New Youth-Designed Mental Health and Wellness Center Opens in San Juan Capistrano

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (October 23, 2025) — A prominent group of allcove San Juan Capistrano leaders and partners came together to cut the grand opening ribbon on a groundbreaking new facility offering mental health and wellness services to South Orange County children and young adults. The Wellness & Prevention Center (WPC) brought the youth-designed center to life thanks to a $2.7 million grant from CalOptima Health, a $2.5 million grant from California’s Commission for Behavioral Health and a $1 million grant from the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative. UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology is a founding partner, collaborating with WPC on allcove operations and staffing.

Offering a safe and inclusive space for young people ages 12 to 25, allcove provides access to free mental health and wellness services, with no insurance necessary. It delivers a broad range of supports, including services that address mental health, physical health, substance use disorders, housing, education, and employment needs. The center will be staffed by licensed clinicians, providers and peer support specialists — young adults with lived experience — who are trained to provide meaningful support to their peers and supervised by licensed staff. 

“Several years ago, youth and families in the South Orange County area asked for our support in creating a safe space for young people,” said Susan Parmelee, LCSW, Executive Director of WPC. “When WPC was given the opportunity to bring allcove to the community, it was the perfect way to fulfill that request. I’m deeply grateful for a community that prioritizes the well-being of its young people and for the incredible partners who have joined us in realizing our shared vision: creating a culture where youth mental health is valued and where access to quality care is the norm.”

“CalOptima Health is proud to be part of this journey from the beginning grant to the grand opening,” said Carmen Katsarov, LPCC, CCM, Executive Director of Behavioral Health Integration at CalOptima Health. “It’s an example of when the whole community comes together — from a managed care plan to a community organization to UC Irvine — we can deliver better results for youth. We needed to co-create something outside the traditional system to provide mental health care and prevention in a different way.”

UC Irvine Psychology Professor Stephen Schueller was integral in allcove’s launch and is dedicated to its new approach. “If we want to address youth mental health, we need to create spaces they want to use and services in ways they want to engage with them,” he said. “There’s a huge need for mental health services for young people, and allcove offers those services right now.”

The center draws strength from its Youth Advisory Group (YAG), composed of local high school and college students who have met regularly for the past three years to provide insight into the facility’s design, layout and programming. A YAG member, Chloe, shared candid, heartfelt remarks at the ribbon cutting about her struggle with depression and resilience after a suicide attempt. She is thankful for the center as a resource. “It offers an environment where teens and young adults can come to find support, be understood, and feel, most importantly, loved by their community.”

As the fourth center in California, allcove San Juan Capistrano is part of a model developed at Stanford University and inspired by Australia’s headspace program. Partners from the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing attended the celebration, including Steven Adelsheim, M.D., Director, and Sarah Kremer, Ph.D., LPCC, ATR-BC, allcove Implementation Manager. “WPC understands the model of integrating services so that a young person’s experience is seamless,” Kremer said. “Our data show that young people are seeking spaces for support, and allcove centers are meeting that need.” 

Kremer shared data from the three other centers in operation. In the first 6 months of 2025:

• allcove centers are seeing an increase in serving marginalized and underserved populations
• 97% of youth reported that their allcove visit helped them
• 39% of young people would not have sought help if not for allcove
• 22% of youth indicated suicide or other high-risk safety concerns on the initial screening
• 12% utilized crisis or emergency physical or mental health support in the last 30 days
• 43% showed severe anxiety on the first visit
• 64% showed a high risk of alcohol or substance misuse on the first visit

“This center is a powerful example of the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative in action, putting youth at the center of the solution and reimaging access to care,” said Krista Rocha of the California Department of Health Care Services. “DHCS is pleased to support allcove San Juan Capistrano as part of our broader vision to build a behavioral health system that prioritizes prevention, early intervention, and equitable access to mental health services, substance use disorder services, and wellness supports.” 
 

A county organized health system, CalOptima Health provides quality health care coverage for low-income children, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities in Orange County, California. CalOptima Health’s mission is to serve member health with excellence and dignity, respecting the value and needs of each person. CalOptima Health serves nearly 900,000 members with a network of 8,900 primary care doctors and specialists and 43 acute and rehab hospitals. Learn more at www.caloptima.org. 

The WPC was founded by a group of community members to explore new ways to help youth lead healthier lives. What started as a school-based drop-in center has evolved into a unique organization that provides mental health services in schools and the community, helps to educate the community to address issues surrounding mental health and addiction, and leads a community coalition designed to lower substance abuse. Learn more at  www.wpc-oc.org. 

The CYBHI is a $4 billion, multiyear investment to transform California’s children and youth behavioral health system. The CYBHI’s strategies, including the launch of allcove sites, are laying the foundation and developing the infrastructure to support a more coordinated, youth-centered, equitable, prevention-oriented and accessible system, one in which young people can find the support they need when, where, and in the way they need it most. Learn more at  https://cybhi.chhs.ca.gov/.