Project EMPOWER An Interdisciplinary Project

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1 Project EMPOWER An Interdisciplinary Project Dawn Garrett Wright, Ph.D., PMHNP, CNE Saundra Starks, Ed.D., LCSW Cheryl Wolf, Ph.D., NCC, LPCA, PHR, CHt

2 Project Location

3 Project EMPOWER Meaning of the Project Acronym Enhance Motivate Prosper Overcome Work Energy Respect

Saundra Starks, PI & Project Administrator Graduate Assistant BS and Graduate

4 Organizational Structure Case Manager Project EMPOWER WKU Dept. Of Social Work Housing Authority of Bowling Green Dr. Saundra Starks, PI & Project Administrator Graduate Assistant BS and Graduate Students from Social Work, Counseling and Nursing PE Advisory Committee Behavioral Health Specialists (Licensed Mental Health Professionals)

5 Agencies Served

6 Project Funding and Resources $200,000 Grant from The Jessie Ball dupont Foundation In-kind Services from The Department of Social Work at Western Kentucky University In-kind Services from The Housing Authority of Bowling Green Volunteers & Student Interns Small Internal and External Grants

7 Services Offered Mental health and case management services for uninsured and underinsured individuals and families Evaluation of mental health issues & Development of psycho-social skills Types of mental health counseling offered to clients: Individual and family counseling Group counseling Intensive case management With the overall goal of assisting in the development of healthy contributing members of society.

8 Project Procedures Recruitment Screening and Referrals Participant Orientation Intake for demographics & consent forms Intake interviews for assessments Psycho-social evaluations/screening evaluations/ Inventories Interventions (Individual, Family & Group) Evaluations/ Exit Interviews

9 Interdisciplinary Collaboration WKU Departments Involved Social Work Nursing Counseling Faculty and graduate/undergraduate students from all three departments were involved in providing services to clients Faculty from Social Work and Nursing served as members of the Project EMPOWER Advisory Board

10 Challenges for Project EMPOWER Funding Language and cultural Barriers Stigma of mental illness in community Finding adequate space to conduct assessments and therapy Time constraints for faculty and student interns

11 Benefits for Clients Access to qualified licensed mental health providers in an underserved area Assessments and clinical services provided at no cost Expanded mental health services in the community for refugees and victims of domestic violence Health and wellness education & training for underserved populations

12 Benefits for Faculty and Students Faculty Interdisciplinary partnerships were formed for future projects Ability to use clinical skills to assist clients and gain hours for maintaining certifications Opportunities for research and publication of findings Students-Graduate & Undergraduate Ability to practice new skills under the direction of experienced and licensed clinicians Participation in interdisciplinary case review and supervision

13 Benefits for WKU & Bowling Green Community WKU Interdisciplinary collaboration on scholarship and service Training site for undergraduate and graduate students from three practice disciplines Community Referral source for mental health services for underserved populations Strengthened bonds with practice disciplines at the university

14 The Future istar- Interdisciplinary Service, Training, Advocacy and Research This project will focus on interdisciplinary training of providers in mental health disciplines and provision of services to vulnerable populations Small Grant obtained from The ALIVE Center to work with Paraprofessionals at the HABG and International Center of Kentucky

CURRICULUM VITA. M.S. Clinical Mental Health Counseling 2009 University of Scranton, Scranton, PA

CURRICULUM VITA. M.S. Clinical Mental Health Counseling 2009 University of Scranton, Scranton, PA CURRICULUM VITA Department of Counseling and Human Services 800 Linden Street 453 McGurrin Hall Scranton, PA 18510 570.941.4129 brandice.ricciardi@scranton.edu EDUCATION M.S. Clinical Mental Health Counseling