1. Interviewer: Your mental health department is
like a hidden nugget. How are people referred to
your services?
Response: They usually call here and we have people
here all day long taking those referrals and then sending
off to Access[, an Assisted Access program which part-
ners with the county]. They need to be medically eligible
children from zero to twenty-one years old. We work with
the whole family but the child has to be zero to twenty-
one, and they qualify for services through Access if they
have straight medical.
Interviewer: And the last question: is there is a
strong emphasis on working with the whole fam-
ily? How many families do you serve?
Response: We serve about 500 families a year, and that
is just in mental health. We would like the community to
know that La Familia works with diverse cultures—many
think it’s only Spanish—many diverse cultures here, and
that we take pride in standing beside all of them in a part-
nership for success.
views and [their problems] affect their ability to conduct a decent Lynn Keune, LMFT
interview—they may be rejected over and over again but they Lynn is clinical Director of LaFamilia Counseling
keep coming and coming—and that way we are able to build a Center and acts as the liaison to Sacramento
relationship with them. Hopefully we are able to encourage their County DHHS when working with the County. She is
confidence and [get them to] accept some of the services. Encour- on the cultural Competence Committee at the
agement is the biggest thing, and also helping them to realize that County and System Wide Committee promoting cul-
mental health is not an illness; basically it’s something that can tural competence. She has a master’s degree in Art
help them to become a better person and to be able to gain em- Therapy and Family Therapy from Notre Dame de
ployment. Take away the stigma of mental health; we use a differ- Namurs, CA., and a bachelor’s degree from the fa-
ent format. The cultures that are involved, the ones that are repre- mous California College of the Arts in Oakland. She
sented— they are not expert mental health therapists or profes- is licensed as a marriage and family therapist (MFT)
sionals; basically they will direct individuals to the resources and and art therapist (ATR). Bilingual in Spanish and
just getting them to that point can be a challenge. And sometimes English.
it is getting the referral to mental health so they can go forward.
Mission of La Familia Counseling Center, Inc.:
To improve the quality of life for at-risk youth and families of diverse backgrounds by offering multi-cultural counseling,
support and outreach services and programs to help families to overcome adversity, to become empowered, and to suc-
ceed in their lives. Address: 5523 34th Street Sacramento, CA 95820 Tel (916) 452-3601 Web: www.lafcc.org
Interview was conducted by Ann Adams for the Empowerment Magazine.
Anne is currently working part time as a volunteer receptionist at the Wellness and Recover Center
on Marconi Avenue. She has served as a board member and residential leader for the Sacramento
Mutual Housing Association. She has worked for 15 years for law enforcement agencies at the
state and county levels and she also has 4 years of working with children with learning disabilities.
She is currently pursuing her education in Human Services from ARC with goal of transferring to
Bethany University.
DID YOU KNOW THAT?
About one in five adults (ages 18 and older) has a diagnosable
mental disorder. (National Institute of Mental Health)
www.samhsa.gov