Newsletter One

Crisis Support Matters

A Semi-Annual Newsletter of Crisis Support Services of Alameda County

From the Executive Director

Dear Friends,

 I have been with CSS since 1991 and began as a volunteer intern on the crisis line while I was in graduate school.   There is a special spirit about this agency – people love what they do – and they have great     respect, gratitude and courage for the clients they serve and the   important programs and services that are provided to the community.

 Each day that I come to work, I am surrounded by remarkable people. We have an amazing staff – who work very hard along with our Board of Director’s to keep our agency working 24/7 and 365 days. However, we could not do this work without our volunteers; they truly are the heart and soul of Crisis Support Services.  We currently have over 130 volunteers including our Board of Director’s; licensed clinicians; clinical interns; community volunteers; and our Robby  Babcock Golf Tournament Committee.

 This newsletter focuses on our volunteers, their contributions and training while at CSS.  Our volunteers are culturally and ethnically diverse and have a broad age span – bringing an amazing array of skills and life experiences. They are an integral part of the fabric of the agency and why we are able to provide the level and scope of services to the community.  Our volunteers are authentic, compassionate and witness with grace some of the most painful life experiences that touch people’s lives.

 They are also highly skilled crisis counselors requiring training and supervision.  In this newsletter you will learn more about the level of training that we provide to our volunteers and their extraordinary   contributions. Without your support and without our volunteers we would not be able to provide this level of  service to our community.  Wishing you the best for your Thanksgiving holidays.

 With my deepest gratitude,

Nancy

A Message from Senior Program Director Devah DeFusco, MFT

Included in this newsletter is statistical data on our Senior In Home Counseling Program. The numbers reflect the expanse and concentration of the work we do on behalf of Alameda County. What they don't specify and what may be difficult to imagine are the individuals who reach out to CSS and take what they need from the services we offer.

For instance, one of our clients is a recently widowed woman with adult children living far away, grieving, frightened and unprepared to live the rest of her life without her husband. We are there with supportive grief counseling, in-home support services, referrals and 24 hour availability via our crisis line. She knows she doesn't have to be in crisis to call, only in need of contact with some one who cares, is comforting and calm.

I have found that people are generally very strong and not fragile. People commonly carry incredible burdens of loss, discrimination, and heartbreak and do so without losing their humanity or their sanity. What I find does drives people over the edge is whatever burdens they carry coupled with a feeling of isolation, of being totally cut off from others.

Our staff and volunteer counselors are trained to move closer to suffering. They are not afraid of despair and so clients need not be alone with their pain. Relief is found in connection, in feeling reconnected to someone, of belonging. I often say we here at CSS are like the friends and family we so much rely on, in that we offer Alameda County a comprehensive safety net, which exists to be of service to all members of our community who would otherwise suffer alone.

Imagine.

CSS Senior In-Home Counseling Program Serves Frail Elderly in Alameda County

Elders, 65 and older, account for 20% of all suicides in the US, even though they only account for 12% of the population. For older adults, precipitating causes for suicide include declining health, ageism, social isolation, grief, loss, family discord and financial uncertainty. In addition, loneliness, and isolation place seniors at a high risk for depression and substance abuse. Frail elderly have a serious lack of in-home options for treatment of the mental health issues that may lead to suicide. This lack of in-home supportive services, coupled with the added burden of care, often creates a tremendous strain on family.

CSS is dedicated to providing geriatric mental health services, crisis intervention, and support services to the elderly on our 24 hour crisis line and through our direct senior counseling programs. The Senior In-Home Counseling program provides free counseling and emotional support to isolated, frail, homebound seniors who would not otherwise have access to mental health supportive services that could increase their opportunities to safely age in place.

Our clients are typically low income, homebound, socially isolated, culturally diverse elders facing a multitude of challenges. Since 1993, the Senior In-Home Counseling Program has provided the only free, on-going mental health service available to this population in Alameda County.

Currently, the Senior In-Home Counseling Program serves more than 100 home-bound seniors living at, or below, the poverty level. Clients are referred to CSS by social workers, advocates, senior centers, Adult Protective Services and community groups. The program includes an initial assessment to determine client eligibility and need, weekly 1 hour in-home supportive counseling sessions, telephone contact as appropriate, coordination with care providers and family, and assessment of problem areas that are better addressed by other community based resources , and referrals to those agencies as appropriate.

Much of the program is delivered by trained volunteer counselors, often interns, under the supervision of licensed clinical supervisors. These in-home counseling sessions play a key role in reducing social isolation and increasing the overall sense of well-being for the senior client by directly addressing the mental health needs of seniors who might otherwise not have access to supportive mental health services. The program helps the client identify and overcome obstacles to access additional home-based services and positively impacts their ability to safely remain in their homes.

In 2006, we expanded our senior services by adding an on-site counseling program to accommodate the request for services from older clients who did not qualify as home bound and might be able to come in to our North Oakland office. However, participation had been limited for some older clients as accessing public transportation presents an increasingly difficult challenge for many seniors.

In response, CSS secured funding from the East Bay Foundation on Aging in 2009 to begin a pilot project offering taxi vouchers to seniors in the program. The program was a great success and has been funded for a second year. For more information or to learn how to access services through the Senior In-Home Counseling Program, contact Senior Program Director Devah DeFusco, MFT at 510 420-2475.

