DIDI HIRSCH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2011
Transforming Lives Since 1942
The Lights are Still On:
Didi Hirsch Saves Center in Glendale
Record Breaking Support
This year, the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) released a study which looked at
suicide rates between 1928 and 2007. It
found what we all intuitively knew to be
true – suicide rates increase during economic
downturns.
Since 2008, Didi Hirsch’s Suicide Prevention
Center has dramatically expanded to prevent
history from repeating itself. “Because of the
recession and all the media coverage about
suicide, more and more people are reaching
out for our help,” said Lyn Morris, MFT, and
Director of the Suicide Prevention Center.
“Fortunately, we’ve been able to grow to meet
the need.”
Less than a year after opening its Orange County site for suicide prevention, Didi Hirsch has
opened an 11th Center. Our Board of Directors made the decision to ensure that 2,000 children
and adults would continue to receive services, despite the bankruptcy of Verdugo Mental Health.
After more than 50 years in the community, the Glendale-based agency reached out to Didi
Hirsch to preserve its programs.
One of the deciding factors in Didi Hirsch’s decision was the lack of similar providers in the area
and the special needs of the community. Home to the largest Armenian population in the U.S.,
about a third of the clients at Didi Hirsch’s new Glendale Center are Armenian and a third are
Latino.
In describing the process, Didi Hirsch CEO, Dr. S. Kita Curry, said, “All of us shared the same
goal – doing our best for the clients. In the hope that another agency would step forward, Verdugo
CEO, Dr. Jeff Smith, and the staff stayed with the agency despite extreme financial uncertainty.
Similarly, Didi Hirsch staff worked round the clock to make sure the transition was seamless.”
Seamless it was. Verdugo’s bankruptcy became official midnight Friday, May 20, and Didi Hirsch
immediately began providing services at the same location with many of the same staff members.
Andrew Parlen of O’Melveny and Meyers provided pro bono counsel for Verdugo. Didi Hirsch’s
pro bono attorney – Alex Fisch of Stutman Treister & Glatt – modestly attributed his generosity
to his genes: his mother was a social worker and his father a probation officer.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich of the 5th District, Assemblyman Mike
Gatto of the 43rd District, and the County Departments of Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Prevention were critical members of the group that made the Glendale Center possible. “We
would not have made such a major decision without their support,” said Didi Hirsch Board
Chair, Martin Frank. “I was proud to see how highly they regarded our work.”
Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people.
– Margaret Mead
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Through a groundbreaking project to increase
suicide prevention resources throughout the
State, soon we will be able to reach even more
Californians. As this newsletter goes to
press, we have just received two suicide
prevention grants through a statewide
competitive process that are our largest
ever – more than $2 million per year for
the next three years. The grants were
awarded by the California Mental Health
Services Authority (CalMHSA), a statewide
organization which provides program
development, oversight, and fiscal management services to counties which have chosen
to pool mental health funds for collaborative
projects.
1. We are funded to organize a statewide
suicide prevention network, bringing
together emergency responders, schools,
underserved minority groups, crisis lines
and other key organizations. It will
standardize data collection, track statewide
trends and promote shared resources. The
project also will help agencies submit their
model programs for underserved
populations to the Best Practices Registry
Continued on page 6
DIDI HIRSCH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
NEWSLETTER
It’s a Family Affair: 2011 Erasing the Stigma Leadership Awards
Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, Ambassador Nancy Rubin (daughter of Didi Hirsch), Jamie Masada, Noah Miller,
Dr. Kita S. Curry, Logan Miller, Ed Harris and Christine Devine
A UNITED STATES CONGRESSMAN, the owner of a comedy club and two
filmmakers were honored at Didi Hirsch’s 15th Annual Erasing the
Stigma Awards for shining a light on mental health issues that have
affected them, their families and families across America. The Awards
event, held April 29th, raised more than $320,000 for Didi Hirsch’s
mental health, substance abuse and suicide prevention programs.
substance abuse and suicide that have felled so many comedians by
hiring psychologists to work out of his club. More than 80 signed up
for help. Comedian Tom Dreesen presented him with a 2011
Leadership Award for his innovative solution.
Logan and Noah Miller received the Beatrice Stern Media Award,
which is named after a beloved and pioneering board member. The
Miller brothers were honored for Touching Home, a chronicle of
their father’s lifelong battle with alcoholism and its impact on their
childhood. The film, which they co-wrote, directed, and produced, is
a testament to the importance of never giving up – on ourselves or
those we love. Actor Ed Harris, who played their father in the film,
presented the award.
