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WYS Media, Speaking & News Updates

Speaking engagements and media interviews

Our CEO, Lorry Leigh Belhumeur Ph.D is a dynamic, inspiring speaker and interview candidate. Her life and professional experiences combined with her passion for changing the way mental health services are structured and provided to children, youth, and families create fresh and interesting insights.

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Speaking Topics

Lorry is available for media interviews and to speak virtually or in-person at industry conferences, company off-sites, workshops and seminars on the topics of Children’s Mental Health, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Leading a Non-Profit Organization, Building a Successful Collaborative Health Model, as well as the signature topics listed here

We want to de-stigmatize the negative connotations being identified with these words. We all have mental health, whereas a mental illness is an illness that affects the way people think, feel, behave or interact with others.

This number is outrageous, in this presentation/interview, Lorry shares ways that Western Youth Services is collaboratively working to move the needle and change the trajectory of the lives of children and their families.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) is a Public Health Crisis that everyone should care about. In this presentation/interview Lorry discusses how to apply the ACE Study to get to the root of the issue, predict the diagnosis, and provide the right treatment before the family is dealing with a mental health crisis.

 

Lorry breaks down WYS’ collaborative model, a comprehensive outlook on care that creates a system that encompasses the passage of time and the changing needs that arise. How to develop trusted and effective relationships with key community members to provide customized services. We have done this and the system can be replicated in other communities to keep children and families from slipping through the cracks.

 

Press Releases

Read the Press Release.

ACEs Aware is a first-of-its-kind effort, it’s led by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California Surgeon General, and Dr. Karen Mark, Medical Director for the California Department of Health Care Services.

This initiative revolves around raising awareness of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACE Study or ACEs), the landmark 1998 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente that describes ten categories of adversities in three domains experienced by age 18 years: abuse, neglect, and household challenges.

Western Youth Services was one of the organizations included in ACEs Aware’s first round of grantees – learn more about how they utilized the funding to change the impact of ACEs in Orange County, CA.

“ACEs Aware grantees are doing powerful and amazing work. We are changing practices, culture, ourselves, institutions, and our communities.”
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris

Read the Press Release.

Mental Health Awareness is more important now than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of children, families, and communities globally and right here in Orange County. Now, more than ever, it is imperative to meet people where they are and provide the mental health support they need right now.

To help meet this need, Western Youth Services (WYS) is offering over 40 ways for residents of Orange County to learn how to proactively build resilience and integrate mental wellness into their lives.

“Resilience is the antidote to trauma and adversity,” said Dr. Lorry Leigh Belhumeur, CEO at Western Youth Services. “Our aim is to make no cost mental health services as accessible as possible, so children, families, and the Orange County community can receive the resources they need to lead successful and fulfilled lives.”

Read the Press Release.

In response to the disruption that COVID-19 has brought to homes and schools, Western Youth Services (WYS) announced the RESET Toolbox, a collection of resources and trainings to build resilience in children and teens. WYS collaborated with several organizations, most notably Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) and Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) to pool their knowledge base, relationships and resources into one online mental health toolbox.

Everything in the RESET Toolbox is available at no-cost for residents of Orange County thanks to funding provided by the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA), Behavioral Health Services, Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Media Highlights