Community Spotlight: Seneca Family of Agencies

How do we turn meaningful conversations into everyday practice? That was a central theme during a recent Open Doors Core Training with Seneca’s Wraparound team in Oxnard, California.

Seneca Family of Agencies, a member of the California Alliance of Child & Family Services, provides services and support to children, youth, and families, including individualized, family-centered wraparound care. The training brought together staff from Seneca’s Wraparound department in Ventura County to explore practical approaches to building stronger, more supportive relationships with young people.

Open Doors Training, a program of the California Alliance’s Catalyst Center, offers free professional development to youth-serving adults across California. Our interactive Core Training equips participants with practical skills and confidence to engage young people in supportive, nonjudgmental conversations about substance use and other behavioral health challenges. Grounded in harm reduction, restorative justice, and cultural humility, the training emphasizes connection, youth voice, and approaches participants can bring into their everyday work.

Bringing Real-World Experience into the Conversation

Throughout the day, Seneca participants brought curiosity, thoughtful questions, and valuable real-world experience to the conversation. Rather than simply learning new concepts, the group actively explored how Open Doors principles could strengthen their everyday interactions with youth and families.

Facilitators Kat Besse, Tia Cochran-Otis, and Tone Reyes helped create space for reflection, discussion, and shared learning. For Tone, a member of the Catalyst Center team and graduate of our Community Facilitator Program, the session was an opportunity to put his facilitation skills into practice by encouraging dialogue and drawing on participants’ experiences.

The group’s enthusiasm and engagement made a lasting impression on the facilitation team. Following the training, Priscilla Nichols, Program Director of Seneca’s Wraparound department, shared:

“I just want to say on behalf of the entire Seneca team what a gift yesterday was for us! Kat, Tone, Tia, you are such skilled and wonderful connectors. We are all leaving that space as different people.”

As a program of the California Alliance, Open Doors reflects a broader commitment to connecting member organizations with resources and professional development opportunities that strengthen their work with youth and families.

Opportunities like this also demonstrate the value of connecting member organizations with resources that strengthen their work.

We’re grateful to Seneca’s Wraparound team for bringing such openness, curiosity, and commitment to the training. Their thoughtful participation reminded us that meaningful learning happens when people connect new ideas with the experiences they bring to the room.

We look forward to continuing the conversation and building on this partnership!

Bring Open Doors to Your Team — or Join Us Virtually!

Interested in strengthening how you or your team engage young people around substance use and behavioral health?

Open Doors offers free, interactive Core Training for youth-serving adults across California, with flexible options to fit your needs. Organizations can bring Open Doors directly to their teams through a hosted training, while individuals can register for an upcoming Virtual Core Training from anywhere.

Whether you’re learning alongside colleagues or joining us on your own, Open Doors provides practical tools to build stronger, more supportive connections with young people.