Real Life Outcomes

Over the past year, The CSS Senior In-Home Counseling Program has reached 109 seniors with supportive mental health services necessary to help them safely age at home.

• 85 homebound senior clients received 1407 counseling visits in their home
• Counselors made 1250 outgoing calls to our senior clients, often just checking in to reduce social isolation
• CSS provided on-site counseling services to 24 seniors experiencing bereavement, grief or other loss
• Our on-site clients received a total of 201 individual counseling sessions
• Counselors made 212 outreach and follow-up calls to seniors accessing on-site services

Clients self-reported significant improvements in their levels of depression, anxiety, panic and anger. Most notably, thoughts of suicide declined, with senior clients reporting at the completion of counseling that they were experiencing no suicidal urges.

We asked some of our clients about their own experiences with CSS Counseling Services for Seniors and heres what had to say:

• Receiving Crisis Supports Counseling Services in my home has impacted me in every way. I feel like I have a family. I recommend it. It has been so helpful to me.
• Before counseling I was a nervous wreck. Since starting counseling with CSS I have been helped so much. I feel calmer. My counselor listens and helps me work through my problems. We kid a little which always makes me feel more relaxed. Ive been helped a lot! I always feel better after our sessions.
• It's helped immensely to talk about things. It's not so bottled up anymore. I am able to talk about it, and able to talk with family. I think it has impacted me on the positive side.
• It's been a lot of help. Its really helpful to have neutral people to relate to on different issues. It's been good advise and valuable feedback. I have been able to focus on problem areas. The crisis line has really been a great help too. It's especially helpful if you are suicidal.
• I feel much less stressed and isolated. Isolation is a prison.

Extraordinary People

 Making a Difference Through Volunteering

 They come from all walks of life. They come for a wide variety or reasons. Since beginning the role of Volunteer Outreach Coordinator, I have been amazed and humbled by the extraordinary individuals who reach out to Crisis Support Services with and interest in becoming volunteers. Our volunteers fully represent the diversity and resourcefulness of those living in the Bay Area, and each possess a great interest in making a difference in the community.

 Those interested in volunteering come here for a variety of reasons. Often our volunteers are interested in or have experience in the mental health or counseling profession. We have volunteers from every other field imaginable: education, technology, retailing, public service, etc. The common thread that ties these folks together is the sincere desire to help others, and the belief that providing caring and listening can make a difference to someone who is in emotional pain.

 While there exists a variety of ways to volunteer at CSS, the cornerstone of our volunteer  program is the crisis line training. Our crisis line volunteers receive over 70 hours of classroom and experiential training.  During the first four months all new counselors receive work with a trainer one-on-one on the crisis lines. We also provide them with a comprehensive manual so that they can study and learn all of our emergency procedures and protocols.  The result of these efforts is a unique and highly regarded training program.  In addition to the crisis line, trained volunteers have the opportunity to participate in our Teens for Life suicide prevention education program, and more seasoned counselors may also see clients in our in-home senior counseling program.

 Our volunteer requirement:  successful completion of several weekends of intensive classroom training.  Additionally, we ask for a commitment of one four hour shift per week for a year and four months.  We also ask that our volunteers attend two in-service classes annually and fulfill all record keeping protocols established by the Agency.

CSS looks for persons who are level-headed in a crisis situation, are committed to personal and professional growth, who can work both independently and as part of a team, and who are reliable and responsible. Our most imoportant common denominators are compassion, open-mindedness, and good listening skills. With these simple but profound attributes, it is possible to take on the heroic role of crisis counselor. 

They are truly extraordinary people…   making a difference through volunteering at CSS.

Internships and Professional Development

       For more than 40 years, CSS has offered a range of dynamic training and professional growth opportunities for mental health professionals, preparing them to work with a widely diverse client population and ranging in age from children to elders. Graduate and post-graduate students from more than a dozen   respected Bay Area colleges and universities, intern with CSS as they prepare for professional licensure.

       Interns are afforded the opportunity to gain skills and expertise in crisis intervention, assessment,  gerontology, grief counseling, child and youth counseling, critical incident stress debriefing and clinical supervision. As a result of this comprehensive training program, many of CSS' clinical services are    provided by graduate, post-graduate and PhD candidate interns supervised by licensed clinical psychotherapists.

      The continuing education program at Crisis Support Services also provides licensed clinicians with the training required to build and improve their skills in the areas of crisis intervention, critical incident debriefing, mental health disaster response, the grief process, clinical supervision and psychotherapy with both children, adults. The training program builds upon a completed doctoral program in clinical psychology.

       Over the past 20+years, I have interviewed over 1,000 potential volunteers. Hundreds have  continued beyond their volunteer experience to    become licensed mental health professionals.  I continue to hear from people who speak fondly of their time at CSS and share how crucial the experience has been in terms of personal and professional development. It is always an honor to have past volunteers and interns return to CSS in order to mentor, supervise and teach training classes. Those professionals who come full circle in order to give back speak to the richness of our training program and how good   people feel about their association with Crisis Support Services.

       CSS Clinical Internship Program is funded solely with the generous support of our donors.