Did you know that YFI’s founder and clinical director, Dr. Marcus Rodriguez, is also an associate professor at Pitzer College? Each year, several of his students complete internships at Pomona Unified School District (PUSD).
These internships are embedded in a few of his undergraduate classes at Pitzer College. In these seminars, students learn the basic theories and strategies of counseling. Then, the supervised (~4 hours/week) internship component allows them to practice applying some of these core competencies—attending, observing, validating, reflecting feelings, empathic confrontation, and more—in their roles as peer counselors providing emotional support to PUSD students.
In January, Dr. Rodriguez gave back to PUSD by providing a full-day training for their counselors. This month, he is also offering two full-day trainings to all their mental health clinicians:
-
Part 1: Crisis Intervention Strategies
-
Part 2: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills, co-taught with Diana Huizar, PhD, EdS, NCSP
Why this matters:
According to a recent CDC report, more than 20% of high school students reported seriously considering suicide in the past year. DBT has been shown to help individuals who struggle with suicidality. Read more in the New York Times.
At Youth & Family Institute (YFI), we provide evidence-based DBT and CBT programs for children, teens, and families across Beverly Hills, Malibu, La Cañada Flintridge, and Rolling Hills. Our trainings help schools create validating, supportive environments for students experiencing anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and ADHD. Contact us today to bring DBT-informed care to your school or district.