In a cause shared with his father, U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy
bravely used his own story to champion historic legislation that put
the treatment of mental illness and addiction on equal footing with
other diseases. For this advocacy, and his recent launch of a 10-year
campaign to explore the inner space of the mind as successfully as
JFK explored outer space, he received a Leadership Award from 2009
honoree Garen Staglin.
Chaired by Didi Hirsch board member, Gail Kamer Lieberfarb, the
event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel drew nearly 500 people. It was
emceed by news anchor and author Christine Devine, who recently
completed a book about the psychological challenges of adoption.
When 14 year old Jamie Masada immigrated to the U.S. by himself,
comedians became his family. At 16 he founded the Laugh Factory so
they would receive fair pay for their work. This year, he tackled the
Tom Dreesen and Jamie Masada
Noah Miller holding the Beatrice Stern Media
Award, Ed Harris and Logan Miller
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Board Member Dr. Thomas Han,
Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy,
Event Chair Gail Kamer Lieberfarb
DIDI HIRSCH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
NEWSLETTER
Bullying, or Bad Behavior?
Because of the growing awareness of bullying and its impact, it is
important to identify bullying for what it is and what it is not. Bad
behavior includes actions that can be physical (shoving, hitting,
pinching, slapping, etc.), verbal (name calling, put-downs, rumor
spreading, etc.) or interpersonal (ignoring, excluding, etc.) that are
easily recognizable.
For these negative behaviors to become bullying there needs to be four
components:
• The bad behavior
• Intention (the bully means to harm or intimidate another person)
• An imbalance of power where a person finds it difficult to
defend him/herself against someone in a higher position –
stronger, older, bigger, more able, etc.
• Repetition (usually)
Nancy Wileman recently retired after 18 years as the
Program Director of Substance Abuse Prevention at
Didi Hirsch. A Marriage and Family Therapist,
Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor, and educator,
she authored Beyond Bias: Think Peace, a school-based
program used to teach youth prejudice reduction and
conflict resolution.
Because we now live in a digital age, we see bullying played out in
cyberspace. This is called “Cyber Bullying.” It is far more insidious
because the imbalance of power is so much greater. Once something
has been sent digitally, it cannot be retrieved. It is there forever. How
can you defend yourself against something that is sent to hundreds,
which can become thousands in a matter of seconds? you can’t. Even
people with healthy self esteem find it difficult to ignore the constant
barrage from texting, posts on sites such as Facebook, chat rooms,
web-sites, etc.
Generation Hopeful
FOR THE SECOND yEAR IN A ROW,
Generation Hopeful, a nonprofit teen
support group, hosted a benefit concert
on April 1 that raised almost $600 for
Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services’
suicide prevention programs.
you might ask why this form of bullying has become so prevalent (and
so devastating). The bullying that happens in the classroom,
schoolyard, or workplace is done face to face. you know who is
attacking you. With cyber bullying, you might not know who your
attacker is. Also, there is a lack of “connection” when the slurs are
made digitally. A comment that we would probably never make when
standing in front of someone is easy to text or type, because we do
not see the look of hurt or horror on the victim’s face. So we type or
we text, all the while thinking that this is a “joke.” It is no joke. It is
harmful. It meets the requirements for bullying: It is bad behavior. It
is intentional. The target cannot defend him/herself because it has
gone “viral,” and it is repeated, over and over.
The concert was held at a community
center in Los Alamitos and featured five
professional bands, including The Inheritance, Joy Shannon and
the Beauty Marks, The FreeFall, The City Walls and Act As If.
All of the bands donated their time while a group of teenaged
volunteers handled lighting and sound.
What can you do if this happens to you? Report it to the police, to a
boss or school principal, to the website, etc. Change your website,
email, or “friends.” Talk to a counselor or administrator about the
incident. Do not give up until the situation is resolved. For students,
there is a California Educational Code that covers both bullying and
cyber bullying.
Founder Jennifer Renick started Generation Hopeful as a club at
Orange County High School of Arts during her junior year after
several people she knew attempted or completed suicide. Now a
nonprofit with chapters at four local schools and a new one in
the state of Kansas, the group focuses on suicide prevention as
well as body image and bullying issues.
For parents of students who are bullied, support your child. Listen to
their story. Don’t just say, “Ignore it.” If your child begins to show
signs of stress such as having trouble sleeping, not wanting to go to
school, being irritable, or complaining of stomach pains or headaches,
s eek pro fessio nal help.
Now on her way to college, Jennifer said, “The goal of
Generation Hopeful is to help adolescents in every way possible.
