Peer Specialist Mental Health Certificate -- Now Accepting Applications for Spring 2014 Class

RAMS, in collaboration with SFSU, is excited to announce that the Peer Specialist Mental Health Certificate Program is currently accepting applications for the Spring 2014 Class!
 
Funded by the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), the Peer Specialist Mental Health Certificate Program provides a 12-week long training for consumers of behavioral health services or family members who are interested in becoming peer counselors/peer specialists in the field of community behavioral health.

We are looking for individuals who are:

• at least 18 years old
• residents of San Francisco
• have completed at least a high school level education or GED
• current or past consumers of behavioral health services and/or family members
• interested in helping others in the community behavioral health setting

Application and course timeline is as follows:

• Tuesday, January 7th - Application Release
• Tuesday, January 21st - Optional Program Open House (see image below for details)
• Friday, February 14th @ 5:00pm - Application Deadline
• Week of March 10th - Notification of Application Status
• Friday, March 21st - Registration Forms Due for accepted applicants
• Tuesday, April 1st - 1st Day of Class
• Thursday, June 19th - Graduation Ceremony

 

OPEN HOUSE FLYER (Right-click and select any option to "Open")

Kindly distribute this to those in your network and your consumer community, as applicable.

Please feel free to contact Program Coordinator, Shana Averbach, LMFT at (415) 668-5955 x386 or shanaaverbach@ramsinc.org should you have any questions.
Program brochures & application forms are also available for download at: http://www.ramsinc.org/peer.php

We look forward to receiving the applications, Spring 2014 class, and beginning of another great cohort!

Greetings from RAMS

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy and healthy holiday season from all of us at RAMS!

There is no Health without MENTAL HEALTH!

CARF surveys for the holidays

The Commission for Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) surveyors shall be visiting RAMS Hire-Ability Vocational Services on December 11 & 12 for our re-accreditation.  CARF accreditation is a process that demonstrates a provider has met standards for the quality of its services.  We are proud to have received in 2010 the maximum 3-year accreditation that is awarded to agencies, and we are looking forward to demonstrating our strengths and dedication to our work and community at the upcoming visit.

Founded in 1966, CARF International is an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services in the following areas:

• Aging Services
• Behavioral Health
• Opioid Treatment Programs
• Business and Services Management Networks
• Child and Youth Services
• Employment and Community Services
• Vision Rehabilitation
• Medical Rehabilitation
• DMEPOS (Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies) 

The CARF family of organizations currently accredits close to 50,000 programs and services at more than 22,000 locations. More than 8 million persons of all ages are served annually by more than 6,500 CARF-accredited service providers. CARF accreditation extends to countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.   This prestigious accreditation signals a service provider's commitment to continually improving services, encouraging feedback, and serving the community. Click HERE to read more about the accreditation process.

Bay Area Typhoon Recovery Benefit for the Philippines on November 22

With each passing day, more news and heartbreaking personal stories of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda's terrible aftermath reach us in the Bay Area, especially affecting friends and families of those who are victims of this disaster.

As part of the API Circle, RAMS is joining efforts with the community in the Bay Area Typhoon Recovery Benefit for the Philippines, to provide recovery aid and disaster relief in the impacted towns in the Philippines. Your contributions at the door will go directly to the Save the Children.

Additional Organizations will be present to receive generous donations of your choice:

• ABS-CBN Foundation International 
• Feed the Hungry 
• Global Fund for Women 

WHERE:  Drake Lounge, 508 4th Street @ Bryant Street, San Francisco
WHEN: Friday, November 22, 6:00pm - 11:00pm

Social Happy Hour – 6pm
Program – 8:30pm
Fashion Show & Auction – 10pm
Suggested minimum $20 door donations will benefit SAVE THE CHILDREN, an organization helping children and families suffering from the devastation. www.savethechildren.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1435130933372846/
Evite: http://www.evite.com/event/03C4SHLCRP2TOYK54EPDKAWLVIJZXA

Right-click the image below and select any option to "Open" to view in larger format.

EVENT ORGANIZERS Steven Lee, Keesa Ocampo & Rebecca Delgado-Rottman 

FASHION SHOW & AUCTION Viola Bao, Constance Ng, Mimi Tran 

HOST COMMITTEE (in formation): Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Senator Leland Yee, Assm. Rob Bonta, Assm. Phil Ting, Hon. David Chiu, Hon. Malia Cohen, Hon. Matt Haney, Hon. Ash Kalra, Hon. Fiona Ma, Hon. Manufou Anoa’i, Hon. Carmen Colet, Hon. Al Perez, Hon. Tony Thurmond, Hon. Tamiko Wong, Hon. Cindy Wu, Hon. Irene Yee Riley 
Vince Aguilar, Ana Apodaca, Viola Bao, Shadi Bazouzi, Ajay Bhutoria, John Bozeman, Brian Brennan, Edwin Camarao, Jay Chen, Henry Chu, Bonita Chun, Nicole Collins, Sonia Delen, Chris Do, Ted Fang, Marquesa Finch, Taiko Fuj, Christina Fuller, Alex Fung, Eric Golangco, Rick Gutierrez, Dan & Nancy Harrington, Daryl Higashi, Grace Horikiri, Larry Hufana, Albert Hwu, Richard Jue, Mike Kim, Constances Kim Ng, Tony Kutulas, JJ Lara, Jonathan Leong, Angie Louie, Mary Ann Lumba, Meghan Doran Macaluso, Kevin L. Nichols, John Nunes, Michael Orange, Suluagi Aliiva’a Palega, Rick Quan, Rochele Reyes, Roger Royse, Charisse Swartzburg, Mimi Tran, Mark Trang, Vana Tu-Mak, Kingston Wu, Aurora Young, Mona Zhao, Xu Zi Wei 
APAPA-SF Chapter, API Circle, Asian Business League (ABL-SF), AsianWeek Foundation, Books for the Barrios, Drink for a Cause, Hawai'i Chamber of Commerce of Northern California, NAAAP, Nihonmachi Street Fair Committee, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, OCA - San Francisco Bay Chapter, Pacific Islander Community Partnerships, TAP-SF, The Luna Co.

