Somali and East African Behavioral Health Services Program

Location:  Volunteers of America-Minnesota Education Center, 924 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55404 (Located at the northwest corner of Franklin Avenue and Cedar Avenue.) Days/Hours: Appointments are scheduled to accommodate the needs of program participants and may take place in a school, clinic, community or home setting. Participants: Somali or East African youth who have social, emotional or behavioral problems Fees:  Behavioral health services are reimbursable by Medical Assistance, third party insurance payers and contractual agreements with counties.  Some services are supported by grant funding. Contact:   David McGraw Schuchman, MSW, LICSW                    Director of Immigrant and Refugee Behavioral Health   Phone:      612-375-0700, ext. 61 Email:       dschuchman@voamn.org

The Somali and East African Behavioral Health Services Program is a program of the Volunteers of America-Minnesota Mental Health Clinics. The program offers culturally and language specific behavioral health services for Somali and East African youth, who experience significant difficulty due to emotional or behavioral problems, and their families. Our comprehensive program offers intensive therapeutic, skill building and rehabilitative services to help strengthen the emotional, behavioral and social functioning of Somali and East African youth and their families.  This includes improving school performance, increasing school attendance and improving their ability to function well within their families and in the community.   The Somali and East African Behavioral Health Services Program staff is composed of highly trained mental health professionals who are fluent in Somali and knowledgeable about Somali culture.  They have a broad range of understanding about the physical and mental health needs of Somali and East African youth and how these needs influence school and family life. When a youth is referred to our program, program staff arrange for an initial intake screening and evaluation meeting to determine if the youth meets the admission criteria. Consultation, support and direct service is also available from the multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals in the Volunteers of America-Minnesota Mental Health Clinics.   The Somali and East African Behavioral Health Services Program components include: Diagnostic Assessment Individual Therapy Family Therapy Group Therapy Individual Skill Building Family Skill Building Group Skill Building Multidisciplinary Team Consultation Parent Support Groups Consultation to Schools and teachers Community Presentations An important component of the Somali and East African Behavioral Health Services Program is that it provides Clinical Supervision and training of Somali Mental Health Practitioners to build their capacity to become independent professionals. The Somali and East African Behavioral Health Services Program collaborates with other Volunteers of America-Minnesota programs and other professionals to provide necessary services.  The Volunteers of America-Minnesota Mental Health Clinics is a Minnesota Department of Human Services licensed Rule 29 Mental Health Clinic and is accredited by the Council on Accreditation.  Additionally, we are a certified provider of Children’s Therapeutic Services and Support (CTSS) in several counties.  This program is supported by a grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services.   For more information about the Somali and East African Behavioral Health Services Program, please contact David McGraw Schuchman at 612-375-0700 or dschuchman@voamn.org.

RESOURCES/INFORMATION VIDEO: "Egal Shidad: Stories of Somali Health"--This hour long program provides mental health information for Somalis and organizations working with Somalis. Through storytelling it encourages Somalis to seek resources. English subtitles provided. The video includes an interview with David McGraw Schuchman, MSW, LICSW, Director of Immigrant and Refugee Behavioral Health for Volunteers of America-Minnesota. Click Here to Learn More/Watch Video>  ARTICLE: New American Media--Somali Woman's Illness and A Family's Quest for Healing.  Samira Iman was missing for nearly two years. The 31-year-old Somali didn't run away. She wasn't kidnapped. She didn't go to Africa to fight in Somalia's decades-old civil war. She was living in St. Cloud, Minn., in a group home for the mentally ill. But Samira's family lost track of her, and mental health officials did not help them locate her.  Click Here to View/Read>