Guest Post - Mia Veroy, Program Coordinator

Today's guest post is from Mia Veroy, Program Coordinator at both the RAMS Hire-Ability Vocational Services Employee Development Program as well as the new Peer Specialist Mental Health Certificate program being offered by RAMS and San Francisco State University. Starting on September 14, the Certificate Program's goal is "to prepare consumers and/or family members with the basic skills & knowledge for entry-level employment in the behavioral health system of care and with academic/career planning that supports success in institutions of higher learning".

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It’s finally here…. good things do come to those who wait, or those who pursue and don’t give up on their dreams and passions!

After months of deliberation, preparation and anticipation, RAMS is proud to unveil the Peer Specialist Mental Health Certificate Course. Funded by the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), this groundbreaking 12-week basic counseling program offers participants a targeted and thorough curriculum prepared by collaborators RAMS and San Francisco State University’s Department of Counseling.

In the months leading up to the first class, we received an overwhelming response and support not only from the San Francisco community, but from neighboring counties as well. Various community and business organizations have shown their support and enthusiasm for the program through a variety of ways: Philippine International Aid has generously donated scholarships to students and Straits Restaurant and Metromint have contributed food & beverages. The interest generated during the program’s promotions validates the great need and high demand for peer support in the community. One consumer aptly summarized peer support by saying, “this is the wave of the future”. It has been long coming, but the future is here.

Over 80 applications were received and the Admissions Committee faced the challenging task of selecting individuals for the 20 slots available. In an effort to stay true to the mission, the program is proud to report that there is a diverse group of students from various cultural backgrounds and experiences who represent the wide demographic of San Francisco’s population.

Six sessions into the program, we are awed by the level of enthusiasm, engagement, and commitment of everyone in class. In such a short time, we have witnessed friendships developed, support provided, and cultures shared. We have our work cut out for us and have a long way to go, but if the past few weeks, in any way, reflects the overall direction and future, it most certainly looks very bright!

- Mia

For a link to our webpage, click HERE

Photo credit: Jeezny on Flickr

Thank you Kristina Quinones!

Abstract painter Kristina Quinones was instrumental in organizing a fundraiser event for RAMS last year in which her fellow studio artists donated pieces for auction, with all proceeds going to RAMS.

She currently has a showing titled “As Above, So Below” at Nieto Fine Art, 565 Sutter Street @ Mason Street, through October 29th. She is also one of the artists at SOMA Artists Studios participating in the upcoming Open Studios event on the weekend of October 16-17.

To see more of her work, please check out her website at www.kristinaq.com . You can also click on the picture to your left if you'd like to read the article which recently appeared in ArtSpan magazine.

We'd like to thank her for her continued support for our organization, and urge you to check out her shows!

Meet RAMS - Eddie Chiu, PhD

Dr. Eddie Chiu, Director of RAMS Asian Family Institute, was invited and presented at the 15th International Conference on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma, held in San Diego by the The Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT), an international resource and training center at Alliant International University.

The presentation, given on September 11, 2010, was titled "Addiction, Trauma, and a Developmental Process of Treatment and Recovery". Dr. Chiu presented on the topic of Gambling Addiction and Domestic Violence in Asian American Communities.

Click HERE to read coverage from Sing Tao USA newspaper in Chinese

Photo credit: Ravages on Flickr

Guest Post - Yuka Hachiuma, MFTi

Today's guest post is from Yuka Hachiuma, MFTi, Mental Health Counselor at RAMS who also served as the Program Coordinator for the Summer Bridge program. Taking place from June 14 to August 6, Summer Bridge was an 8-week summer mentoring program for San Francisco high school students, designed "to promote awareness of psychological well-being and foster interest in the helping professions".

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Oh, the places you'll go!
"Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to great places.
You're off and away. You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go...."

-- Dr. Seuss, "Oh, the Places You'll Go!"

In the final week leading up to the end of Summer Bridge, when I stopped to reflect on the past weeks spent with the Summer Bridge participants, the opening lines of Dr. Seuss's classic children's book popped into my head. The book is about life and its challenges, but is also an optimistic encouragement to the reader to go out and conquer the world.

This story came to mind because the message is very applicable to the first group of Summer Bridge graduates. Many, if not most, of them have already experienced various challenges in their lives. These stories came out in the experiential activities we did and engaging discussions we had as we got to know each other throughout the program. The group worked together to create a safe, respectful space where everyone could be themselves while learning and having fun together. There were definitely times when opinions clashed and feelings were hurt. But, they managed to work through their differences and created deeper relationships as a result. What is most notable about this group is their resilience in the face of these challenges, and their desire to give back to their community in the future. This blend of life experience, psychological insightfulness, and community focus makes them very well-suited to pursue a career in the helping professions. My hope is that the Summer Bridge graduates will use this experience as a launching pad to learn more about themselves, pursue their interests, and create opportunities to make good choices for themselves in their lives.