In The News: San Francisco Achievement Collaborative Team (SF-ACT)

On October 15th, RAMS took a lead role in the launch event for the San Francisco Achievement Collaborative Team (SF-ACT).  SF-ACT is an innovative juvenile drug court treatment program, a partnership among RAMS; the San Francisco Superior Court; San Francisco Unified School District; the Juvenile Probation Department; the Department of Children, Youth and Families; the Department of Public Health; the Office of the District Attorney; the Office of the Public Defender; Catholic Charities CYO; and Seneca Center’s AIIM Higher program. The program is located at the Civic Center Secondary School, 727 Golden Gate Avenue.

RAMS SF-ACT Program Manager Richard Zevin speaks to some of the attendees,
including San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon (at far right)

RAMS is the lead treatment provider in this collaborative, and will start to provide individual, group, and family services following the end of the school day on October 21st. The launch event was an opportunity for the many different agencies involved to celebrate the beginning of a program unlike any other in the nation – a program that we hope can become a model for the nation.

(Right to Left) SF-ACT Program Manager Richard Zevin, LCSW; SF-ACT clinical staff Ernest Brown, PhD, and Danae Carvacho, MS, (not pictured: Dennielle Kronenberg, MA), and RAMS Director of Behavioral Health Services at the Wellness Centers Kristin Chun, LMFT.

SF-ACT focuses resources on rehabilitation, collaborative team decision-making, an emphasis on therapy and recovery, and a commitment from youth and their families to undergo an intensive outpatient treatment program designed to end the cycle of substance abuse and delinquent behavior.

Here is a feature presented by KTVU Channel 2 News, which covered the event:



If you are unable to view the video, click HERE to be redirected to KTVU's website.

To read the full text of the video transcription, click HERE.

Trauma, Grief, and Loss... and Wellness

In times when groups of students are affected by community violence, grief and/or loss, RAMS provides Trauma, Grief & Loss Counseling to provide roving crisis support as part of the Wellness Centers Program therapeutic services at the high school sites.

Our counseling staff is able to provide debriefing, short to long term support groups, trainings to parents & teachers, and clinical consultation to other providers. We are pleased to share the latest “research snapshot” about our positive impact on addressing the trauma, grief, and loss that high school students have experienced as well as how we have supported them in the process of healing & growth.

 View the document by clicking on the image below to enlarge (right-click and select any options to "Open").

Remembering William Kwok

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Mr. William (Willy) Kwok, Employment Consultant at RAMS Hire-Ability Vocational Services.

Mr. Kwok passed away on Sunday, August 4, 3013 after a heroic & graceful battle with cancer. Throughout, he always remained positive, hopeful, strong, and accepting of his destiny. He always cared for others and even made sure those around him knew that he has had a good life, so no one needed to worry for him. We were truly blessed to know & work with him for the past six years and be touched by his generosity.
 

William Y. Kwok
August 27, 1946 - August 4, 2013

Mr. Kwok was a graduate of the London University in England, with a professional degree in law. He practiced law in the 1970s & 1980s, and shifted focus to working in international corporate business through the 1990s, while actively volunteering at various social services organizations in Hong Kong and Korea. He moved to the US in 2001, working in the legal field in San Francisco. He was very much interested in working to serve the community, which is when he was introduced to RAMS. Driven by his long-time interest in serving populations in need, he left the legal and corporate world to begin a new phase of his life as a community service provider & an Employment Consultant at RAMS Hire-Ability in July 2007.
 
He was such an outstanding & stellar staff member. He always brought everyone together in a positive way and reached out to everyone to provide his support. He was so kind and humble, always making personal connections & being such a positive reinforcement & motivating force for others. As an Employment Consultant, he worked so diligently on helping our consumers with getting employment and then assisting them in maintaining their jobs. Willy was a really wonderful job developer who will be missed greatly in the field of vocational rehabilitation. He always met the job placement goals and went way above & beyond it, setting a great example which was very hard to follow. He worked with so many employers tirelessly advocating for the consumers and was so successful in getting our consumers employed in the community. He created so many opportunities for our consumers, empowering them, lifting up their spirits, and believing in/focusing on their wellness & strengths.

His expertise, talents, boundless positive energy, compassion, and empathetic nature, as well as his fluency in Mandarin, Cantonese, and Shanghainese, was a great asset to RAMS and our Hire-Ability Vocational Services program. Mr. Kwok was also honored & recognized with a Certificate at an agency-wide function for his contributions to Hire-Ability, RAMS, and community mental health.

We offer our sincere condolences to the Kwok and Sing Family and letting them know we are here for them & offering our support in any way possible.

He will be missed greatly, but he will never be forgotten. His legacy will live on at RAMS and we will always keep the memories & his spirit alive.  Rest in Peace Dear Willy!

With utmost respect, admiration, and affection for Mr. Kwok. 
 - Richmond Area Multi-Services