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

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (April 10, 2025) — Orange County will soon have its first allcove, a youth-designed mental health and wellness center in San Juan Capistrano, thanks to a CalOptima Health grant of $2.7 million to Wellness & Prevention Center (WPC). When WPC opens allcove this summer, it will offer a safe and inclusive space for young people ages 12 to 25 to access affordable mental health and wellness services to support their emotional, physical and social well-being. As one of just five sites in the state, the future center will deliver a broad range of services, including mental health, physical health, substance use disorder services, peer support, family support, housing services, supported education and employment services.

“CalOptima Health is really proud to be part of this project because it’s a space that young people have created for each other,” said Carmen Katsarov, LPCC, CCM, Executive Director of Behavioral Health Integration at CalOptima Health. “We’re committed to supporting the next generation with mental health and wellness resources that are welcoming, inclusive and shaped by their voices.”

One of the center’s unique features is its Youth Advisory Group (YAG), composed of local high school and college students who have met regularly for the past two years to provide insight into the design, layout and programming.

With their input, the center will include a learning kitchen and access to basic needs resources like a clothing swap area, food pantry, and washer and dryer.

The allcove model was developed as part of California’s Children & Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, and the future allcove in San Juan Capistrano will be operated by WPC in partnership with UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology. The center will be staffed by peer support specialists — young adults with lived experience — who are trained to provide meaningful support to their peers. A licensed clinician will supervise the peer team, ensuring high-quality care for young people seeking mental health and wellness services.

“Our health care system is all too focused on the person about to fall off the cliff, but not on the person who has not even started to climb up the mountain,” said Susan Parmelee, LCSW, Executive Director of WPC. “This project is about the person climbing the mountain.”