I wanted to raise money for Didi Hirsch because they do so
much to help teenagers in need.”
For mo re infor mat ion, go t o http://stopbullying.gov.
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DIDI HIRSCH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
NEWSLETTER
But statistics also can be harmful, especially when they create fatalistic
pessimism or self-fulfilling prophecies. Saying someone is at twice the
risk of suicide is hardly a death sentence. On average, 3 out of every
10,000 people who have lost a family member to suicide will take their
lives.
Hope holds
families together,
not numbers
Also, statistics often leave out the other side of the story. They fail to
highlight the coping skills that many children intuitively develop in
response to stress – such as a passion for athletics or academics,
substitute relationships and artistic expression. They also omit the high
success rates when mental illnesses are treated. And, they fail to
mention that there may even be positive aspects to mental illnesses –
such as the heightened creativity often associated with bipolar disorder.
Kita S. Curry, Ph.D.
Like many people with a family history of mental illness, I am
sometimes disheartened to hear how that history increases my risk. For
example, someone with a parent or sibling with bipolar disorder is at
least four times as likely to develop it. And, a family history of suicide
more than doubles the risk of taking one’s life.
When families are touched by mental illness and substance abuse, they
may be tempted to use statistics to understand their or their loved one’s
chances for recovery. But I would urge them to see the numbers for
what they are: just a small part of the story. And to pull together in
hope, rather than fear.
Publicizing such statistics can be helpful. It may attract funding for
early intervention initiatives like screenings for maternal depression or
prompt swift responses to the warning signs of illness among family
members.
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Community Policing at its Best
When a mentally ill homeless woman moved into the lobby
of the Inglewood police station earlier this year, the
supervising police officer didn’t arrest her or turn her out.
He called neighboring Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services.
“She struck up a friendship with one of the officers who worked the desk,”
Harper says. “He gave her pizza and let her wash up in the bathroom in
the lobby. She slept there all night. She actually stayed there for two or
three weeks.”
“I was very surprised,” says Marriage and Family Therapist,
Cherie Harper, who is Program Director of Adult Services
at Didi Hirsch’s Inglewood office. “Normally, police officers
would tell her to leave or even arrest her. But the officer
who called said he knew she needed help.”
When she started hearing voices, one of the officers called Harper to ask
if someone could evaluate her. After a brief hospitalization, the woman
is now living in a board-and-care, taking her medications and planning
to return to school. She is also speaking again with family members.
And relations between Didi Hirsch and Inglewood police have never
been better.
The 52-year-old woman had a room nearby and often
came to our Inglewood Wellness Center in the day. But no
one knew where she was spending her nights—until the
officer made the call. She spent her evenings at the
neighboring police station, where she felt safe.
Awards
“We have formed a nice collaboration with the police,” Harper says. “They
will call us when they have people who are mentally ill instead of arresting
them, and some of my staff have done ride-alongs with them.”
& Accolades
Wynne Alexander, LCSW, Inglewood Center’s Family Services Program Director, and Anne Gustafson, MFT, School-Based Services Coordinator,
were honored by the Inglewood Unified School District and Board of Education for Didi Hirsch’s outstanding work with students and faculty.
Curley L. Bonds, M.D., Medical Director, was one of eight psychiatrists out of more than 100 applicants selected for the Psychiatric Leadership
Program by The National Council for Behavioral Health. The Program is a partnership of the National Council and SAMHSA, with faculty
support from the American Association of Community Psychiatrists.
Kita S. Curry, Ph.D., President/CEO, was honored by the Southern California Psychiatric Society for her leadership in providing comprehensive
treatment to underserved individuals and families. In an international writing contest, her poem, The Fall, was one of 10 (out of 1,300
submissions) selected for the 2011 Fish Anthology.
Amy Nelson, Volunteer Suicide Prevention Crisis Line Counselor, was honored as Volunteer of the year by Disney Online Studios.
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DIDI HIRSCH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
NEWSLETTER
Gardening Project Seeds Recovery
Khalliah, 33, has never
gardened in her life, but on a
recent Wednesday morning,
she and her two young
children crouched together
on the edge of a patch of soil
and dug a hole for a lemonboy tomato plant.
Via Avanta
Celebrates
New Graduates
Everything in your life is there as a
vehicle for your transformation –
use it.
–Program Director Kathleen Price,
quoting Ram Dass
“I like the feel of moving the dirt
around and being connected to the
earth,” said Khalliah, wearing a pair
of thick gardening gloves. “It’s
therapeutic for me. And I think my
kids like it, too. They don’t mind
getting their hands dirty.”
