment when we experience a spiritual connection. This connection is when we know that there is something greater than us, that there is something deeper than our to do list, or next promotion, or next relationship. There is a place within us that holds that connection, that longing or when satisfied, that deep undeniable place called contentment.

Lifeway Research found that spiritual contentment grows with kindness, gracious speech and self-reflection. It is related and often dependent on faith. The faith that leans into and supports hope is a Crestwood cornerstone. Contentment is not the absence of goals but rather setting goals that are altruistic and expansive in support of wellbeing for yourself and others. Goals that are rooted in service, giving, acceptance and forgiveness. Contentment is a spiritual discipline that must be learned and practiced.

In Judaism, there is a practice of Histapkut (Embracing Simplicity), which is the practice of being content with less, focusing on needs rather than endless desires to foster joy and presence.

In the Muslim faith, the tradition of spiritual contentment, Qana’ah, is the profound inner peace derived from being satisfied with your current situation, rather than chasing endless material gain. Contentment is not a result of deprivation — it is the fruit of knowing the ephemeral nature of life. It is a "wealth of the soul" that fosters gratitude, reduces anxiety, and builds trust in divine wisdom, allowing believers to find joy in what they have.

Other research highlights that contentment and gratitude are closely related. A grateful soul is a contented soul. Practicing acceptance, acts of kindness, forgiveness and gratitude will lead to contentment. Across our culture we see discontentment being promoted with a breathtaking zeal. This is not new as Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher, said, “He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.” So how do we sustain contentment? These are the key elements:

1. Practice present moment awareness
2. Limit comparisons and expectations
3. Practice gratitude
4. Practice generosity
5. Embrace simplicity
6. Practice forgiveness
7. Practice support and service to others.

These elements also make up our Crestwood philosophy and way of life with meditation and mindfulness as often as possible, along with gratitude, giving, forgiving and serving others. It includes focusing on letting go of hurt, disappointments and challenges and concentrating instead on hope, acceptance and love. Let’s continue to grow our contentment as individuals and an organization as we move together through 2026!

03/19/2026

Spotlight on Louise Herrera - 35 Years of Service

This month, Louise Herrera celebrates 35 years working for Crestwood! When asked about her favorite part of her job as an STP Service Coordinator at Crestwood Wellness & Recovery Center of Redding, she did not hesitate, “Of course, the people we serve.” With a little laugh, she made it clear that there was no other response she could possibly give.

Louise demonstrates her dedication to the people we serve daily and has done so for the last 35 years. She cares for the persons served in her groups, quietly requesting support in getting them their favorite fruit snacks for any holidays (cuties!), and going out of her way to check in on her folks that are struggling with symptoms of their mental health issues. Louise is always looking for ways to make their days a little easier, better, and happier.

Louise began her career at Crestwood at another campus – Crestwood Eureka – and has many fond memories there. She shared how her coworkers became like family and were there for her in ways she can hardly express. Louise has gone on to reciprocate this kindness to her chosen family at the campus in Redding in both big and small ways. She often is the first to suggest lending a helping hand to her coworkers, or will simply brighten the day of her team with her signature wicked sense of humor.

Thirty-five years with the same company, especially in the field of human services – a field that can be incredibly taxing on caregivers – is no small achievement. Though she is extremely humble, we would like to celebrate her today and into her future retirement! Thank you, Louise!!

03/13/2026

Social Work Month is Celebrated in March!

It is a time to recognize and show appreciation for the compassion, care, and commitment of social workers and to highlight their efforts in helping others lead their best lives. This year’s theme is “Social Workers: Uplift. Defend. Transform.” The theme speaks to the life-changing support that social workers provide.

At Crestwood, we value the dedication of our social workers and all they do to inspire and empower the people we serve. Thank you for being champions of recovery and resilience in our campuses and communities! We appreciate you!

03/11/2026

EDIT Celebrates Black History Month at Crestwood San Diego with Food, Reflection, and Community!

In honor of Black History Month, Crestwood’s EDIT (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Team) hosted a meaningful campus celebration designed to uplift Black voices, build connections, and deepen our shared understanding of what belonging looks like in the workplace.

The event centered on two things that bring people together in powerful ways: food and storytelling. Staff participated in a potluck featuring a variety of culturally significant Black foods, creating a warm, welcoming space where people could share not only dishes, but also traditions and memories tied to them.

A highlight of the gathering was a shared connection verbalizing what Black History means to them and how connections are formed. This was an opportunity to listen, learn, and honor the lived experiences of our coworkers. During the reflection, our campus DSD (Director of Staff Development) shared that, to her, Black History means resilience—resilience shaped by both historical and present-day struggles, and the strength it takes to keep moving forward while still finding ways to thrive. Her words resonated with many in the room and helped ground the conversation in both honesty and hope.

Events like this matter, because they do more than commemorate a month on the calendar; they create space for staff to feel seen, respected, and valued. By encouraging open sharing and cultural appreciation, the celebration helped foster a stronger sense of belonging—It also strengthens our campus culture by building empathy, connection, and mutual understanding across teams where people can bring more of who they are without having to shrink or explain themselves.

