Interviewer: Your mental health department is like a hidden nugget. How are people referred to your services?

Response: They usually call here and we have people

here all day long taking those referrals and then sending off to Access[, an Assisted Access program which partners with the county]. They need to be medically eligible children from zero to twenty-one years old. We work with the whole family but the child has to be zero to twentyone, and they qualify for services through Access if they have straight medical.

Interviewer: And the last question: is there is a strong emphasis on working with the whole family? How many families do you serve? Response: We serve about 500 families a year, and that
is just in mental health. We would like the community to know that La Familia works with diverse culturesmany think its only Spanishmany diverse cultures here, and that we take pride in standing beside all of them in a partnership for success.

views and [their problems] affect their ability to conduct a decent interviewthey may be rejected over and over again but they keep coming and comingand that way we are able to build a relationship with them. Hopefully we are able to encourage their confidence and [get them to] accept some of the services. Encouragement is the biggest thing, and also helping them to realize that mental health is not an illness; basically its something that can help them to become a better person and to be able to gain employment. Take away the stigma of mental health; we use a different format. The cultures that are involved, the ones that are represented they are not expert mental health therapists or professionals; basically they will direct individuals to the resources and just getting them to that point can be a challenge. And sometimes it is getting the referral to mental health so they can go forward.

Lynn Keune, LMFT Lynn is clinical Director of LaFamilia Counseling Center and acts as the liaison to Sacramento County DHHS when working with the County. She is on the cultural Competence Committee at the County and System Wide Committee promoting cultural competence. She has a masters degree in Art Therapy and Family Therapy from Notre Dame de Namurs, CA., and a bachelors degree from the famous California College of the Arts in Oakland. She is licensed as a marriage and family therapist (MFT) and art therapist (ATR). Bilingual in Spanish and English.

Mission of La Familia Counseling Center, Inc.:

To improve the quality of life for at-risk youth and families of diverse backgrounds by offering multi-cultural counseling, support and outreach services and programs to help families to overcome adversity, to become empowered, and to succeed in their lives. Address: 5523 34th Street Sacramento, CA 95820 Tel (916) 452-3601 Web: www.lafcc.org

Interview was conducted by Ann Adams for the Empowerment Magazine.

Anne is currently working part time as a volunteer receptionist at the Wellness and Recover Center on Marconi Avenue. She has served as a board member and residential leader for the Sacramento Mutual Housing Association. She has worked for 15 years for law enforcement agencies at the state and county levels and she also has 4 years of working with children with learning disabilities. She is currently pursuing her education in Human Services from ARC with goal of transferring to Bethany University.

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

About one in five adults (ages 18 and older) has a diagnosable mental disorder. (National Institute of Mental Health) www.samhsa.gov