Crisis and Recovery Enhancement (CARE) TA Center

The Crisis and Recovery Enhancement (CARE) Technical Assistance (TA) Center

Our Work

Too many Californians experiencing mental health crisis are unable to receive the behavioral health services they need, resulting in incarceration, hospitalizations, and homelessness.

The Crisis and Recovery Enhancement (CARE) Technical Assistance (TA) Center works to strengthen criminal justice diversion efforts and the crisis care continuum to help all Californians access appropriate wraparound services and supports. The CARE TA Center provides training, TA, and resources to improve behavioral health care coordination for a flexible and seamless care delivery system.

In alignment with the Medi-Cal Healthier California for All initiative, this project promotes a Whole Person Care approach to crisis response and recovery.

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View most recent newsletter: Issue 4 – Summer

Latest Announcements

Upcoming Trainings

The CARE TA Center provides trainings on critical topics to advance California's support system for people in crisis. 

Self-help and the 2021 Holidays
Managing Stress During the Winter Season in Pandemic Times
Tuesday, November 23, 2021, 12:30 – 3:00 p.m. PT

Addressing the Escalating Overdose Crisis in 2021
Tuesday, November 30, 2021, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. PT

Learning Collaborative
Crisis Care Continuum
Crisis System Tipping Point- State of Affairs
Tuesday, December 14, 2021, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. PT

Learning Collaborative
Justice Diversion
Effective Application: From Evidence-Based to Community-Defined Diversion Practices
Wednesday, January 12, 2022, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. PT

Learning Collaborative
Building a Stronger Bridge Between Faith Communities and Behavioral Health Crisis Care Agencies
Resource Sharing and Integrated Supports for Crisis Care Among Faith Leaders, Lay Ministers, and County Behavioral Health Departments
Thursday, January 13, 2022, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. PT

Veteran-Involved Critical Incidents: Achieving the Best Possible Outcome
Wednesday, January 26, 2022, 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. PT

Archived Trainings

06/16/21 & 06/17/21 - Listening, Learning, and Leading: Anti-Racism in California’s Crisis Continuum of Care
04/26/21 - Self-Care and Compassion Fatigue
04/23/21 - Ethics, HIPAA, & Professional Boundaries
04/22/21 - Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams: Staffing and Policies
04/12/21 - Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) County Panel
01/15/21 - Crisis Now: Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams
12/18/21 - Self-help and the 2020 Holidays: Managing Stress During the Winter Season in Pandemic Times
12/11/20 - Suicide Prevention Safety Planning Skills Training
12/09/20 - Seeking Safety
11/20/20 - Mind Over Mood
11/13/20 - Motivational Interviewing: Session 2 Applied
11/06/20 - Motivational Interviewing: Session 1 Overview

Cafecito Conversations

The CARE TA Center "Cafecito" (i.e., small coffee) conversations are 10 to 40-minute recordings of informal conversations about hot topics in the crisis continuum of care and justice diversion.

View Recorded Cafecitos

Resource Library

Search learning and action resources on these critical topics and more:

  • Crisis Care Continuum
  • Criminal Justice Diversion
  • Supporting Diverse and Vulnerable Communities
  • Homelessness and Housing Supports
  • Youth Crisis Supports
  • Peer Support
  • Trauma-Informed Care

Explore tools, templates, and models from other counties and organizations, and submit a resource.

Search Resources Now

Request a Training or Consultation

Access trainings and technical assistance from the CARE TA Center Team:

  • Expert-led Trainings
  • Technical Assistance for Specialized Topics
  • Consultation for Programs and Planning
  • Resource Identification
  • Group Facilitation

Tell us about the needs of your team, agency, or organization so that we can connect you to support.

Request TA/Training

Optimistic group of learners, of diverse ages and backgrounds, seated in a casual learning environment

Whom We Serve

Training and TA services are provided to California Mental Health Services Act (MHSA)-funded county agencies; local mental health boards; their community-based partners; other key service agencies, such as first responders; and others.

All individuals and organizations are welcome to access the CARE Resource Library, virtual learning events, and newsletters.

Map of California represented in many small lights

California County Crisis Continuum Asset Map

The CARE TA Center is excited to announce that the Asset Map is now live! The asset map is an interactive dashboard that presents crisis continuum of care and justice diversion services in an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. The Asset Map draws on the publicly available information underpinning the MHSOAC Transparency Dashboard, which is then filtered through an algorithm before being uploaded to the dashboard. There, users can easily find services that support the crisis continuum of care and justice diversion, such as mobile crisis units, hotlines and warmlines, and peer specialist services—all of which are viewable by county.

View Asset Map Now!

CARE Partner Logos: CARS, RI International, NAMI California, C4 Innovations, Impact Justice, Stanford Sierra Youth & Families, and CA Prop 63
The CARE TA Center is led by the Center for Applied Research Solutions (CARS) in partnership with Recovery International, NAMI California, C4 Innovations, Impact Justice, and Stanford Sierra Youth & Families. This project is funded by Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), and administered by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), Community Services Division