Agency Description

Since 1965, Telecare has been committed to making a difference in the lives of people with serious mental illness. We believe in recovery, and in the human ability and desire to reach its full potential. We have created an environment that puts the client at the center of the organization, and a culture where employees and clients are empowered in achieving their goals. We are a national private for-profit agency, with many non-profit community programs in Los Angeles County. Telecare provides a full spectrum of services. Our programs include acute and sub-acute inpatient services, and community-based care services including assertive community treatment, crisis stabilization, case management and residential programs. Clientele are 18 years and older. All are low income. Approximately 80% of area residents are ethnic minorities. Multidisciplinary, multi-ethnic staff. Telecare ATLAS 7 is a new program in Los Angeles, funded by Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) dollars. Located in Service Area 7, it will serve 116 new clients using a "full-service partnership" model, which offers wrap-around support to individuals to support successful community living. LA Hopes and Opportunities Program (HOP) is an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program that provides voluntary services for adults with serious mental illness (SMI) that are homeless or at risk of homelessness. LA HOP supports members in the recovery of life roles and hope for a meaningful life. The program uses objective clinical information to work with members to develop choice-making skills that reduce harm, including clinical risks, and increase personal strengths. Supports are provided when skills are not yet developed. TABS 109, operated by Telecare Corporation, is contracted with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health to provide culturally-competent, mental health services to transitional age youth (TAY), adults, and older adults. Under California Assembly Bill 109, our program partners with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to welcome and assist individuals in returning and reintegrating back into the communities to which they belong. From the first phone call with a referral to TABS 109, we encourage potential members to get a "feel" for our culture. We offer transportation assistance to the member's initial appointment, where the member will have an opportunity to observe our staff dressed casually, as we are cultivating a culture in which there is not an obvious difference in power between members and staff. During this first visit, individuals spend 3-4 hours in our offices seeing the interactions we have with one another, having coffee with us, joking around, etc. It is our experience that individuals who interact with TABS 109 staff in our intentionally relaxed environment are more inclined to actively attend and participate in groups, regularly meet with us in the field, contact us when they are in trouble, etc. Being relatable to members helps them to model the same type of interaction with staff and decreases their fear of being themselves. Telecare Older Adults Los Angeles (OAATLAS) is comprised of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams for Full Service Partnership (FSP) programs and Field Capable Clinical Services (FCCS) for older adults. Our Older Adult (LAOA) team specializes in working with ages 60 and older (FSP) and 55 and older (FCCS) who have severe and persistent mental illness. The goal of the program is to help members stay in the community and live satisfying and productive lives. Our older adult FSPs serve both Southeast Los Angeles and the South Bay area of Long Beach, California and surrounding cities. Services are provided using a psychosocial rehabilitation philosophy that emphasizes building on a member's strengths and desires. Some staff may be mental health consumers in recovery themselves. OAATLAS offers a low staff-to-member ratio and provides 100% of its services in the community. Our members receive group and individual support both where they live and within the communities.

Agency Mission

While Telecare has evolved over the years to address the changing needs of the people we serve, our overarching goal remains the same. Our mission is to provide excellent services and systems of care for people with serious mental illness. We exist to help people realize their full potential.

Population

Clientele are 18 years and older. All are low income. Approximately 80% of area residents are ethnic minorities. We treat the serious mentally ill population and justice involved.

Staff (#, Degree, Prof. Lic.)

# of Psychologists: 2

# of Psychiatrists: 1

# of Substance Abuse Counselor: 2

# of Social worker: 1

# of MFT: 4

Required days and times

3 days per week 8-4:30pm

Training and Education Offered

Telecare not only believes on quality services to be provided to our members, but to our staff as well. We think that helping with staff development from early on in an individual's career will move the mental health field toward the future. The training program offers services of mental health, targeted case management and medication support support to individuals with serious mental illness. The interns will be helping with also providing individual psychotherapy.

X-Cultural Training

Responsibilities

Interns are expected to attend group (1 hour weekly) and individual supervision ( hour weekly). The professional experience begins with basic issues being discussed in group supervision and trainees are expected to provide examples weekly of ethical issues they may have faced throughout the week. Group supervision then proceeds to discussions about the major diagnoses that are seen on the field. Trainees are expected to know and be able to apply DSM-IVTR diagnostic criteria and are assigned to provide case presentations on a weekly basis to other staff. Diagnostic criteria is followed by discussions about the major medications prescribed by the field psychiatrists. Side effects, uses of the medications and coping skills to manage side effects are discussed, such as harm reduction, recovery based treatment, motivational interviewing, etc. Trainees also attend DMH seminars and conferences whenever offered. Evaluations will include live supervision during groups, peer evaluation and primary report evaluations. Group supervision will utilize role-play and peer supervision. Didactic trainings will be offered throughout the year and will apply to all the skills needed to be proficient on the field. Interns work as part of a multidisciplinary team and are exposed with all the stages of a client’s treatment. Interns will work closely with physicians, licensed psychologists, licensed MFTs, MSWs, LVNs, LPTs, administration and peers. Group supervision includes both interns and psychological assistants. Interns will provide individual sessions to clients at their houses, Board & cares, etc. The primary theoretical techniques used are recovery based treatment, harm reduction, motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral, family systems and psychodynamic. Interns will teach clients to increase coping and problem solving abilities as well as how to create a safety plan for when they are feeling out of control. Interns will participate in treatment planning, case conceptualization, case management activities, intake assessments, chemical dependency assessments, discharge planning, outreach and engagement activities, etc. Interns will also be exposed to crisis intervention, evaluating clients for high risk and determining whether the client needs hospitalization or a different level of care. Interns will also learn the law and ethics pertaining to 5150 detention of clients. The primary populations served in this setting include severely mentally ill clients, clients who also have a co-occurring disorder of chemical dependency, and clients who are also under conservatorship.

Prerequisites

Application Procedures