Reflective Spaces, Material Places

RAMS is excited about the upcoming presentation for the Reflective Spaces / Material Places event this Saturday! As described on the NCSPP website:

In community mental health (CMH) work, clients will often receive long-term therapy through a multitude of clinicians. This practice involves practicum trainees, interns, and staff clinicians alike. Building rapport and establishing a therapeutic alliance becomes all the more difficult when needing to process crucial aspects of the end of the previous treatment. This dynamic is common to many public clinics, yet it can be under examined or dismissed as just part of the reality of CMH work. Clinicians in CMH settings encounter a shifting array of clinical and cultural dynamics and navigating both can be overwhelming, particularly when acting as a replacement therapist.

Peggy Kim, a counselor at RAMS, will discuss a case focused on an adolescent with shifting identities, whose sense of belonging is compromised, and reality and fantasy mix together. Peggy will discuss her experience of being the “replacement therapist” and will be joined, in this presentation, by Yuka Hachiuma, director of Child, Youth & Family Outpatient Services at RAMS, who is Peggy’s supervisor. Yuka and Peggy have the added experience of transferring long-term clients to each other. Together, they will invite us all to think about how our cultural worlds and clinical sensibilities combine, intersect, and diverge when seeing transfer clients. As is the norm for RSMP events, all participants will share in a lively group discussion. 

DATE: Saturday, November 8, 2014
TIME: 2:00 - 4:00 pm
PLACE: A Better Way, 1663 Mission Street Suite 460 San Francisco, CA 94110

Attendance is free but registration is required (click HERE to register)

Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology, together with the Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California (PINC) and Access Institute for Psychological Services, are co-presenting this event.

Photo credit -  Rachel James on Flickr

This presentation is part of the Reflective Spaces / Material Places event series, collaboratively created by the three organizations listed above as a way to "to bring community-based work together with psychoanalytic thinking" in response to "an even greater need to carve out spaces, both within our minds as clinicians and within our places of practice, to reflect on our work and connect with one another."
Dr. David Cushman, clinical staff at RAMS, is chair of the organizing committee.

This event is open to all community mental health providers, licensed mental health professionals, graduate students in training, as well as members of the lay public who have an interest in psychoanalytic psychology.

Free Showing of an award-winning movie that pries the lid off a cultural taboo

An Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) family trying to make the best of their circumstances. A wife haunted by traumatic memories of her past. A husband battling his own issues while having to keep his job, his sanity and his marriage together. A very realistic but truly sympathetic portrayal of mental illness that affects many Filipino households.

Mga Anino ng Kahapon (Shadows of the Past) starring Agot Isidro and TJ Trinidad is an acclaimed landmark film about a family's heart-wrenching journey through mental illness juxtaposed against the lingering traumas of martial law and the challenges of OFWs.

The movie directed by Alvin B. Yapan earned the Special Jury Prize at the Metro Manila Film Festival New Wave Division and won Agot Isidro the Best Actress award for the same division.

Mga Anino ng Kahapon will be shown for the first time in the Bay Area for FREE.
Date: Saturday, October 25, 2014 
Time: 4:30pm-7:00pm 
Location: Skyline College (Building 4, Room 4148) 3300 College Drive, San Bruno, CA 94066
The movie is in Tagalog with English subtitles.

Sponsored by Positively Filipino, the Filipino Mental Health Initiative of San Mateo (FMHISMC) and RAMS Inc., a nonprofit mental health agency serving Asian Americans, the film screening will be followed by a Q&A led by Dr. Jei Africa of FMHISMC with the special participation of Manila-based journalist and mental health advocate Cathy Sanchez-Babao, who was instrumental in the making of this movie.

The public is invited. Light refreshments will be served.

Seats are limited to please RSVP immediately to fmhismc@gmail.com or at gemma@positivelyfilipino.com.

To view the flyer below, right-click and select any option to "Open"

Mental Health First Aid training in Tagalog and English on October 26

RAMS' Asian & Pacific Islander Mental Health Collaborative is pleased to announce that its community collaborator, San Francisco Filipino Mental Health Initiative, will be continuing and offering another Mental Health First Aid course in Tagalog and English.
 
When a mental health crisis happens, people are often wondering what to do and generally unable to detect early signs of mental health issues. Mental Health First Aid training addresses these questions and offers participants with the knowledge & skills to recognize warning signs, how to assess a mental health crisis, and how to act during the crisis situation.  The course will train seniors, caregivers, and community members.  The training is FREE, sponsored by RAMS and funded by Mental Health Services Act through Community Behavioral Health Services-San Francisco Department of Public Health.

When: Sunday, October 26, 2014, 9:00am to 5:00pm 
Where: Bayanihan Center, 1010 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Lunch and light snacks will be provided.
For more information, and if you are interested in this training, please contact Joyce Vives-Diloy, MSW, Filipino Cultural & Language Specialist at the San Francisco Filipino Mental Health Initiative, at: sfofmhi@gmail.com

Space is limited, please RSVP to sfofmhi@gmail.com by October 20 to reserve your spot.

