Wednesday, April 23, 2025 saw the courtyard at City Hall brimming with booths and people, and decorated with a sign that said “End the Stigma.” The second annual Mental Health and Wellness Resource Fair was a treasure trove of information on local organizations working to do just that.
Dr. Dan Richardson, team leader for the Culver City’s Mobile Crisis Unit was there with Teddy, the therapy dog, greeting people. Organizations participating ran the gamut from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to the Westside Regional Center. Information booths ringed the edges of the courtyard while a set of white couches allowed people a comfortable space to sit and talk in the center.
The ‘corridor’ from the doors of the council chambers out to the front arch was filled with experiential practitioners – acupuncture, sound, massage, mindfulness meditation – offering people a chance to try out some thing new, and perhaps sample a healthy practice that they’d never tried before.
Richardson, who has run the Mobile Crisis Team since it’s launch in February of 2024, was pleased. “This is a great way to get information into people’s hands – low key, no pressure. Then when they find they need that information, they have it.”
You can reach the MCT to request a field response or for a consultation, by calling their direct line, (310) 253-5770.
The Mobile Crisis Team travels in an unmarked mobile service van to assess an individual’s mental health condition in privacy. Once they meet with and assess the person in need, the team connects them to helpful resources and support.
All services are provided at no personal cost.
Organizations represented included Alcott Center for Mental Health Services, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Best Friends of L.A., California Council on Problem Gambling (CalPG), Centered Health/LAOP, Cognitive Kali, Crisis Response Project (CRP) Culver City Fire Department, Culver City Parks & Rec, Culver City Police Department, Culver City Transportation, Exodus Recovery, Inc., Health In Action,L.A. County DPH, Mindset Collective & Soma Sanctuary, Mom’s Meals, NAMI, SALT 5 Outreach & Engagement Liaison/DMH, Sober State, Southern California Hospital, Tarzana Treatment Centers, Urban Alchemy, Venice Family Clinic, Vista Del Mar, Westside Regional Center, and WIN (What I Need.)
Judith Martin-Straw
Photo – Dr. Dan Richardson, Bridget McCarthy of AFSP, and Mayor Dan O’Brien