Accessible Mental Health for ALL
Empowering every client to cultivate a healthy, stable, authentic life.
No exceptions.
Amanecer’s mission is rooted in the idea that every human being has a right to mental health care, regardless of background. Systemic and institutional injustices leave marginalized communities struggling to stay afloat against brutal waves of oppression. Amanecer provides a life raft that enables people to stabilize their surroundings, foster resilience, and prevail against the odds. Food insecurity, financial instability, neighborhood violence, immigration issues, and language barriers can prevent individuals from finding life-saving mental health services—that’s why our holistic approach addresses internal and external factors to create a toolkit of coping skills and knowledge that last for years after services.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to our work at Amanecer. Our skilled staff members and clinicians come from a variety of backgrounds and beliefs, which motivate us to continue learning and growing for the benefit of our clients. A diverse staff is an innovative one, and one that refuses to accept the status quo. We continue to maintain a workforce that mirrors our community and encourages staff to be their most authentic selves while cultivating a culture of tolerance for every client.
There is always more work to be done, but with the continued support of Amanecer’s leaders, supporters, and community, we will realize a world where mental health services are accessible to ALL.
Building an Inclusive Workforce
Recent DEI Staff Trainings
Amanecer provides cultural competency trainings to our entire workforce throughout the year to ensure that each client receives equitable care, regardless of background. Our trainings help clinicians and support staff to recognize implicit bias in health care, understand unfamiliar or misunderstood ideologies or identifications, and actively provide care for clients and families in a manner that honors their traditions and beliefs. Below are the latest trainings provided to staff:
Trans 101
A 2-hour training focused on teaching staff “the basics” for Trans and Intersex clients: proper terminology, common misconceptions, population statistics, current policies surrounding Trans and intersex folks, how to be an inclusive provider, and more.
August 2, 2022
Latinx Spirituality &
Wellness: Mental Health & Healing
A 3-hour training focused on how spiritual beliefs and practices can be important contributors to Latinx mental health, and how providers can be sensitive to these beliefs in treatment.
February 8, 2022
Latinx Spirituality &
Wellness: Current Relevance, Ancestral Roots
A 3-hour training focused on the role of faith, connection to spirits, and ancestral wisdom: aspects that can be significant to Latinx well-being and affect how clinicians approach treatment.
October 26, 2021
Interested in Providing Cultural Competency Trainings to our Staff?
Send us an email at development@amanecerla.org and include the name of your training and a brief summary of the training.
Promoting A Diverse Staff and Clientele
STAFF:
Amanecer collects and analyzes demographic data on staff recruitment, hiring, promotion, and attrition to gauge our diversity. Additionally, we encourage our team members to provide suggestions for meaningful policy change to ensure inclusivity. Amanecer frequently attends job fairs that aim to provide employment from the same neighborhoods we serve; our goal is to have a staff that reflects our target population.
CLIENTS:
During the intake process, Amanecer collects demographic data for potential clients. We utilize this information to understand which ethnic, religious, and X groups are responding to our outreach efforts, and tailor our communication to be more inclusive to other underrepresented groups. Our goal is to serve clients in need within our community that reflect the community’s diverse population.
Trauma-Informed Certification
TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE & EQUITY
To better assist individuals from all walks of life, Amanecer established itself as a Trauma-Informed Agency in 2016. The tenents of trauma-informed care allow for unbiased treatment which greatly benefits the underserved populations we treat.
TRAUMA INFORMED COMMITTEE AT AMANECER
Amanecer’s Trauma-Informed Committee (TIC) oversees the implementation and maintainance of the seven tenents of a trauma-informed agency to ensure that clients have a safe, empathetic, and inclusive experience.