Our clinicians at Elmhurst are taking a truly collaborative approach to providing services to students and families and we love to see it! Lilly Conboy and Adriana Camacho are teaming up to provide more holistic and equitable therapeutic services for a student and his family in a way that feels unique and supportive. Lilly started providing clinical services at Elmhurst United Middle School in Oakland, California in January 2022 where she began building her caseload of students in need of individual therapy. She began working with one particular middle schooler who had a variety of emotional and physical health needs. While she was able to build a connection with him, she struggled to establish clear and effective communication with his family as there was a language barrier. The family expressed a desire to work with a Spanish-speaking clinician if possible. Utilizing the support of translation services in order to collaborate with and support our families is a reality that many clinicians have to navigate.
When Adriana arrived at Elmhurst this past October as a second clinician on site, she was eager to support the students and families in this community. Adriana found that sharing a cultural connection with a family (both Adriana and this family identify as Mexican-American) can have a great therapeutic impact that goes beyond a common language and communication. Lilly and Adriana discovered an opportunity to collaborate around what this particular family was asking for to best meet their needs. Here was a family that really wanted to work with a Spanish-speaking clinician and a client (a middle schooler) in a different developmental state in which he was trying to become more independent and requesting his own therapist separate from the family therapist. How exciting that we were able to meet both the family’s needs and honor the client’s request to continue with his therapist that he had been building a good therapeutic relationship with! Lifting and integrating student and family voice is a big part of our program’s goal, and this collaborative therapeutic approach is aligned with that! Working to build a truly collaborative and holistic team of providers, Lilly and Adriana also partner with the medical center on campus to support this youth and family. We are so excited to see the wonderful work Lilly and Adriana are doing to jointly hold this client and family in a way that feels equitable and supportive!
When Adriana arrived at Elmhurst this past October as a second clinician on site, she was eager to support the students and families in this community. Adriana found that sharing a cultural connection with a family (both Adriana and this family identify as Mexican-American) can have a great therapeutic impact that goes beyond a common language and communication. Lilly and Adriana discovered an opportunity to collaborate around what this particular family was asking for to best meet their needs. Here was a family that really wanted to work with a Spanish-speaking clinician and a client (a middle schooler) in a different developmental state in which he was trying to become more independent and requesting his own therapist separate from the family therapist. How exciting that we were able to meet both the family’s needs and honor the client’s request to continue with his therapist that he had been building a good therapeutic relationship with! Lifting and integrating student and family voice is a big part of our program’s goal, and this collaborative therapeutic approach is aligned with that! Working to build a truly collaborative and holistic team of providers, Lilly and Adriana also partner with the medical center on campus to support this youth and family. We are so excited to see the wonderful work Lilly and Adriana are doing to jointly hold this client and family in a way that feels equitable and supportive!
Blog Post Written By: Tiana Dudley, Director of School Partnerships
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