Read about how we've prioritized mental health care during the month of May and beyond
Dear John,
To cap off Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re highlighting our efforts to fight stigma, provide support, educate the public, and advocate for policies that support mental health for currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families.
37% of people in state and federal prisons ([link removed]) have been diagnosed with a mental illness and more than 60% of people with a history of mental illness do not receive mental health treatment while incarcerated. Without the proper social safety nets and care systems in place, too often people with mental illnesses end up in jails or prisons. This must end.
Here at ARC, we believe in a holistic approach to wellness and we understand the importance of addressing the root causes of mental illness, including trauma experienced during incarceration. Not only does our system lock up those with mental illnesses at incredibly high rates, but incarceration often creates and worsens symptoms of mental illness. Research shows that incarceration is linked to various mood disorders ([link removed]) including major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, and these rates are even higher when considering people who were placed in solitary confinement.
Further, mental illness can impact an individual’s ability to obtain employment, maintain stable housing, and connect with a social support system. However, when quality care is administered, people are able to live healthy, fulfilling lives.
Make a gift today to help us provide therapy and wellness services to our formerly incarcerated Members. ([link removed])
In order to combat this, we recently launched our Clinical & Wellness Services Department, which builds and supports innovative and evidence-based programs that integrate trauma-informed care, whole-person care, and mindfulness. Addressing the mental health and emotional needs of our 1,700+ members works in tandem with our comprehensive reentry approach: stable housing, financial literacy, education, and employment are also cornerstones of successful reentry. We know that providing these basic needs is the first step, as lessening these burdens will allow people to prioritize their mental wellness.
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Our clinical staff of licensed and provisionally licensed therapists and our team of MSW interns support members who are experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma-related disorders, substance use disorders, and adjustment issues related to returning home from confinement. To provide them with the best level of care, our staff undergo trainings including: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Problem Solving Therapy, Mental Health First Aid, Suicide Awareness, Trauma-Informed Practices, Addressing PTSD & Substance Use Disorders, Motivational Interviewing, Reaching Teens: Homeless Youth in the Context of Trauma, and Advanced Approaches to Working with System Impacted Youth.
During the pandemic, we have been able to offer continued individual therapy via telehealth platforms, around 15 weekly virtual support groups, several in-person socially distant support groups, with over 3,000 unique sign-ons in the last year.
Over the last few years, we have also built strong partnerships with in-house Community Health Workers from St. Johns Wellness Child and Family Clinic (SJWCFC) as well as Black Women for Wellness, because we know cultural humility and shared lived experience is of the utmost importance for service providers. In addition, our Wellness program assists members with identifying opportunities for career advancement through various training and educational services, including career tracks in Drug and Alcohol Counseling through a partnership with East Los Angeles College.
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We believe that mental health care should not be a privilege but a right to which everyone deserves to have access, which is why we prioritize these services for our Members and for those reintegrating into their communities. Making mental health a priority works to prevent incarceration and to reduce recidivism rates. Support us and our Members by making a gift today. ([link removed])
DONATE NOW ([link removed])
Thank you for considering the importance of mental health & wellness for everyone,
Ellen Goldwasser
Clinical and Wellness Director
Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC)
P.S. In case you’d like to learn more about our services and hear directly from our Members, take a listen to our recent Fireside Chat about our Clinical Therapy & Wellness Services Program, which can be found here: [link removed]. ([link removed])
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