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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 7, 2012)
* AP \ a «* dfS ÿortlanb GDbaeruer March 7,2012 Affordable Mental Health c o n t i n u e d f r o m page 3 o f c o u n se lo rs,” said Mueller. ”We do live supervision with students before they graduate, so c o u n s e lo rs . “One thing we are working on right now is increasing our ser- vices for Spanish speaking cli ents,” she said. “Not only are these “This is Lewis and C lark ’s op- p ortun ity to really give service to the c o m m u n ity ,” she said. “The c en ter offers a safe and nurturing en v iro n m en t at low cost, so we can serve people who norm ally d o n ’t have access to these se rv ice s.” The Lewis & Clark Community Counseling Center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is not an inpatient or emergency care facility. For more information about the center call 503-768-6320 or visit lc la r k .e d u /o ff ic e s / counseling_service. Page 5 Racial Gap in Schools Found A new study o f large school systems shows that the racial gap in the punishment of students is similar to the disparities found in the criminal justice system for adults. Data from the Department of Education show that A frican- American students are suspended or "referred" to law enforcement by school officials far more often that white students, even within the same school. The data showed that African American students represented 24 percent of enrollment but 35 per cent o f arrests. W hite students accounted for 31 percent o f enroll ment and21 percent o f arrests. For Hispanic students, there was less o f a disparity in arrests. They ac counted for 34 percent o f enroll ment and 37 percent o f arrests. Officials caution that there are many possible explanations for the disparity, such as poverty and ac cess to the best classes and teach ers. But one implication of the study is the pattern o f racial difference in the courts and in prison begins at the school level. According to the NAACP, a student who is arrested is twice as likely to drop out. Get over it. Get screened photo by M indy C ooper /T he P ortland O bserver Antonia Mueller directs mental health services for people in need by overseeing the new Lewis and Clark College Counseling Center, which is geared to providing affordable services. they can be ready in the field right when they graduate so they can provide services to clients from a diverse background.” According to graduate student Rico Garcia, 25, the center has a strong social justice perspective. “It allows us to address social economic status, racial inequality, sexism, homophobia, ablism, age ism, and understand how this inter acts with our community and our clients,” he said. “You can’t just treat the client’s symptoms. You have to address the epidemiology of the problem or situ ation that brought them in.” Currently, Mueller said there are over 30 students involved with the center, where they receive supervi sion and education from eight fac ulty members. Although the center is not a cri sis intervention facility; and does not offer medication management, the clinic has three programs of fered, including a marriage coupling and counseling program, mental health counseling, and co-occur ring and addiction counseling. “En compassing all that in one center is a unique service to the community,” she said. She added, the c en ter strives for a diverse faculty and array o f individuals dealing with economic pressure and downfall, but they are a lso d e a lin g w ith po w er struggles, being a m inority and o p p ressio n .” So we try to work within this community because we can help empower relationships by provid ing a safe and nurturing environ ment, said Mueller. “We have faculty members who are themselves Hispanic, and they feel like they can provide the exper tise and knowledge to students to help them go out into the commu nity and provide a high level of care.” She added that the location of the center, which shares a build ing with the Confederate Tribes of G rand Ronde, was chosen to ensure individuals from through out the m etro area could easily access their resources. “We are right on a bus line and bike route with free parking,” she said. “It was really im portant to us to make sure we are accessible easily by public transportation.” Although she said there are many aspects of the center that she is proud of, Mueller said the most ex citing aspect is that the college is deepening their already existing connection with others. 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At Providence, it's not just health care, it's how we care.™ Free community forums are in partnership with £ C ancc * QBrrtMt a ■ o o a a w Wednesday, March 21 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Providence Portland Medical Center Cancer Center Amphitheater 4805 NE Glisan St. Portland Friday, March 23 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Providence Milwaukie Hospital Mother Gamelin and Mother Joseph conference rooms 10150 SE 32nd Ave. Milwaukie 5D C Ç A + PROVIDENCE Cancer C enter
