County libraries host mental wellness, substance use ‘awareness galleries’ 

Galleries on display at Atascadero, San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande locations

– The County of San Luis Obispo Behavioral Health Department will be partnering with San Luis Obispo County Libraries during the month of April to host mental wellness and substance use “awareness galleries.” The free public exhibits aim to inform the community about stress management, alcohol, cannabis, and opioid use, and overdose prevention.

“We are proud to bring these important topics to visitors of our local libraries,” said County Behavioral Health Director Anne Robin. “The behavioral health department is committed to partnering with unique organizations to educate and provide resources. These partnerships allow us to connect with new community members who may be needing our support and services.”

The informative galleries, which are on display at county branches in Atascadero, Arroyo Grande, and San Luis Obispo, not only coincide with Stress Awareness, National Alcohol Awareness, and National Distracted Driving Awareness month campaigns, but also support topics found in the library’s 2023 Book of Year: All My Rage.

“The Awareness Gallery is a wonderful complement to our Book of the Year selection, All My Rage, by Sabaa Tahir, and highlights many of the book’s themes around alcoholism, stress, and mental health,” says Erica Thatcher from the County of San Luis Obispo Library. “We invite all readers and visitors to engage with the exhibits and hope it leads to greater conversations about supporting mental and physical wellness.”

All galleries offer supportive resources from Behavioral Health, and patrons specific to the San Luis Obispo Library may also request free “calm kits” to support their mental health while supplies last. The “calm kits” include a variety of self-care tools like stress balls, journals, relaxation tools, and art-therapy projects.

The free, interactive gallery runs through April 30 and is available in English and Spanish. More information about the awareness galleries, exhibit hours, and “care kits” can be found online at www.slolibrary.org.

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