Behavioral Health Advocacy and Consultation
Our Purpose.
Candela Group’s mission is to bring stability and an improved quality of life to our clients and their loved ones affected by mental illness by uniting them with local public and private mental health services. Our lived experience as family members and consumers motivates us to both advocate for better services, and to educate, guide, and support our clients so they are able to receive the appropriate level of services for their sustained recovery. We treat our clients and their loved ones with dignity, respect, and confidentiality to maintain the highest level of trust while continuously improving and refining our quality of service and linkage to resources.
Contact Us
contact@thecandelagroup.org
Chris Tejeda
(805) 273-1574
Chris@thecandelagroup.org
Jennifer Morrison
(805) 750-1091
Jennifer@thecandelagroup.org
Who We Are.
We are a group of professional advocates with lived experience as family members and consumers, able to use our firsthand knowledge to help others navigate the difficult and cumbersome process of receiving mental health care and support. It is the difficulties we have encountered and our unrelenting determination that motivates us to help others receive the services they need and deserve. Advocacy and education are the principals we lean on to demonstrate that stabilization is possible for all clients and their family members.
The Candela Group formed as a California public benefit corporation on October 25, 2021, and was approved as a tax-exempt entity by the Internal Revenue Service on July 21, 2022.
Donations and Support.
@CandelaGroup
https://paypal.me/candelagroup
Your kind contributions allows us to help more people access the services they need and deserve. Candela Group is registered as a California-based 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization. Donations to the Candela Group are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by the law. We greatly appreciate your contributions and support of the purpose of our nonprofit.
How We Can Help.
Guide clients along the path to stabilization and monitor their progress along the entire path of their recovery.
Utilize professional private and public county resources to minimize gaps in service in our client’s care.
Promote client engagement in services by providing client’s a choice for their specific mental health resource needs.
Provide education of lived experience of family members and consumers to new clients, to demonstrate stability is possible.
Unite clients with culturally and linguistically capable services.
Client assessments across ten stability indicators provide quantitative data for the positive or negative trends in client outcomes. Informed changes are then made to improve client outcomes.
Stability Indicators assessed include:
Housing
Psychology
Psychiatry
Substance Use
Medical
Legal
Income
Transportation
Education and Career
Recidivism
Board of Directors.
Mary Haffner
Mary Haffner has been involved in advocacy work for over 3 decades. Her work in the mental health arena began when she witnessed, firsthand, the vast inequities for people with serious brain disorders. As a family member, Mary understands the difficulty in accessing prompt and effective treatment for a loved one.
Mary was appointed to the Ventura County Behavioral Health Advisory Board in 2015, and served in that position for six years. During her tenure on the board, Mary worked on numerous committees and work groups, most notably as co-chair of the Laura’s law implementation work group. Mary is currently a member of the NAMI-VC advocacy group and is on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility.
Mary and her husband Matthew have been practicing law for over 30 years and are the founding partners of Haffner Law Group, a boutique law firm in Ventura.
Jennifer Morrison
Jennifer Morrison knows firsthand about the difficulties in accessing care for people who live with serious and disabling brain disorders. As a family member of a loved one diagnosed with mental illness, Jennifer has made it her mission to help others navigate an inequitable system.
Jennifer was appointed to serve on Ventura County’s Behavioral Health Advisory Board in 2021, where she continues to serve today. She is a member of the Adult Services Committee and has collaborated on various workgroups, including the “Data Notebook” and “Gaps in Service” workgroups.
Jennifer is a fierce advocate, respected by all who work with her, she is an Executive Sales Consultant and has been with Warner Pacific Insurance Services for over 22 years.
Jeffery Hayden
Jeffery Hayden began his career at the UCLA Clinical Research Unit at Camarillo State Hospital and since its closure has witnessed the disintegration of the mental health system both locally and nationally. In addition to working with individuals experiencing a variety of disabling conditions and their caregivers, he advocates for better treatments and supports for those challenged with serious mental illnesses.
Chris Tejeda
Chris Tejeda began his advocacy work as a consumer navigating the siloed services available for those in need. His experiences have motivated him to advocate for a more cohesive system that addresses all aspects of the continuum of care.
Chris was appointed to Ventura County’s Behavioral Health Advisory Board in 2021, where he continues to serve today. He currently serves as the Board’s 1st Vice Chair, Chair of the Adult Services Committee, and has participated on numerous workgroups including the “Gaps in Service” and “Peer Support Specialist” workgroups.