Daniel’s Place
Thomas Mountain, 29, sits next to Bipolar Bear while having a cup of coffee in the Group Room at Daniel’s Place in Santa Monica. Daniel’s Place assists people ages 18 to 30 who are experiencing their first episodes of mental illness. Mountain has visited the center for the past four years. Daniel’s Place is a program of Step Up On Second, a nationally recognized recovery center for people with severe and persistent mental illness. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Otto, 20, left, peruses a book while Charles Taylor, 20, plays guitar in the Group Room at Daniel’s Place in Santa Monica. Otto, who did not want his last name used, and Taylor have been using the center to work through their mental illnesses. Artworks in the background were created by participants at Daniel’s Place. Some of the works were part of a show called “Art Heals” at the Santa Monica Place shopping mall earlier this year. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Jan Kyas, 27, plays with some of his stuffed animals as he sits next to his mother, Jirina, at Daniel’s Place in Santa Monica. Kyas, who has Asperger’s syndrome, uses the animals to help him express himself. Asperger’s, a form of autism, is characterized by difficulties in social interaction. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Josh Kaplan, 18, plays guitar while Jonathan Henriquez, 24, relaxes in the recreation room at Daniel’s Place in Santa Monica. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Tom Mountain, left, shares a light moment with peer advocate Matthew Lord at Daniel’s Place. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
The group room at Daniel’s Place features a portrait of Daniel Greenberg, the program’s namesake. Team leader Emily James, left, and peer advocate Matthew Lord converse. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