Crestwood’s EDIT is proud to support events that promote inclusion, recognition, and community. Black History Month reminds us that representation and reflection are essential—not just for those who identify as Black, but for all of us committed to creating a workplace where every person feels they truly belong.

02/24/2026

Sprinkles Spirits Krew: Creating an "I Got Your Back" Culture

At the heart of every great workplace is a team that feels seen, supported, and valued — and that is exactly what the Sprinkles Spirits Krew brings to life at the heart of Fallbrook Healing Center. This vibrant crew is not just about spreading fun; they are about building a culture of care, connection, and genuine support among staff. The Krew is led by Kimberly Baker, Director of Administrative Services and consists of different team members from different departments: Sonya (Business office), Enrique (DSD), Alyssa (Pre-Voc), Laura K. (RC), Liliana (APD), Michael (Cook), Andrew (RC), Laura V. (Med. Rec.), Emma (SC) and Mellisa (LVN). Together, the SSK brings activities, challenges, competitions, commitment, enthusiasm, flexibility, and unity to the campus. The Krew focuses on fostering trust, boosting morale to improve collaboration amongst all departments, to help reduce burnout and enhance performances and outcomes for the campus.

The Sprinkles Spirits Krew’s mission is simple, but powerful: to make sure every team member knows that someone has their back. Through thoughtful gestures, surprise moments of appreciation, and a constant dose of positive energy, they help create an environment where everyone feels part of something special. Whether it’s celebrating small wins, offering a word of encouragement after a long shift, or just bringing a little sparkle to the everyday routine, the Krew makes the workplace brighter — and stronger.

When team members feel cared for, that energy does not stop at the break room door. It trickles into every guest interaction, shaping experiences that are warm, attentive, and authentic. A team that feels supported naturally extends that same kindness, care, and attentiveness to guests where people genuinely feel welcomed and valued. Together, when staff feel valued and supported, the team is more engaged, productive, and resilient, allowing each team member to create a positive vibe where every team member takes care of each other and their work.

The Sprinkles Spirits Krew reminds us that a caring workplace is not just good for morale — it is good for business! When staff thrive, so do our guests, which then leads to better results for the team, the organization, stakeholders, and our community partners. By nurturing an “I got your back” culture, the Sprinkles Spirits Krew ensures that the spirit of care ripples outward, one sprinkle at a time.

02/18/2026

Recreational Therapy Month - Celebrating Our Recreation and Activities Teams!

With February upon us, Crestwood would like to take a moment to shine a spotlight on our dedicated Recreation and Activities teams for the incredible hard work they put in day in and day out for the people we serve. They are the unsung heroes who orchestrate an array of engaging programs, giving individuals the chance to connect, play, and simply have fun. Their tireless efforts enhance our quality of care while also fostering a sense of community within the campus. We salute you for providing recreation that deepens our connections and uplifts our spirits! Here’s to all the joy you bring—thank you for making the world a little brighter for everyone!!

02/13/2026

A Message from Patty Blum, Crestwood Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President

Compassion and Love - What the World Needs Now

“What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” A familiar song especially as we enter the month of love. The lyrics written in 1965 by Hal David are so needed today. We look at our families, our communities, our country and our world and we see the need for compassion. Compassion includes empathy, gratitude, kindness, and forgiveness, all growing out of love. Love is core to our Crestwood Value of Compassion, and both are essential to providing services and care to the people we serve.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines compassion as the "sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it." Compassion is also defined as suffering together or with another. Compassion goes beyond sympathy linking the feeling with an action to support or relieve suffering. In 2016, a research team Clara Straus et al, looked for ways to measure compassion from belief to action (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735816300216). In their research paper titled, “What is compassion and how can we measure it? A review of measures and definition” they found a vast diversity in definitions exist. They are proposing a new definition of compassion that is cognitive, affective/emotional and behavioral. It consists of 5 elements that refer to compassion to self and others:

1. Recognize suffering
2. Understanding the universality of suffering
3. Feel empathy connected with the distress
4. Tolerate the experience of distress and pain
5. Act to relieve and alleviate the suffering.

The remainder of the 12 pages of research reviews a variety of measures for compassion, but one significant take away is that compassion results in action to support another, to alleviate pain and suffering. This is core to Crestwood’s Value of Compassion. Compassion for Crestwood is a call to action. It is holding hope when the people we serve cannot hold it for themselves. It is helping someone with a shower or to dress when they are no longer able to accomplish these simple tasks, providing dignity and respect. It is teaching self-regulation skills. It is doing all of this with love and the intention to support the action to alleviate pain which is central to love for ourselves and others. Having compassion and love becomes the way we can move forward as an organization, a community and may help to heal some of the pain and division in our world today.

01/21/2026

Check out this article by Lori Ashcraft and Patty Blum featured in Behavioral Health News!

