In its second year of full operation, the HPAL/USC Teaching Institute (TI), the first mental health/law enforcement teaching institute in the country established in 2016, has been an astounding success. HPAL and GIS hosted 10, USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work MSW (Master of Social Work) in HPAL’S TI. According to HPAL Executive Director Lorraine Garcia, “The 10 USC interns’ support and hard work have enabled HPAL to provide families with mental health services that otherwise would not be available. These interns provided 79 individuals with case management and 46 individuals with therapy, and volunteered over 5,500 hours at HPAL, supporting clients, HPAL staff and programs, and fund-raising activities.”
Providing expertise in their field of study to support GIS youth and families and other HPAL programs, interns represented USC departments including Children, Youth and Families (CYF), Adult Mental Health and Wellness (AMHW), and Social Change and Innovation (SCI).
CYF and AMHWA interns provided various services including case management; individual, family, and group therapy; and ongoing program support. USC interns used evidence-based and best practices like Motivational Interviewing, Problem-Solving Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. In addition, interns worked with local middle schools including Sheridan Street Elementary and Stevenson Middle School, assisting principals and counselors with supplemental counseling services for each school’s students.
The Interns worked closely with the Hollenbeck Police Station’s Psychiatric Emergency Team (PET), School Threat Assessment and Response Team (START), and the Mental Health Evaluation Unit (MEU) to assess suicidality (threat of suicide), when applicable, of HPAL clients and individuals who walked in to the Hollenbeck Station. The interns also participated in a series of USC-led Child Development Trainings to further enhanced their skills to work with HPAL families. This partnership fostered trusting relationships between interns, GIS families, and the police department.
The interns helped with the curriculum enhancement of HPAL’s Life Camera Action (LCA) Program to better engage students in the afterschool, technology-based program and helped in the graduation ceremonies/film festivals celebrating the success of LCA students.
Social Change and Innovation (SCI) interns shined in HPAL’s planned fundraising activities. In last year’s Giving Tuesday Campaign, SCI students and HPAL raised revenue by 600%. As HPAL management shared, “These talented students enhanced our social media marketing strategies 100%, and their ideas, branding, and promotions contributed to our 2018 Gala extraordinary success!”
HPAL/USC Mental Health Teaching Institute
In partnership with the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, the Teaching Institute (TI) brings together HPAL case managers, law enforcement personnel, and MSW interns to share best practices in service delivery to at-risk youth and their families.