Who We Are
The Ravenswood Wellness Partnership (RWP) is a unique collaborative of mental health and community organizations in East Palo Alto and east Menlo Park working together to increase capacity and access to culturally appropriate mental health services and support for Ravenswood youth—leading to earlier intervention and better outcomes.
Why We’re Here
The vibrant and multicultural communities of East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park are rich in history and diversity and have shown amazing strength and resilience, especially during the pandemic. Countless community members and organizations are working collaboratively to support Ravenwood children and families, yet recent data* shows inequities and challenges still remain:
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93% of students live below federal poverty line
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43% of students are homeless or housing insecure
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53% of students are English language learners
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99% of students are students of color
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In the US Surgeon General’s urgent youth mental health advisory, he states that “socioeconomically disadvantaged children andadolescents—for instance, those growing up in poverty—are 2-3 times more likely to develop mental health conditions than peers with higher socioeconomic status.”
The Ravenswood Wellness Partnership is showing up for students and families in our community. We are collaborating and innovating to build a more equitable system of care that supports the mental health and wellness of all Ravenswood youth.
Mission & Goals
Our mission is to provide youth and families in East Palo Alto and east Menlo Park with quality mental health care by increasing coordination, capacity and access to culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services.
- Capacity: Increase Mental Health Service Capacity
- Access: Increase Access to Mental Health Services
- Coordination: Improve Mental Health System Coordination
History of the Ravenswood Wellness Partnership
In 2018, thanks to a research and development grant from the Sand Hill Foundation, we hired an independent researcher to conduct a needs assessment to better understand the mental health needs of youth and families in the Ravenswood community. The study included 150 hours of research and 40+ interviews with schools, organizations, community leaders and families in East Palo Alto and Belle Haven. Validated findings revealed potential opportunities to increase service capacity, access and system coordination in Ravenswood. Many of the organizations who participated in the study became founding members of the Ravenswood Wellness Partnership.
Practicum Program in Psychology
The RWP Training Consortium Program is a one-year, practicum in clinical psychology with a training focus on child/family psychology, trauma-informed care and community-based mental health. Practicum students are involved in various clinical activities at partner agencies delivering services in East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park. The consortium training program provides intensive training in the treatment of children, adolescents and families in a robust community-based, interdisciplinary setting, and helps increase the stream of qualified, bilingual clinicians to support the mental health and wellbeing needs of youth in the Ravenswood community.
RWP Training Consortium Practicum Program in Psychology – Academic Year 2023-2024 (PDF)
Program Partners include:
Connect to Care
REFER A FAMILY TO THE RAVENSWOOD WELLNESS PARTNERSHIP FOR ASSISTANCE.
Divier has been providing mental health and social services for the past 17 years to underserved children, adolescents and families. Prior to working at CHC, he held different roles as a Case Manager, Mental Health and Disabilities Director, Psychiatric Technician and Crisis Clinician for various agencies and psychiatric hospitals throughout the Bay Area and Northern California. On the international level Divier has volunteered with multiple organizations providing crisis support services to youth and families in various countries in Central and South America. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, spending time with his family and friends, reading and exercising.
Divier ha estado proporcionando servicios sociales y de salud mental durante los últimos 17 años a niños, adolescentes y familias alrededor del área de la bahía. Antes de trabajar en CHC, ocupó diferentes cargos profesionales como Gerente del Departamento de Casos de Familia en diferentes condados del área de la bahía, Director de Salud Mental y Discapacidades, Técnico Psiquiátrico y Clínico de Crisis para varias agencias y hospitales psiquiátricos en toda el Área de la Bahía y el norte de California. A nivel internacional, Divier se ha ofrecido como voluntario con múltiples organizaciones que brindan servicios de apoyo en situaciones de crisis a jóvenes y familias en varios países de América Central y del Sur. En su tiempo libre, le gusta viajar, pasar tiempo con su familia y amigos, leer y hacer ejercicio.
Divier Wallace, MA, NCPT, MFTI
Mental Health Services Consultant
ravenswood@chconline.org
650.702.2487
Ravenswood Wellness Partner Directory
Organization
Website
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula
California Children’s Trust
CHC
San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS)
Child Mind Institute
Counseling & Support Services for Youth (CASSY)
Stanford Medicine: Early Life Stress and Resilience Program
One East Palo Alto
The Primary School
Ravenswood City School District
Ravenswood Education Foundation
Ravenswood Family Health Network
Support the Ravenswood Wellness Partnership
WE CAN BUILD A BRIGHTER FUTURE, TOGETHER.
The Ravenswood Wellness Partnership is made possible thanks to generous funding from the Sand Hill Foundation’s Wellness Partnership initiative and a grant from The Battery Foundation.
The partnership continues to seek funding to advance our collective work. For more information, please contact Lori McGilpin.
Lori McGilpin
Associate Director, Foundation Relations at CHC
lmcgilpin@chconline.org
Featured Resources
The first step toward effective culturally responsive teaching focuses on the basics. “Getting to know your students is a way to infuse some positive connections to their culture and to learning,” Muhammad says.
Leslie Gonzalez’s path to becoming a doctor was filled with overwhelming pressure, stress and anxiety. Classroom struggles, the challenge of juggling a part-time job and schoolwork — Gonzalez labeled herself a failure. And on top of that, she felt the pressure of being one of the only Latinas in her medical school setting.
Whether you know it or not, you know somebody who is autistic. So if you think autism doesn’t affect you, you’re wrong, says Eric Garcia, a senior Washington correspondent for The Independent. Garcia is the author of the book We’re Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation.
* Source: Ravenswood City School District and US Surgeon General
