<p> The purpose of this grant project is to educate and train leaders within the Orthodox Jewish community to act as culturally sensitive first responders to mental health crises within the Orthodox Jewish community. Mental illness is highly stigmatized among this population. Having trained, trusted, and culturally sensitive community leaders capable of identifying individuals and families in need of mental health services increases the chances that they may use these supports. The proposed leadership training program consists of a series of psycho-educational training groups. The educational emphasis will be on understanding and identifying mental illness, educating leaders about stigma, and approaching community members in need of referrals. The Walter and Elise Hass Foundation is the identified potential funding source. A line-item budget and an evaluation tool are included in the proposed program. The actual submission or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of the project.</p>

<p> Stigma toward adults with serious mental illness involves labeling, stereotyping, separation, status loss and discrimination. Stigma has been linked to lowered self-esteem, social isolation and withdrawal, and lowered quality of life. As providers of treatment and services, it is fundamental that social work professionals have knowledge regarding serious mental illness and stigma. This quantitative study evaluated the attitudes of 87 Master of Social Work students attending California State University, Long Beach. Respondents completed the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27) which evaluated attitudes toward a schizophrenic man presented in a case vignette. Measurements of the nine subscales measuring stigma had a total possible range of 3-27. Results showed correlation between age and pity, differences between ethnicity and stigma subscales, and between stigma subscales and gender. This study contributes to the understanding of stigma toward adults with serious mental illness and shows the need for curriculum that addresses mental health, cultural diversity, and stigma.</p>

<p> The purpose of this research is to gain an understanding of the mental health needs of Latino university students particularly those who are participants of the AB 540 program by assessing their level of psychological distress. Comparing Latino college students who are AB 540 program participants to non-program participants will add to the social work knowledge base by providing information regarding the mental health service needs of AB 540 program participants. A survey was administered to determine if there was a difference in psychological distress, anxiety, and stress among documented Latino college students and Latino college students enrolled in the AB 540 program. According to the data that was collected and analyzed Latino AB 540 students reported experiencing more symptoms of depression and anxiety than Latinos who are not enrolled in the AB 540 program.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to develop a grant to obtain funding to train two San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health Department staff as certified instructors for the <i>Mental Health First Aid </i> program. These instructors will train staff in the San Luis Obispo County school districts with the goal of increasing the staffs knowledge, thus enabling them to respond better to the mental health needs of their students. This mental health training program covers: risk factors, symptoms, and the role of stigma in mental health issues, as well as resources and action plans. A literature review was completed on the prevalence of youth mental health issues, the effects of mental illness on youth, current youth mental health treatment, a school settings' role in dealing with these issues, early intervention services, and stigma. Actual submission and funding of the grant was not required for the successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to design a program, identify potential funding sources, and write a grant to fund a support group for spouses and partners of returning veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The diagnosis of PTSD is difficult for the individual and his or her loved ones as well. An extensive literature review increased the knowledge of PTSD and its affects on the veteran and his or her loved ones. A search was conducted for potential funding sources via the Internet, CSULB library, and other public libraries. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSA) was selected as the best funding source for this project. Information is provided about practices that assist spouses and/or partners of individuals diagnosed with PTSD, which were used in the program design. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> A majority of inpatients in acute psychiatric settings have histories of trauma, especially sexual violence. The purpose of this content analysis review of the periodical literature was to gain a better understanding of the issues faced by involuntarily held female survivors of rape and sexual assault within acute inpatient psychiatric settings and explore what existing inpatient trauma-informed training was in place. Often times, the external coping mechanisms for these individuals appear in the form of self-injurious behaviors, which are then responded to by professionals with the mindset of impending suicide. As the content analysis of the 30 reviewed studies demonstrated, the lack of education and training regarding the connections between sexual assault and coping mechanisms continues to be reflected in the modern interventions utilized within psychiatric settings. For this reason, a paradigm shift is warranted, so as to reduce the risk of re-traumatization for rape and sexual assault survivors under involuntary hold, within these institutions.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to write a grant proposal seeking funds for a program that utilizes service dogs as a supplementary intervention for veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The literature review addressed the prevalence of PTSD in the United States and among our veterans. In addition, PTSD challenges, risk factors, and direct consequences were explored. Pet therapy, service animals, and animal companionship were researched and reviewed to further analyze the effectiveness of their support with humans. </p><p> The service dog program will be implemented at The Veterans Affair (VA) Health Care System in Long Beach, California. The program seeks to provide additional support to veterans who are utilizing mental health services at the VA. The intervention is projected to have the following outcomes, decreased PTSD symptoms, increased community integration, and decreased feelings of suicidal ideation. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant were not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to write a grant proposal to create, implement, and test the effectiveness of an innovative support and psycho-educational group program for adult survivors of childhood maltreatment. This pilot program is geared to alleviate trauma related symptoms that impair their ability to be successful members of society. Adult survivors of childhood abuse and neglect are often times undetected and not considered as obvious targets for prevention and intervention programs. For this reason, this pilot program was named Interventional Strategies for Imperceptible Survivors of Childhood Maltreatment (ISISMA) to recap their increased need for mental health services and the need to strategize concurrent and comprehensive prevention and treatment approaches. </p><p> To address the gap in services and budgetary limitations, this pilot program was delineated to provide services in a group-community setting. It is tailored to mitigate their unique needs and challenges of this marginalized population living in Anaheim and surrounding areas. This pilot program is expected to be an innovative platform for planning, expansion, and implementation of other replicated support and psycho-educational group programs.</p>

<p> Auditory hallucinations or hearing voices is one symptom that individuals with schizophrenia may experience. Although the majority of people with schizophrenia may hear voices, the vast majority of voice hearers do not have schizophrenia. </p><p> This study interviewed 15 voice hearers residing in and around Long Beach, California. Each voice hearer participated in an in-depth interview to explore how they perceive their voices and to gather voice hearers' recommendations for mental health professionals.</p><p> The present study found that many voice hearers expressed a desire for mental health professionals and social workers just to "listen" to them without asserting opinions and judgment. This study also discusses social stigma as a treatment barrier to individuals who hear voices. The findings in this study suggest that more education on voice hearing is needed within the field of social work and mental health.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to develop a program that would deliver 3 years of mental health services to a charter school. The school selected for this project was Youth Opportunities High School (YOHS) in Watts, California. The program developed was Mental Health for Youth Opportunities (MHYO). MHYO was designed to provide one full-time, bilingual, master of social work (MSW) practitioner to YOHS for 3 years. The assigned practitioner will be responsible for individual therapy, group therapy, case management, and enrichment services. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant were not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.</p>