La Clínica is the oldest program of Instituto Familiar de la Raza, Inc.. Established in 1978, it is a comprehensive outpatient mental health clinic to address the social, emotional, and spiritual needs of the Chicano/Latino community. Services target a range of behavioral health issues including severe and persistent mental illness, trauma-related conditions, family and intergenerational conflicts, adjustment problems related to immigration, and reunification.
La Clinica utilizes traditional, contemporary, and complementary approaches, including evidence-based modalities and innovative culturally/spiritually grounded practices (ceremony, ritual, prayer, and talking circles) that have shown to be effective with Latinos. The goal of our services is to promote self-determination, empowerment, spiritual/cultural affirmation, and individual, family, and community well-being.
Design Overview
As part of its vision for a healthy and healing community, La Clinica has integrated cultural and spiritually based approaches to promote healthy cultural identity, community-building, and holistic health. The program philosophy is based on the premise of “La Cultura Cura” (Culture Heals), which recognizes that within all cultures there are beliefs and practices that lead to well-being and healing.
La Clinica believes that healing occurs when providers and clients are hopeful; clients are engaged in meaningful activities; spirituality is considered; culture is understood; and educational and socialization needs are identified. Moreover, sensitivity to social factors and a commitment to assist clients in understanding and differentiating between social ills and personal problems is essential.
Types of Services
Services include individual, family, group, and couples therapy, case management and medication services for children, youth, adults and their families.
Therapy – includes screening for mental health and substance abuse needs and in-depth assessment that determines the type of service offered (individual, couples, family, or group therapy). Services are designed to provide a reduction of symptoms in the client that interfere with their daily functioning as well as an improvement in their relationships with their family and increased meaningful participation in community.
Medication Support Services – include prescribing, administering, dispensing, and monitoring of psychiatric medications necessary to alleviate the symptoms of mental illness. The services may include evaluation, of the need for medication, evaluation of clinical effectiveness and side effects.
Targeted Case Management – assists the client in accessing needed medical, educational, pre-vocational, vocational, rehabilitative, housing, benefits such as SSI or MediCal, or other community services.
All services are provided by bilingual/bicultural staff including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and case managers.
All services are provided to San Francisco residents without private insurance and are on a sliding scale depending on income; no one is turned away for lack of funds. La Clínica provides services at no fee, at low fees, and accepts insurances including Medi-Cal, Healthy Families and Healthy Kids.
La Clínica team in collaboration with the SFUSD and CBHS is providing consultation and clinical services to special education students at Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 School. The goals of this program are to address the social and emotional needs of special education students by providing on-site therapeutic support to the student and family as well as consultation to the classroom teacher. For information regarding the SED-Partnership, please contact Ingrid Zimmermann at (415) 229-0500 ext. 310.
Statistics
During the Fiscal Year 2008–09, after front-desk screening for eligibility, the IFR Intake Specialist responded to 1,185 calls requesting behavioral health services. Of these, 54.18% (642) were registered for services; 4% (54) were referred to IFR programs; 3.38% (40) to Central Access for the Private Provider Network; and an additional 37.38% (449) were linked to other providers including community based agencies, support groups, etc. It is noteworthy that 63 % of those seeking services were self-referred.
For more information, contact laclinica@ifrsf.org.