According to the National Council on Behavioral Health:

WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID?  Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour course that introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health concerns, builds understanding of their impact, and overviews common treatments. The course uses role-playing and simulations to demonstrate how to assess a mental health crisis; select interventions and provide initial help; and connect persons to professional, peer and social supports as well as self-help resources. Mental Health First Aid allows for early detection and intervention by teaching participants about the signs and symptoms of specific illnesses like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and addictions. The program offers concrete tools and answers key questions like “What can I do?” and “Where can someone find help?” Participants are introduced to local mental health resources, national organizations, support groups, and online tools for mental health and addictions treatment and support. 

WHY MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID?  One in five Americans has a mental illness and many are reluctant to seek help or might not know where to turn for care. The symptoms of mental illness can be difficult to detect — even when friends and family of someone who appears to be developing a mental illness can tell that something is amiss, they may not know how to intervene or direct the person to proper treatment – which means that all too often, those in need of mental health services do not get them until it is too late. As a society, we largely remain ignorant about the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses, and we ignore our role as responsible community members to help people experiencing these illnesses. 

To view the flyers below, right-click and select any option to "Open"

RAMS participates in NIMH and SAMHSA webinar & roundtable discussion

RAMS participated, as a primary discussant, in the invitational roundtable discussion & webinar event on, “Practice-Based Research and Implementation: Developing a Framework for Collaboration to Reduce Mental Health Disparities” on September 25, 2014. The Office for Research on Disparities and Global Mental Health of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Office of Behavioral Health Equity in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) were the hosts and sponsoring entities for this webinar event & discussion.

The objective of this webinar was to enhance understanding of the development of behavioral health services collaboration approaches that accelerate the dissemination of research-based mental health treatments into communities. There was a focus on the importance of utilizing practice based data to identify trends in mental health care disparities for members of the racial and ethnic minority groups and rural populations as collaborations are developed. The event was an opportunity to learn from researchers, practitioners, community providers and leaders on how best to develop research-practice partnerships to increase access to and the availability of culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services. The conversations was to set the stage for thinking about ways to align efforts underway in NIMH and SAMHSA to address disparities in mental health outcomes across diverse populations.

 In an effort to generate conversations that will lead to an action plan, RAMS was invited to share our experiences, ideas, and solutions on implementing mental health services & treatment that have helped to reduce mental health disparities, challenges faced in implementing mental health services & treatment to reducing mental health disparities, and ways that those challenges could become opportunities to address mental health disparities.

RAMS is grateful for the generous invitation to present and have the opportunity to share what we have done and are working on with the wider healthcare audience & community-at-large.

Check out SAMHSA's 2015-2018 Strategic Plan, a new strategic plan outlining six Strategic Initiatives focused on leading change to better meet the behavioral health care needs of individuals, communities, and service providers.  The document in its entirety can be downloaded HERE.

"Depression: Pathways to Resilience and Recovery" event on September 13

The UCSF Depression Center and its Community Advisory Board (of which RAMS is a member), the UCSF Department of Psychiatry, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will present "Depression: Pathways to Resilience and Recovery," a day-long event looking at the diagnosis, treatment, and impact of depression this Saturday (September 13) at UCSF's Cole Hall.

The symposium will feature a multitude of workshops on topics such as advances in treatment, depression’s impact on relationships, online tools for assessment and treatment, suicide prevention, and strategies for self-care and supporting loved ones. The event will also feature presentations by California Highway Patrol officer and "Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge" Sgt. Kevin Briggs, suicide attempt survivor Kevin Berthia, and director/writer/producer David Zucker.

 "Depression: Pathways to Resilience and Recovery" is free and open to the public, but advance registration is requested. To find out more program details, download the flyer, and register now, visit psych.ucsf.edu/depression2014.


To view the  flyer below, right-click and select any option to "Open".

Summertime and The Learnin’ is Easy (and Over)

Today's guest post is from Danni Biondini, MA, Behavioral Health Counselor at RAMS who also serves as the Program Coordinator for the Summer Bridge program, which is 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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RAMS Summer Bridge has completed its fifth summer! A diverse group of youth, between the ages of 16-19, graduated from this MHSA-funded workforce development program. The program culminated in a graduation ceremony at California Institute of Integral Studies on Thursday, July 31st. The participants celebrated with their families, as well as RAMS staff/administration. Each of the 25 participants received a certificate of completion, as well as a stipend check for their involvement.

Over the course of the 8-week program, the participants learned about working in the field of Psychology and the helping professions. Through guest speakers and field trips, they met with licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and professional clinical counselors. One of the highlights of the program was the field trip to Psychiatric Emergency Services at San Francisco General Hospital, where the participants saw firsthand what it’s like to work in a psychiatric emergency room. Another participant cited visiting the RAMS Fu Yau Project as her favorite experience, since learning about preschool mental health consultation strengthened her resolve to become a child psychologist.

 Besides learning about the various paths to working in the mental health field, the participants were introduced to basic listening and counseling skills, ideas about stigma and the origins of mental illness, and strategies for practicing self-care. They presented final projects on some of the topics that interested them more, including: eating disorders, the intergenerational transmission of trauma.

