Fall 2011 President's Letter

Dear MHWA Members and Friends,

Welcome back to Fall 2011!  I hope everyone had a wonderful fun- filled summer, even those of us who were still working (!).

A recap of MHWA’s accomplishments during 10-11:

• A very informative and well attended two day conference at Cabrillo College. Diane Avelar, MFT out did herself as our host. Thirty five people representing twenty four colleges (Shasta to El Centro!) from across the state attended.  Attendees represented psychological services, counseling, DSPS, nursing and administration. The presenters were well received and provided valuable, spot-on information – the kind you can take home and use the next day. Despite differences in college population, environment and college structure, we all gained practical knowledge and made important peer connections. I am reminded how important it is that we all work together as trans-disciplinary teams to provide mental health services to our students.
• MHWA is now a MCEP approved provider of continuing education for psychologists. Thanks to Connie Hoglund, PhD, and Laura Forsyth, PhD for spearheading this project.  We snuck our application in under the wire and received approval for the Spring conference at Cabrillo.
• Brian Olowude, PhD and I both attended the Chancellor’s Mental Health Service Advisory Board meetings to keep informed of changes and funding options. Betsy Sheldon is the Chancellor’s office MH liaison and was instrumental in developing the RFA for the CAMHSA grant.
• Laura Forsyth has built us a new website that can be easily updated, making more relevant and timely information available to everyone.
• Brian Olowude and Laura Forsyth are partnering with the HSACCC to add more mental health questions to the HSACCC Health Center Survey. Data collection on our diverse programs is critical for both program development and program justification.
• The current board members are the best! I couldn’t function without them. Thank you all!

New news:

This year’s general meeting is scheduled for Friday, October 14, 2011, 10:00 to 4:00, at San Diego City College.

Leslie Easton, LCSW, Coordinator of Mental Health Counseling at San Diego City College, has engaged Daniel Willick, JD, general counsel to the California Psychiatric Association, to present from 1:00 to 4:00.  Mr. Willick will address laws regarding the privacy of student information, campus safety, responding to the death of a student, and students with mental illness.  Three hours of continuing education will be available for psychologists, MFTs and LCSWs at a cost of $30.00.  More information to come.

Another reminder: It’s dues time again. We have two membership time periods: academic (from July to June) and calendar (from January to December).  Membership benefits will include a new listserve for collegial consultation, now that C3PO is no longer active.   Membership applications are attached and can be found on our website.  Please renew!  If you’re not currently a member, please join!

As a professional organization, we have the chance to develop best practices and influence mental health decisions for the California Community College system. This is especially important as funding decreases and budgets are cut. With our time severely stretched, having colleagues as both resources and support is invaluable. For me, this is the most important aspect of my membership. I have grown and developed from my relationship with other MHWA members. These collaborative relationships bring such relief - just knowing there are people to call for advice, support and validation.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone in San Diego this October!

Warmly,

Bev

Beverly Muse, MA, MFT
MHWA Executive Board President, 2010-2012