Spending the summer with this group of amazing youth has been an inspiring experience for me, and it has renewed my passion and commitment to nurturing the next generation of mental health professionals. For that, I have them to thank.

-Yuka

Presenting aplenty at AAPA and APA

The Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA) 2010 Annual Convention, "Expanding Our Horizons: The Next Decade in AAPI Psychology", took place on August 11 at University of San Diego, California. RAMS was well-represented at this illustrious annual event, with presentations from:

Dr. Katherine Eng, Psychologist at the Adult/Older Adult Outpatient Clinic:
"The Future in the Field: Effective Techniques and Programs in the Clinical Training of API serving clinicians", a panel presentation together with Helen Hsu & Jennifer Lee. The symposium presented best practice techniques and programs in the training of clinicians to work effectively with Asian American Pacific Islander populations.

Ulash Dunlap, Behavioral Health Counselor at the Wellness Centers program:
"Post-partum Depression Among Asian and Asian American Women: Cultural Considerations and Treatment", a panel presentation together with Juli Fraga and Denise Kwok. This session explored ways that mental health providers can provide better screening, early intervention, and clinical support for Postpartum Depression (PPD) among Asian and Asian American women.
and
"Creative and Culturally Responsive Outreach with South Asian American Populations" – DoSAA-sponsored, a panel presentation together with Nima Patel, Anjuli Amin and Razia Kosi. Therapists facilitated a discussion focused on building bridges to South Asian (SA) communities through the use of outreach services.

Poster sessions were also featured at the convention, including a presentation from RAMS and Alliant International University-CSPP, represented by Drs. Eddie Chiu, Director of Asian Family Institute, and Tai Chang from CSPP: "Training Asian American psychologists for the real world: Integrating program evaluation and clinical training in a community mental health setting" Chiu, E. Y., Ph.D., Chang, T., Ph.D., Okubo, Y., Ph.D., Adams, L. A., MA., Bassiri, K. G., MS., Kwan, K., Ph.D., Shea, C., MS.

The American Psychological Association (APA) 2010 Annual Convention took place immediately following the AAPA, August 12-15. RAMS staff Ulash Dunlap, together with co-presenters Anjuli Amin and Daisy Singla, gave a talk titled "South Asian Women through Multiple Lens: Health, School, and Religion/Culture". In an attempt to understand and shed light on the various acculturative processes that South Asian women encounter in their daily life, this symposium addressed three important areas for counselors to consider: school, health, and religion.

Let's give a round of applause to our distinguished presenters!

Photo credit: seretuaccidente on Flickr

And the winner is...

The RAMS Raffle fundraiser was a success!

The raffle drawing reception was held on August 12 at Vespa San Francisco, located at 1450 Franklin Street. Wine and light snacks were served, and attendees had the opportunity to admire the exotic & vintage car collection on the ground-level showroom. RAMS gratefully acknowledges Vespa San Francisco / Cars Dawydiak for hosting this reception, and Walter Dawydiak for his generous donation. Check out their website http://www.vespasf.com/.

The winning raffle tickets were drawn by Pete Surber, Sales & Operations Manager at VespaSF. The lucky winners are:

Hai-Yang Sun, Grand Prize of 2010 Vespa S50 Scooter

Ray Montella , 2nd place Prize of a night's stay at Hotel Vitale, and 2 tickets to Aquarium Of The Bay

Hoa Truong, 3rd place Prize of a Flip Ultra Video Camera and tripod

Kimya Rahnema, 4th place Prize of 2 show tickets to Yoshi's San Francisco

Congratulations to the winners! Thank you to all of the raffle participants and ticket buyers for your enthusiasm and your support!

Raffle Drawing at VespaSF on Thursday August 12

Less than one week to go until the Summer Scooter Sweepstakes contest draws to a close!

The raffle drawing reception shall be held at Vespa San Francisco, located at 1450 Franklin Street (between Fern St & Bush St), from 5:30-6:30pm. The actual raffle ticket drawing shall commence at 6:00pm sharp.

Winner names shall be drawn for four prizes:
- 4th prize: 2 show tickets to Yoshi's San Francisco
- 3rd prize: Flip Ultra Video camera
- 2nd prize: 1 night stay at Hotel Vitale and 2 tickets to Aquarium Of The Bay
and of course,
- Grand prize: A 2010 Vespa S50 Scooter

The prize winners do not need to be present to win, and will be notified on Friday August 13 if they are not at the reception in person.

For more details, check out our events page at www.ramsinc.org/events

Photo credit: carloalberto on Flickr