The youth developed strong relationships with each other, with the three peer mentors, and with the three staff members. One of the most notable comments that the staff received was that

Summer Bridge was the only place some of these youth have ever felt comfortable to be themselves. 

More than just an opportunity to learn, this program provided a new template for social experiences with peers.

 Now, the participants will return to high school, or head off to college, with this new knowledge about steps to take for their futures. All participants are invited to join Youth Council, the youth advisory board for RAMS, which meets throughout the school year. After the program ended, Summer Bridge hosted an end-of-summer reunion for this year’s cohort to meet previous cohorts. To further build upon and sustain lasting relationships, Summer Bridge will host another reunion in the winter.

For more details about this program, visit http://www.ramsinc.org/summerbridge.html

Introducing the Awardees of the 2014 Staff Awards for Outstanding Service

RAMS is delighted to announce the awardees of the second annual Staff Awards for Outstanding Service!

To be considered for this recognition, anyone working at RAMS may be nominated by anyone within the agency. A diverse committee representing staff and management personnel reviewed all nomination submissions.

The awardees were announced during the July 2014 all-staff meeting, at which they were presented with a certificate. Awardees were also given a cash prize.

Consumer/Community Advocate Award: This award honors an individual who has been an outstanding voice for consumer empowerment by promoting client centered decision-making & change, access to information & resources, and creating relationships that foster hope, safety, and a sense of self-efficacy. S/he is mindful not only of consumer needs, but also of the needs of the larger community. S/he goes above and beyond the “call of duty”, outside her/his regular responsibilities to advocate on the behalf of the organization, consumers, their communities, and the “cause” at large.

Awardee: Claudia Molina, BA
Ms. Claudia Molina is a bicultural & bilingual Spanish-speaking Empowerment Services Coordinator of the Peer Counseling Services Program. Over the years based at Mission Mental Health Clinic (SFDPH), she has been a dynamic and strong advocate for the consumers. She has always gone above & beyond to support and link consumers to housing, legal, and other community supports based on their needs. She is extremely resourceful and always shares her wealth of knowledge & information to benefit others.






Excellence in Service & Cultural Competency Award: This award honors a skilled & compassionate individual who exemplifies the values and ideals of RAMS’ mission in her/his work & interaction with staff, consumers, and the community. S/he has given superior, sustained commitment to quality services, along with unwavering dedication to serve the organization (including other staff, consumers & their communities) with professionalism, integrity, respect, and humility. This individual is not only skilled at what s/he does, but also values diversity, is able to conduct self-assessments, manage & embrace the dynamics of difference, acquire new cultural knowledge, and adapt to the cultural context of the people s/he serves. S/he has a lasting positive impact on the organization and the communities.

Awardee: Kathleen Gonzales, RN 
Ms. Kathleen Gonzales is a bicultural & bilingual Tagalog-speaking Nurse Manager at Broderick Street Adult Residential Facility. She exhibits diligence; she actively and empathically listens to others; she gives time to and seeks out input & ideas from the nursing and counseling teams as well as treats all the residents/clients with deep respect and empathy. She brings knowledge of her background to her work with the Asian Pacific American residents/clients as well as the issues that concern & affect the staff/supervisees. Furthermore, in her position she frequently communicates with counselors - seeking out all culturally relevant treatment information and ensures the nursing team is aware of and understands them. There have been many instances of resident/client issues that involved cultural dynamics and she consistently offered her insights & suggestions during case conferences/team meetings as well as sought feedback with humility. She has made a positive impact at RAMS and in the lives of the residents/clients.


Rising Star/Leadership Award: The award honors an individual that has shown exceptional promise in leadership by demonstrating their skills within the organization and our communities. S/he has shown accomplishments in improving the operations of a program, the administrative/supportive functions, and/or the lives of consumers and community we serve using an effective and efficient approach. This individual leads the way with fresh energy, strong ability, and steadfast commitment.

Awardee: Richard Zevin, LCSW
Mr. Richard Zevin is a bilingual Spanish-speaking Program Manager of San Francisco Achievement Collaborative Team (SF-ACT) of the Wellness Centers Program, where he oversees the clinical component of an innovative juvenile drug court treatment program, located at Civic Center Secondary School. He also provides clinical supervision for RAMS social work staff and interns in a variety of programs throughout the agency. He has demonstrated exceptional commitment to RAMS as shown through his service in four different positions at four programs since he was first hired (i.e., as Treatment Coordinator at Bridge To Wellness, Behavioral Health Counselor at Wellness Centers Program, Senior Behavioral Health Counselor at PAES Counseling & Pre-Vocational Services, and currently as SF-ACT Program Manager). As the Program Manager he bridges the communication between high school administration, the juvenile justice system, and the Department of Public Health. He has a unique ability to communicate with people from different walks of life; through his passion & ability to connect with at-risk youth; his professionalism; his warmth; and his exceptional clinical skills. He truly is a contributor to RAMS and our community’s continued success.

Congratulations to the awardees! RAMS is pleased to be able to have this annual recognition for its staff.

Click HERE to view awardees from the previous year.