It’s a measure of the quality of CHAC, the Community Health Awareness Council, that employees there are so passionate about their work. Most supervisors began as interns, and have been working at CHAC for at least 15 years.
CHAC serves adolescents and their families in Mountain View, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. Most of its counseling takes place on the campuses of 24 local schools, though work is also done at its facility, located at 711 Church St. in Mountain View.
Their programs address a variety of emotional problems in children and teens that affect their health, well being and academic performance. These problems can lead to alcohol and drug abuse, physical and psychological abuse, gang participation, teenage pregnancy and a number of other destructive behaviors.
“Our job requires dedication and conviction. Children need the services we offer,” said Mary White, an Associate Director of Clinical Services who has been with the nonprofit organization for over 20 years.
CHAC — one of six local nonprofit organizations supported by the Voice Holiday Fund this season — plans to use incoming funds to support its Prevention Plus school-based-program, which is focused on helping children deal with emotional problems.
The Prevention Plus program services are delivered by the help of more than nine licensed clinical therapists, Certified Art Therapists, Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors and more than 55 graduate-school interns.
“The Prevention Plus program is wonderful because it gives children tools that will help them for their entire lives,” said Monique Kane, executive director of CHAC.
The target population of Prevention Plus includes approximately 1,200 at-risk students who attend one of the 24 schools within the Mountain View-Los Altos High School District, the Los Altos School District, or the Mountain View Whisman School District.
At-risk children are more susceptible to “stressors,” which result in difficult behavior, take attention away from academic studies, and can result in poor health and bad choices. CHAC wants to impress that it is very difficult for students to concentrate when they are dealing with extreme stressors.
“Students are incapable of doing good work if they feel badly about themselves,” said White.
The students in need are referred to CHAC by parents, teachers or administrators. They typically work with CHAC once a week from the point of referral until the end of the school year, but support is also available throughout the summer.
“The process is gradual; it isn’t overnight,” said White. “The experience is a learning process and we help the students to become effective in their own lives.”
In addition to Prevention Plus and other programs within CHAC, the group has recently begun a new program called First 5. That program helps parents with very young children, under the age of 5, who are need of support. It assesses strengths, weaknesses and needs of the family and works with the family to make sure all needs are met.
“We are really excited about this program because most of our work is K-12,” said Kane. “It’s great to start prevention with families at such a young age.”
INFORMATION:
CHAC is located at 711 Church St. in Mountain View. Call (650) 965-2020 or visit online at www.chacmv.org for more information.