Discover how podcasts provide flexible, expert-led training for behavioral health staff, offering CE credits, trauma-informed care, and recovery insights.

01/10/2026

Crestwood's Peer Support Workforce

"A New Lease on Light - My Best Side Story"
by Chris Martin, Crestwood Sr. Director of Learning and Performance

Moving day has come and our lease for 2025 is up. The good news is that we can rewrite the terms for our occupancy at 2026. It can be a residence with a beautiful recovery viewing point, overlooking a landscape of resilience and wellness. Since this new dwelling is a one-story residence, then it might be a good time to rewrite it so we can have the best life possible. So I’ve drafted the following terms on what I’m calling my new lease on light.

The old story I used to tell
Kept me stuck, held me down.
It broke my heart and hid the light,
Left me lost in a shadowed town.
But I learned I could break it open,
Let the light shine through the cracks.
Now I’m rewriting every chapter,
No more looking back.

The story we tell ourselves
Can lift us or hold us down.
It’s a choice to see the stars,
Or just the cracks in the ground.
Rewrite the lines, reclaim the art,
Shape the masterpiece of our hearts.
It’s not the end—it’s where we start,
The story we tell ourselves.

I’ll take out the comma in my trauma,
Release the burden at my core.
I’ll free my spirit so I can soar,
I’m done with the gloom and doom.
I’m the writer to make things brighter,
I’ll put the glory in my story—
My best side story will bloom.

The past doesn’t have to chain us,
It can teach us how to rise.
It’s the process of rewriting
That sets the spirit free to fly.
We’re more than struggles, more than scars,
Our stories make us who we are.

The story we tell ourselves
Can turn the dark into light.
It’s a journey, not perfection,
But it still feels so right.
Rewrite the lines, reclaim the art,
Shape the masterpiece of our hearts.
It’s not the end—it’s where we start,
The story we tell ourselves.

01/01/2026

Welcome 2026!!

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year filled with hope, joy, and wellness!

12/24/2025

12/23/2025

PRA 50th Anniversary Celebration!

The Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (PRA) held their 50th Anniversary Celebration and conference at Drexel University, in Philadelphia, November 10 – 11, 2025. It was a very exciting reunion of pioneers and leaders in the field of psychiatric rehabilitation who had not been together like this since the last in-person conference in 2018.

Over the two days, there were three informative panels (research, public policy, and peer support) and 16 amazing workshops. Overall, three main themes were woven through the two-day event that represented the current practices and most urgent needs in the psychosocial rehabilitation field:
* Peer Support
* Transition Age Youth
* Policy and Advocacy

Crestwood was a Gold Sponsor of the event. Speaking was by invitation only, so we were honored to be asked to deliver both a workshop and to participate in a panel discussion. Crestwood’s two presentations fell under the first area listed above – peer support.

Alyssa Torres, Peer Support Specialist at Crestwood Fallbrook Healing Center, participated in a panel focusing on “The Centered Peer: Avoiding the Drift, Embracing the Mission.” While this was the focus of the panel, questions also included other challenging issues currently being experienced in peer employment. Alyssa did a great job of representing West Coast concerns, which were somewhat different from the situations in other states. It was interesting to see the variations in how peer support is implemented in different types of facilities in different geographic areas.

Patty Blum, Alyssa Torres, and Lori Ashcraft from Crestwood presented a separate workshop on the advantages of Peer Support Specialists (PSS) working in crisis settings titled, “The Magic of Peers Working in Crisis Settings.” The workshop was well received, and the team provided several handouts to enable attendees to go deeper into understanding the innovative practices that have been developed with peers in a recovery-oriented crisis setting.

The theme of Transition-Aged Youth began with a panel of researchers followed by many informative workshops. On the second day, the theme of Policy and Advocacy was set in motion by a panel of experts discussing “Federal Policy Shifts and the Future of Recovery.” This panel provided time and space for the audience to ask questions and talk with experts about current issues.

Finally, to round out the theme of Advocacy, Mark Salzer, a long-time friend and colleague of Crestwood presented, “A Just and Necessary Mission: Centering Community Inclusion in Psychiatric Rehabilitation Advocacy.”

Of particular interest was a workshop entitled “INSET: Psych Rehab for People Who Don’t Want It,” presented by Melissa Wettengel, MPH. Rita Cronise, a colleague and researcher from New York State, who came along to support the Crestwood team, introduced us to Melissa, who is operating a program in Long Island (New York) that is very much like the new program Crestwood is offering in San Francisco for people who are uncomfortable in traditional treatment settings. Melissa will be doing a podcast with us, and there may be more opportunities to collaborate with Melissa and this innovative program, so stay tuned.

A special thank you to Pam Norris who accompanied the team, cheered us on, and helped support us throughout the event. And of course, thanks to Crestwood for supporting this event and making it possible for us to attend, present, and participate.

To see photos of the 50th Anniversary Celebration, please visit PRA’s website: https://www.psychrehabassociation.org/50th-anniversary-photos