Huntington Beach, California Therapists

Overview of Mental Health Resources in Huntington Beach, California

Huntington, Orange County, Southern California is a seaside city.  The population was 189,992 during the 2010 census and its estimated 2014 population was 200,809.  It is the most populated beach city in the county.  The city is popular due to its 9.5-mile (15.3 km) stretch of sandy beach, its ideal surfing conditions, a mild climate, and attractive beach culture.  It is nicknamed “Surf City” due to its consistent surf throughout the entire year.  This is due to the swells generated from the North Pacific in the winter and the storms that come from the Southern Hemisphere in the summer.  This is a rare beach community that does not allow any construction of any kind on the beach so that there is a natural connection to the ocean and no obstructed views due to buildings.  Many of the beaches are state parks.  The city has a total area of 31.9 square miles (82.6 km2) and over 16% of it is water.  The area is a semi-arid / Mediterranean climate, which is generally dry, cool, and sunny.  However, the nights can become extremely damp.  Annually, the area is affected by a marine layer, which is a layer that covers a large body of water, due to the ocean’s cool air meeting the land’s warm temperatures.  Huntington Beach had a median household income of $81,389 between the years 2009 – 2013.  The population living below the poverty line was almost 9%.  The economy is supported by a large natural fault that contains oil.  This oil will eventually be depleted and the economic force will be tourism.

City Concerns

The National Healthy Marriage Resource Center, which researched reports printed by organizations such as the U.S. Census and the National Center for Family and Marriage Research, states that it has been challenging to find divorce rates for California due to a lack of federal funding since 1996.  States can report voluntarily, but California has not reported possibly due to being such a large state. According to an Orange County divorce mediator, this county has one of the highest divorce rates in the nation.  She reports that an average of 33 people initiate a divorce in the area every single day, weekends included.

In Orange County, there were approximately 51 mental health and substance abuse-related hospitalizations per 10,000 residents in 2014.  This rate is less than the statewide rate of 61 per 10,000.  However, the rate of children and youth being admitted to the hospital increased by 44% since 2005.  Depression was the most frequent cause of hospitalization among children, youth, and adults.  Suicide is now the second leading cause of death in young people between the ages of 10 to 24.  Depression in children and youth has increased by 117% since 2005 in Huntington Beach.  Only one-third of the young in Orange County get the help that they need for their mental health issues.  Until the Children’s Hospital of Orange County opened its new mental health wing in 2018, children and youth suffering from mental health illnesses were sent to other counties.  This provided support and hope for the families as a whole since they felt isolated having to travel outside of their home community for help.

How We Can Help

We know that it can be a bit overwhelming taking that first step in reaching out for help and finding the right partner to help you find peace of mind can take some time.  We did the research in the hope of making this process easier for you.  We hope that you find these resources valuable and rewarding.  It would be of great assistance to consider your goals to be achieved in therapy.  Are you working on relationship issues?  Do you want to move past depression and anxiety?  Do you feel that you have unresolved issues?  List your concerns, symptoms, periods, and goals, so that you can share them with a prospective therapist.