Mental Health Care Observation Report

Shortly after graduation I moved to Atlanta, Georgia. I began working for a mental health clinic as part of a non-profit organization, Cetpa. The mission of the organization was to provide and educate people in the community with mental health services regardless of their native language. I worked along the side of bilingual individuals; Spanish, Portuguese, French and English. During my time in this organization I realized the immense language barrier people in the community encountered along with the importance of family systems. My placement in Title 1 schools meant many of the students were from low income families and this was another battle for families. My role was to provide basic skills training following a treatment plan created by
the therapist. This is where I learned the most about my professional and personal interests. I want to help and make a difference in families while breaking the cultural and language barrier to the best of my ability. Most of the time families expressed their comfort in having someone to listen and understand in their language without feeling judged. Hearing such simple statements was somewhat heartbreaking knowing something so little made such a big difference. Recently, I have joined the school system as a Migrant Coordinator / Family Engagement Specialist. In specific, I work closely with migrant families whose students attend my assigned school district.