The Founders... a look back at how OCS started
/The Orange County Shrinks was officially created as an online space for mental health professionals in the OC to connect and find referrals, but it has grown into so much more.
The three founding members of the Orange County Shrinks loved the connections that they were making in the online Facebook group. However, they all felt that meeting and connecting in person would have a larger impact on the whole community!
How it started:
In the Fall of 2013, Shelby Castile woke up with an idea. After watching too many episodes of The OC Housewives, {however, loving the catchy name} she decided to create a group called the OC Shrinks. An online Facebook community seemed like the perfect way to start connecting with like minded people. Priscilla Jadallah and Mercedes Samudio quickly jumped on board and so it began. In the fall of 2014, the three put on their first OC Shrinks mixer at The Crowbar in Newport Beach, CA. Not only was the mixer a huge success, but it let the founders know that this was something their colleagues were looking for. From that first mixer, they decided to add sponsorship and put on more mixers every year to open a fun and engaging space for mental health professionals in Orange County, CA.
The community has grown tenfold, however the original vision remains the same. The OC Shrinks strive to bring together mental health professionals in the Orange County area to help bridge the gap between clinicians & community.