Salinas, California Therapists

Overview of Mental Health Resources in Salinas, California

Salinas is located in Monterey County, California.  The U.S. Census reports that the population was 157,218 in the year 2016 and comprised of a total area of 23.2 square miles (60 km2).  The city’s climate is impacted more by the Pacific Ocean rather than the hot-summer inland.  Salinas is nicknamed “The Salad Bowl of the World” since the marine climate is ideal for vineyards, vegetable farmers, and the floral industry.  The city is also the central hub for businesses, government offices, and industry.  John Steinbeck, the Nobel Prize winner of Literature, focused many of his stories on this area.  Salinas attracted a great inflow of immigrants, who wanted to improve their quality of living by working in the fishing industry and in agriculture.  The influx of undocumented immigrants began and, by 2011, Salinas had one of the highest concentrations of non-legal immigrants in the state and nationwide.   The immigrants feared local law enforcement and it brought about many challenges within community relations.  For this reason, Salinas decided to become a sanctuary city.  They call their community a “Welcoming City”.  Salinas has an active culture life, enjoying events such as the California Rodeo Salinas, a popular stop on the rodeo circuit; Kiddie Kapers Parade; Salinas Asian Festival; and El Grito, which is a free event with parades, authentic Mexican cuisine, over 120 vendors, and attracts an estimate of 50,000 people each year.

Salinas’ residents had a median household income of $49,840, slightly lower than the United States median of $53,889, according to the 2011 – 2015 survey conducted by the U.S. Census.  Approximately 18.9% of the population lives below the poverty level.  The number of people divorced in California is estimated to be at 12% in 2017.  It is challenging to find an accurate rate of divorce, since the U.S. Census made the submissions voluntary and California stopped reporting the statistics after the year 1990.    The U.S. rate in the same timeframe is estimated to be at 3.2 per 1000 population.

City Concerns

It was revealed in 2012 that Salinas’ mental health networks had major inefficiencies in its charting of patients and their symptoms.  The level of care and follow-up was lacking as well.  So many patients’ needs were being bypassed that the city brought in a third-party consultant to highlight the specific downfalls and create an action plan.  They discovered some very unfortunate factors such as the average wait time for access to care among 2,527 patients was 86 days from the years 2013 through 2015.  They have since come up with 20 more units of care for coordinated mental health case management to be constructed at some future date.

Monterey County has been ranked the youth homicide capital of California by the Violence Policy Center (VPC) for four out of the past five years.  The attributing factors are bullying, gang activity, neglect at home, and severe mental illnesses in youth.  Domestic calls are slightly more than average in Monterey County than compared to the state average.  The effects of both domestic violence and bullying result in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression.  The challenges to receiving services may include lack of health insurance coverage, lack of available services or transportation to them, the absence of awareness that one is experiencing symptoms, or the societal stigma that can cause hesitancy to seek care.

How We Can Help

It can be overwhelming when trying to find a professional for your mental health concerns.  The first step in your journey is to make a list of your needs and goals.

Are you experiencing symptoms, such as depression or anxiety?  What other symptoms are you having?

Did your discomfort lead to alcohol or substance abuse?

Are you having marital or relationship issues?

What would you like to get out of therapy?

We did the following research to help you find helpful support and some relief in an expedient manner.

There are approximately 40 psychiatrists in Salinas, California. There is an estimate of 59 psychologists and licensed counselors.  There are approximately 11 treatment centers.

Thank you for visiting our website.  As you strive towards stronger mental, emotional, and behavioral health, we hope that you find the resources listed here in the directory valuable to your path.