Thanks to all who made the 2025 CASRA Fall Gathering a success!
The event was held on September 10th at Preservation Park in Oakland. The setting provided the perfect space for attendees to learn, connect, and recharge.
We want to share our deep appreciation to the 150 plus who made the day an overwhelming success. These include, in no particular order:
-Lawrence and Wilfredo from Preservation Park who provided the wonderful space and support, and made sure that the day ran smoothly
- Ney from Rio California Restaurant who catered and ensured we did not go thirsty or hungry
- The crew from Event Magic who provided the outdoor setup that provided shade and comfort
- The CASRA Conference Committee (Orange Crush crew) of Angelina Kabahit, Idalia Matthews, Terry Rubin-Ortiz. , Anna Lubarov, Danny Marquez, John Ahrens, who arrived early and left late, and made sure every attendee was welcomed and cared for. Also, the Orange Crush crew who attended in spirit, Ken Starr, Sandy Rives, and Rhonda Rock.
-The five volunteers from Bonita House who were so vital in helping things run so smoothly
-The presenters of Bruce Anderson, Bindu Khurana-Brown, Michael Reynolds Idalia Matthews, Yazmin Robledo, Sanda Peña, Sarah Wood, Tracy Harris, and Chad Costello who stepped in with a last-minute save when a presenter had to cancel
-The 12 CASRA member organizations who sponsored their staff to attend,
-and most importantly, each of you who attended the Gathering. Because of you, the day was a beautiful example of connection, engagement, learning and joy.
We appreciate the continued feedback on the day. Keep it coming. Feedback from last year's shaped this year's. Your feedback with shape next year's.
Until we gather again!
What If Psychology Started With the Heart Instead of the Mind?
A New Study Explores How Chinese and Japanese Traditions of “Heart-Mind” Open Alternatives to Psychiatry’s Brain-Bound Models of Distress and Healing
From madinamerica.com
by Justin Carter, September 16, 2025
In a new article in the Review of General Psychology, anthropologist Jie Yang of Simon Fraser University argues that modern psychology’s reliance on the “psyche” leaves out something essential. Instead of focusing on the brain or mind as the seat of distress, her research turns to the indigenous concepts of xin in Chinese and kokoro in Japanese, both usually translated as “heart” or “heart-mind.”
“Our shared interest lies in the potential for heart, rather than the psyche, to be the ground for developing a new template of psychological care,” they write.
She describes this heart-based template as both “affective, that is, embodied, sensitive to intensities of feeling emanating from heart-related distress” and “aesthetic, meaning artful and intuitive, because xin, the Chinese term for the heart, which is also the origin of kokoro in Japan, is both body and mind.” Read More
Helping California’s Most Needy Homeless Means Removing Barriers To Care
from sacbee.com
Opinion by Darrell Steinberg, September 16, 2025
When Californians see someone who is living on the street and suffering from severe mental illness or substance abuse, the most obvious reaction is, “Why isn’t that person getting help”?
The old excuse that people don’t want help is no longer true – over the last five years, California has passed new laws that allow families and law enforcement to require that people accept help when offered. So why are we still seeing people languishing on our streets? The answer is both simple and confounding.
Neither the state nor counties have any standard to ensure that people who possess the greatest need are assured the most intensive care they require. Who actually receives the highest levels of care is random and too often arbitrary.
That must change. Read More
Mental Health and Hope in the Time of (Not-So-Creeping) Authoritarianism: The View from Detroit
From mindsitenewsdaily (mindsitenews.org)
By Courtney Wise, September 17, 2025
Hello, MindSite News Readers,
Hope is a peculiar thing. Though frequently paired with faith, the two are not the same. Hope is a feeling, a mood, sometimes even a state of being – faith is the confidence that hope is not in vain. On its own, hope can be fleeting and solitary, but with faith, put to action, it can make things happen – and help preserve our mental health, which is under relentless attack.
My hope for our nation – and, honestly, the Earth – is challenged almost daily. It’s humanity’s fault. We have the perpetual opportunity to learn from the horrors and ruins of our past and make a decent life accessible to all – and yet we intentionally choose to keep hate and destruction on a loop. Here in America, we lead this charge.
As a Black Detroiter, born as the crack epidemic swiftly ravaged our local neighborhoods, I’m surprised at how quickly the entire nation has started to feel like a place where hope and faith are born to die. But new life calls for just one persistent seed and a willing patch of soil to lay the foundation to grow. My seed is epigenetic memory, my soil, a fresh read of my hometown’s history. Detroiters have meritorious standing in the people’s fights for human rights. Read More
If you or someone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, there are resources available to provide free and confidential support. Call 988 or the Teen Line at 1-800-TLC-TEEN or The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 for LGBTQ young people.