On June 14, we celebrated new
beginnings with the new graduates of
Via Avanta, our residential treatment
center in Pacoima. Laughing and
crying, the twelve women and their
counselors recounted the tough journey
back from frightening worlds of
addiction, illness, and violence. “The
only future I saw was at the end of the
pipe,” recalled one mother before the
audience of friends, family, and
alumnae.
The gardening project that drew
Khalliah and about 20 other women,
some of them mothers with children,
took place on the grounds of Via
Avanta, Didi Hirsch’s residential
substance abuse program in Pacoima.
With self-confidence and joy, they
described changed lives as they accepted
their certificates of accomplishment.
“I’m going home to my daughter, who
means all the world to me”; “I’m
studying advanced math”; “I learned
how to eat [right] here.” Facing each
other in rows, the graduates lit candles
and handed them off, with messages of
hope, to the women they were leaving
behind, who are still working toward
recovery.
The yearlong program provides a safe
and supportive communal living
environment for women struggling to
overcome addictions to drug and
alcohol. The highly structured
program requires residents to fully
participate in its activities, which
include group meetings, daily
journaling, housekeeping chores,
counseling sessions and classes in
everything from parenting skills to
addiction education.
Via Avanta chef, Chelsea Goodreau,
organized the gardening activity to
encourage healthy eating, to keep food
costs down and to give the women
and their children something fun to
do together. “It’s also a good metaphor
for what Via Avanta is all about,”
she said.
Toddlers who had shared their moms’
Via Avanta experience were honored,
too. Dressed in their best, they accepted
their very own certificates from Maggy
Rosenberg, representing Gymboree Play
& Music. Gymboree has partnered with
Via Avanta for more than a decade,
helping moms and tots grow together.
“Gardening is a little like recovery,”
Goodreau told the women. “you have
to take care of it a little every day in
order for it to bloom.”
Everyone deserves a second chance.
At Via Avanta, we live every day by
this creed.
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DIDI HIRSCH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
NEWSLETTER
Record Breaking Support Continued from page 1
for Suicide Prevention. Didi Hirsch submitted this proposal in partnership with the
California Crisis Center’s Consortium, which is comprised of crisis centers in Alameda,
Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Marin, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo,
Shasta and yolo counties.
2. The second grant funds the development and expansion of suicide prevention hotlines
and warmlines in seven Southern California Counties: Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange,
Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura. Didi Hirsch will serve as the suicide
crisis line for six of these counties and will add more counselors who speak Korean and
Vietnamese to the line. In addition, callers in Los Angeles and Orange Counties will
soon have access to a warmline in the wee hours of the night.
These statewide grants come on the heels of major growth that was funded by the
Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and Orange County Health Care
Agency through California’s Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). Also known as “the
millionaires’ tax, the MHSA established a 1% tax on all income over $1 million for mental
health programs. With these funds, we have fully staffed our 24-hour suicide crisis line
with Spanish-speaking counselors, and we are developing services tailored to the needs of
minority communities. Our partners in this effort are: Access California, which serves
Arabic and Muslim Communities, Korean Community Services, Vietnamese Community
of Orange County, Inc., and NAMI Orange County.
In addition, with grants from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) we are increasing our
capacity to handle even more crisis calls and offering extra care to high-risk callers.
“Some people are not at imminent risk of suicide but are at high risk over the long term,”
Morris says. “This grant allows us to check on their welfare, whether with phone calls or
text messages. It also funds a hospital outreach program that enables us to follow up with
people released from hospital emergency rooms that may still be at risk of suicide.”
“All of these grants have the same ultimate goal,” Morris says, “to provide support to
people at risk of suicide so no one in need of help falls through the cracks.”
To reach a National Suicide Prevention Lifeline crisis center, call 1-800-273-TALK
Our 24-hour suicide crisis line receives 45,000
calls annually, double the volume in 2008, and is
fully staffed with Spanish speaking counselors.
We teach more than 14,000 youth and
adults how to recognize and respond to
the warning signs of suicide each year.
Friends and family grieving the loss of a
loved one to suicide can find support at six
locations in Los Angeles and Orange County.
