Funding Bolsters Community Service Initiatives

Fueled by grants from highly competitive public and private funding sources, The Chicago School has taken major strides in its commitment to addressing the needs of marginalized populations. Three recently announced awards will increase the school’s outreach exponentially, supporting projects to prepare culturally competent mental health practitioners for Chicago’s rapidly growing Latino population, dramatically expand the school’s model of communityengaged education, and provide outreach to returning veterans and their families.

Latino Mental Health
The vision that led to the 2008 establishment of The Chicago School’s Center for Latino Mental Health (CLMH) took a step closer to realization with a grant from the Chicago Community Trust that will fund the creation of a Latino Mental Health Providers Network. In implementing the initiative, CMLH will collaborate with Latinoserving community agencies and healthcare professionals to develop workshops and mentoring opportunities, and to assist a cadre of mental health professionals in meeting the unique needs of Latinos.

“Studies have shown that therapists who participate in cultural sensitivity training provide more effective treatment to ethnic minority populations,” said Dr. Hector Torres, CLMH coordinator and assistant professor of clinical counseling. “The better the experience Latinos have with mental health care, the more likely the population is to benefit from the services that are available.”

Last year the Surgeon General reported that fewer than one in 20 Latino immigrants with mental disorders contact mental health specialists for care. Exacerbating the issue— and underscoring the need for practitioners who are sensitive to the unique needs and concerns of Latino immigrants—the National Council for LaRaza has reported that even when Latinos do access services, 70 percent never return after the first visit.

In addition to building a pipeline for professionals who understand and can address the reluctance of many Latinos to seek or accept psychological services, the network will place Chicago School clinical counseling interns and at least 75 student volunteers in agencies that serve the Latino community. Together they will deliver more than 8,000 service hours working with clients and staff. The project will also engage in public awareness, research, and outreach to coordinate and strengthen efforts of grassroots agencies with limited staff and capacity.

The network responds to a critical shortage of psychology and counseling professionals qualified to meet the needs of a population considered at high risk for depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Experts estimate that there are only 29 Latino mental health providers for every 100,000 Latinos in the United States. Few areas could benefit more from this initiative than Chicago, which counts Latinos as its fastest-growing population, representing one of every four Chicagoland residents.

Working closely with Dr. Torres on project implementation will be Roberto Lopez-Tamayo, a 2009 graduate of the Clinical Counseling program who will assume the role of Latino mental health network coordinator. Lopez-Tamayo has already begun reaching out to area nonprofit agencies, with the goal of recruiting a minimum of 30 members to the project.

“I’m sure we’re going to have many more than 30,” Dr. Torres said. “There is no other network like this in the area that specifically meets this need.”

Community Partnerships

The first position to go when budgets get cut is the volunteer coordinator. These organizations rely heavily on volunteers but need someone to oversee their efforts.

The model of community-engaged scholarship that has twice landed The Chicago School on the President’s Community Service Honor Roll received a financial shot in the arm in September when the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) awarded the school a $581,884 Learn and Serve America grant. The funding— which comes at a critical time for Chicago’s underserved populations—will allow The Chicago School to extend community engagement opportunities to more than 1,100 graduate psychology students and directly impact the service gaps left by recent cuts to nonprofit agency budgets.

The grant will provide the resources to significantly increase the number of service hours provided by Chicago School students through course-based service-learning projects, community- based research, and community service activities. It also will expand the number of local organizations that benefit from community engaged scholarship activities overseen by the Office of Community Partnerships (OCP). Currently, OCP partners with about 70 agencies and businesses to fulfill service needs, evaluate the effectiveness of organizational initiatives, and build the capacity of human service agencies throughout the Chicago area.

Community service volunteers work as tutors, mentors, and psychoeducational group leaders, while students engaged in community-based research collaborate with partner agencies to analyze service delivery issues, research potential solutions, and develop plans for evaluating implementation. Service-learning courses— another OCP initiative that will expand with the help of the federal grant—incorporate outreach into the curriculum. Through existing courses, students work with parents involved in child malpractice situations, counsel ex-offenders as they reintegrate into the community, and assist teachers in underserved schools. Fifty new service-learning courses and 24 student-led initiatives—all aimed at helping social service agencies better serve their clients—will be implemented with the grant.

The project will also focus on leadership development, identifying a cohort of students to organize and manage volunteer activities at targeted agencies.

“The first position to go when budgets get cut is the volunteer coordinator,” Dr. Sayaka Machizawa, assistant director of community partnerships,” said. “These organizations rely heavily on volunteers but need someone to oversee their efforts.” To address this issue, the grant includes stipends for eight student leaders, each of whom will organize and manage volunteer activities at a partner agency. Dr. Machizawa emphasizes the systems focus of grant activities, which will result in being more than a “band-aid” solution.

“Traditionally, psychology has had a tendency to focus on an individual level of intervention,” said Dr. Machizawa.“Our engagement model aims higher. It takes a more systems and community-oriented approach to solving problems. Our goal is that the activities will have a long-term impact.”

The new project dovetails with The Chicago School’s long-held mission of training extraordinary psychology professionals while providing service to the community. Its history of community partnerships dates back to 1995 when it established a collaboration with Erie Neighborhood House, a joint venture that to date has provided training opportunities for dozens of Chicago School students and dramatically increased Erie’s service delivery capacity.

Family Reintegration
A third grant, the Yellow Ribbon Project funded by the Michael Reese Health Trust, is described in the Giving Back section of this issue.