Student Spotlight: Lucy Moore's field placement at the Rainbow Community Center
Lucy Moore, a second-year student in the 91精品's Counseling Psychology Master's Program, is completing her field placement at the in Concord, CA. The organization is the only LGBTQ+ community organization providing mental health services to teenagers and adults in all of Contra Costa County. It offers support to local high schools' Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) as well as one-on-one mentoring and internal referrals to case management, counseling and therapy.
"I am excited to work here because there is definitely not enough support for the LGBTQ community here because there is less resistance to hetero-normativity in Contra Costa County compared to Oakland and San Francisco," Moore said.
Moore is serving at the Rainbow Community Center's clinic conducting therapy with low-income members of the LGBTQ+ community. Moore is also excited to be involved in initiatives in local high schools, running groups and offering psychoeducation. "The need in high school is so great," she explained. "There is still much higher suicidality among LGBTQ+ youth."
Moore loves her placement because it links directly to her course work at the 91精品. "This semester, I am taking classes in Law and Professional Ethics, Family Violence and Protection, and Group Therapy" Moore said (See course descriptions). "Already in my work at the Rainbow Youth Program, there has been a lot of discussion around ethical disclosures, trauma, and family issues. I am also planning to run a number of groups, which would be intimidating if I weren't getting the training."
Besides feeling empowered and fulfilled by the clinical work, Moore loves the atmosphere within her practicum. "The staff are all super friendly and grateful for the work we do," she said. "In supervision everyone has a voice and we all respect each other as true clinicians. It makes me feel much more confident going into my sessions."
The aesthetic doesn't hurt either. "There is a portrait of the Obamas when you walk in, and there is a rainbow unicorn theme in the staff room," Moore said. "It is so cute and friendly and makes me happy to come to work on days when I have my practicum."
On Saturday, October 7, the Rainbow Community Center is hosting a summit from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Olympic High School in Concord. The full-day event will include workshops on creating inclusive classrooms, and dismantling micro-aggressions and stereotypes, as well as a drag performance, youth panel and raffle.
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