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Headquarters
4760 South Sepulveda Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90230
(310) 390-6612
Culver-Palms Center
11133 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 895-2300
Excelsior House
1007 Myrtle Avenue
Inglewood, CA 90301
(310) 412-4191
Glendale Center
1540 East Colorado Street
Glendale, CA 91205
(818) 244-7257
Inglewood Center
323 North Prairie Avenue
Inglewood CA 90301
(310) 677-7808
Jump Street
1233 South La Cienega Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 855-0031
Mar Vista Center
12420 Venice Boulevard, Suite 200
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 751-1200
Metro Center
672 South La Fayette Park Place, Suite 6
Los Angeles, CA 90057
(213) 381-3626
Orange County Center
2021 East 4th Street, Suite 204
Santa Ana, CA 92705
(714) 547-0885
S . Mark Taper Foundation Center
1328 West Manchester Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90044
(323) 778-9593
Via Avanta
Pacoima, CA
(818) 897-2609
DIDI HIRSCH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
OFFICERS OF THE BOARD
Martin J. Frank
Chair
Michael C. Wierwille
Executive Vice Chair
Andrew E. Rubin
Vice Chair
Cheri Renfroe yousem
Vice Chair
NEWSLETTER
Alive & Running 5K Walk/Run
for Suicide Prevention
Our 13th annual Alive & Running 5K Walk/Run for Suicide Prevention provides funds for
Didi Hirsch’s Suicide Prevention Center, one of the first programs in the U.S. to establish a
suicide prevention crisis line. Today, 877-7-CRISIS, is part of the [national crisis line network]
and receives over 40,000 calls each year from Los Angeles and Orange Counties providing
additional support to California and the nation.
Come and support Alive & Running – as a walker, runner, team captain, donor or sponsor.
Don’t miss our 1k walk/run for Kids (registration for the Kiddie K is free). Visit our website
and check out all the ways you can help: www.AliveandRunning.org.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Janine B. Lichstein
Registrations starts at 6:30 a.m.
Secretary
Carlos Garcia
Treasurer
Stanley D. Lelewer
Immediate Past Chair
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD
Charlotte W. Fletcher, PhD
Thomas J. Han, DDS, FACD
Vera M. Jashni, EdD
Lee Leibman, PsyD
Gail Kamer Lieberfarb
Howard M. Loeb
Laura Ornest
Todd M. Rubin
Beatrice S. Stern
Director Emeritus
EXECUTIVE STAFF
Kita S. Curry, PhD
President/CEO
Curley L. Bonds, MD, DFAPA
Medical Director
Cynthia Bryan, SPHR
VP, Human Resources
Rebecca J. Gaba, PhD, LMFT
VP, Clinical Operations
John P. McGann, CPA
VP, Finance & Administration
Matthew Meyer, PhD
VP, Best Practices
Joel Safranek
VP, Development
Where There’s Life There’s Hope
– Cicero
People who have attempted suicide in the past are at higher risk for killing themselves in the
future. yet, most counselors shy away from offering support groups for this population out
of fear that the members might give each other more ideas.
Recent focus groups indicating that survivors of suicide attempts believe they would benefit
from group support prompted Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services to launch a group
designed just for them.
“We know of only two other organizations in the country running groups for attempt
survivors, but they are more peer-led,” says Marriage and Family Therapist Lyn Morris,
Director of Didi Hirsch’s Suicide Prevention Center. “What’s unique about our groups is
that they are highly structured and are co-facilitated by a clinician and someone who
attempted suicide in the past but is now stable.”
Known as Survivors of Suicide Attempts, the groups include up to ten members who meet
for eight weeks to discuss their experiences and to develop coping strategies and safety plans
to help them through future crises. Two groups have completed the eight-week program
thus far, and a third will begin soon.
Shari Sinwelski, Didi Hirsch’s Director of Program Development and the clinician who
launched the group, says that group members were excited to find something that was just
for them. “Because of the stigma, and friends and family members’ discomfort with the
subject, it was a relief to finally have a place where they could talk about their experiences
openly and frankly.”
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NON-PROFIT ORG.
US POSTAGE
PAID
MERCURY MAILING
SYSTEMS INC.
MISSION STATEMENT
Didi Hirsch transforms lives by providing
quality mental health and substance abuse
services in communities where stigma or
poverty limit access.
Editing and Design:
Monty Lawton
Kim Kowsky
Curtis Hill, Art Direction Services
Contributors:
Kita S. Curry, PhD
Kim Kowsky
Janine Perron
Nancy Wileman
YOU CAN HELP
Please support our programs and help those in need
by donating to Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services.
your generosity is more critical than ever.
Make a donation online at
w w w. d id ih ir s c h .o rg
Our Mailings:
If you would like to be added or
removed from our mailing list,
please contact the Development
Department at (310) 751 5455
or call (310) 751-5455
Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services is a United Way supported agency, funded in part by the Los Angeles County Departments of Mental Health, Public Health,
and Children and Family Services, the California Department of Rehabilitation. Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
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