It’s time to shine the light on our Sí Se Puede Residential Behavioral Health Center and our amazing staff! Located in the foothills of Watsonville, Sí Se Puede (SSP) is a 23-bed residential facility led by Latinos with lived experience serving Spanish-speaking, male clients for a 30-90 day period, depending on client needs. Licensed by the California State Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and CARF accredited, SSP is one of the only bilingual and monolingual treatment centers in the nation. The program helps clients recover from substance use disorder (SUD) using evidence-based trauma informed and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), as well as focused individual and group counseling, life-skill building, and mindfulness. Clients are assessed at intake and twice a month during treatment to ensure that they are receiving the care they need. When a client is ready for a lower intensity of care, we work to successfully transition clients to outpatient services. Our hard-working bilingual staff includes highly skilled, trained and certified clinicians, counselors, and peer mentors who strive to meet each individual where they are in their recovery journey, treating each client with dignity and respect.
We recently interviewed a few of our SSP staff and asked them to tell us a little bit about their job, what made them want to work for Encompass, and what they enjoy most about their work.
Ana R. | Residential Counselor Medication Specialist
Please tell me a little bit about your job/what you do for Encompass.
One of my primary responsibilities is to facilitate groups and ensure that clients are connected with our MAT (Medication Assisted Treatment) staff and doctors. Additionally, I strive to ensure that clients have access to all necessary medications and follow up on their appointments.
What made you want to work for Encompass and, specifically, the SSP residential treatment center?
What drew me to Si Se Puede is their commitment to serving the Latino community through the bilingual program. I am passionate about helping others overcome serious addiction issues, and knowing that I can provide counseling and support to those struggling with addiction is truly rewarding to me.
I believe that my experience and skills align well with the mission and values of Si Se Puede. I am confident in my ability to contribute to the success of the program and make a positive impact on the lives of those I am serving.
Aletia E. | Clinical Manager
Please tell me a little bit about your job/what you do for Encompass.
I supervise clinical staff at SSP, monitor adherence to client documentation, facilitate Dance/Movement therapy groups and provide direct client services. I am also working on my Clinical Counseling Master’s degree with a Dance/Movement Therapy specialization.
What made you want to work for Encompass and, specifically, the SSP residential treatment center?
Throughout my career when I am seeking new opportunities, I have consistently asked myself these two important questions: Is the work impactful to the community? And, will I feel like I am making a difference with the work I do? Working at Encompass checks both of these boxes without a doubt. SSP is also an opportunity to work with underrepresented populations that need Encompass resources the most. I am excited to have the opportunity to be a contributing member of this program.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
SSP staff have huge hearts and are always able to rise to the occasion to provide outstanding service to our clients. It truly feels like a family here.
Andrea C. | Residential Counselor
Please tell me a little bit about your job/what you do for Encompass.
I provide many services for clients, including transporting them to medical appointments related to mental or physical health, as well as personal visits to the social security office, immigration office, Department of Motor Vehicles, and potential employers. I also provide support through daily counseling to help with their mental and physical health.
What made you want to work for Encompass and, specifically, the SSP residential treatment center?
I was encouraged to apply for this position by a friend who heard about it. I was previously a teacher for Kindergarten and 3rd grade, and I was ready for a career change. I applied for this position because I wanted to go back to what I studied and get involved with social work again.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I enjoy that I can work directly with clients and see the progress of their growth, whether attending group therapy, helping them transition to a safe living environment after their SSP stay, or helping them get legal immigration papers and a passport or driver’s license. I have had the privilege of seeing so many of our clients flourish.
Maribel H., LVN, SUDRC
Please tell me a little bit about your job/what you do for Encompass.
I am the nurse at SSP. I’ve been with Encompass for about 1.5 years and it is my first time working with a SUD program. I feel like I have started a new and exciting career and I love it! After working so many years in the hospital setting and through a major pandemic, I was ready to quit nursing altogether. But then Encompass gave me the opportunity to discover new opportunities, see a new side of nursing, and begin a new adventure to help my community.
What are you most proud of during your time at Encompass?
I am most proud of my ability to aid in the recovery of SSP clients. I have strong relationships with Watsonville community health providers from my past roles in the hospital system, so I help our clients with access to both primary and specialty medical care when they need it, including psychiatric care.
What’s the best part of your job?
I am so thankful for my wonderful coworkers at SSP. I love being a part of such an engaged, fabulous team. The Encompass culture encourages you to be constantly learning and growing. I recently started a certification in Alcohol and Drugs Counseling in order to deliver better service to our clients.
Veronica G. | Program Assistant III SUDRC
Please tell me a little bit about your job/what you do for Encompass.
I support our team by ensuring we are all up-to-date with our work credentials including online trainings. I work with our Accounting team, making sure all our accounts are current. I also work with our DARS team to ensure that our billing is entered correctly and in a timely manner.
What made you want to work for Encompass and, specifically, the SSP residential treatment center?
I started my journey with Encompass five years ago through our Alto Counseling services, which led me to join this amazing team at Si Se Puede. I wanted to work here to support our community because this is where I grew up and where my family lives.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
My favorite part about my job is the variety of duties I do. I enjoy networking with our community and building connections with our Probation department, Pre-Trial offices, Medical offices, the MOST team, and other social workers. It’s important to me to have these connections so we can all support each other and put our clients’ needs first.
The SSP staff will be busy over the next year as we embark on the journey to transition to a brand-new Behavioral Health Center with ground-breaking slated for early 2024! Once complete, the new Encompass Si Se Puede Center will have the capacity to deliver high quality, accessible, and culturally appropriate substance use disorder and mental health treatment services to more than 1,300 community members every year. (More than 1,1100 through outpatient services and over 240 for residential.) Accessing substance use and mental health services is especially difficult for Medi-Cal beneficiaries and uninsured individuals who must rely on limited openings. Offering bilingual, connected programs and facilities on one campus will help us provide our community members with the custom treatment, therapy, and ongoing support they need and deserve.
Additionally, Encompass is co-developing our new behavioral health center with nonprofit developer MidPen, Housing, Inc. who is building a 72-unit affordable housing community next door. The partners have co-located the campuses with the aim of increasing access to treatment and housing while also reducing stigma around seeking treatment. It’s a win-win.
For more information about Encompass’s Sí Se Puede Behavioral Health Center or to make a donation to our capital project, visit www.sisepuedecenter.org. If you or a loved one would like to inquire about services, contact us at (831) 226-3728 or email [email protected].