Happy Summer from ICS! For our July newsletter, we would like to introduce our new Behavioral Health Programs Director, Alexis Aquino. We feel so fortunate to benefit from Alexis’s 15+ years as a mental health practitioner and are looking forward to the growth of our Behavioral Health Programs under her leadership. Please enjoy excerpts from a conversation Alexis and I had. -Abby
Abby: Hi Alexis! Tell us a little about yourself- I know that can be a tricky question for a therapist since they’re notoriously so private!
Alexis: (laughs) that’s true! I’m thinking of what would be best to share… I think I’ll start by saying that I come with a background as a LMFT and an Art Therapist. I have both clinical and creative sides which is a hybrid that I like to explore in my work. My experience has been broad in working in County systems of care, community based organizations and at Kaiser.
In terms of more about myself personally, I’d like to share that I love working with different art mediums like linocut, for example.
Abby: Linocut- what’s that I haven’t heard of it?
Alexis: Oh it’s so fun- it’s for printmaking or creating a stamp. But I also love working with clay. I also have a background in interior design. I always find myself at the local fabric store, exploring textiles. I’m a forever learner and would take art courses forever if I could. But I feel like the work I do as a clinician is also really creative. There’s creativity in giving back and being of service to the community- that’s an important driver in the clinical work I do.
Abby: I really like that concept of being creative in clinical work. I think so much of access design- which is what we’re constantly doing at ICS in creating and designing accessible spaces and environments that are welcoming for everyone- is at its heart deeply creative work. I think having that lens of being an artist makes a lot of sense in clinical work.
Alexis: Oh absolutely
Abby: What drew you to behavioral health work?
Alexis: Initially in my undergraduate years I pursued a bachelor’s degree in psychology and then took a pause and dove into a few different arenas and found myself at different pivotal moments in my life that I realized I wanted to be giving back to the community. I also wanted to tap into my familial lineage of returning back to community based work, education, providing direct services and really being able to support people when they are going through challenging times. It’s important for people to understand that challenging times can be for a season and that there is help available to find the light. Over my 16 year career in behavioral health, I have seen many shifts in the transformation of this field, yet the persistent running thread is the need for humanity and authenticity in this field. My hope is to continue to bring that into the work I do.
As a bi-culturual clinician, I have also found that working in behavioral health there is a need to provide services in the languages that more clients speak to reach more people. Behavioral Health is an ever-evolving field and I’m always excited to increase my cultural awareness of others because we live in a beautiful, diverse area of the world where everyone deserves to be seen.
Abby: That’s beautiful. I’m curious if you could share what brought you to ICS?
Alexis: (laughs) oh that’s easy, Irene! Irene, who was ICS’ Behavioral Health Programs Director a few years back, worked closely with me when I was at the County. I met her when I was a Mental Health Practitioner in the STAR Program (support treatment after release for people who are involved in the justice system).
Fast forward to present day, Irene reached out to me about this amazing opportunity to be the Behavioral Health Programs Director at ICS. ICS has always been an integral community resource for clients in Marin County surrounding a vision of disability justice. As a LMFT, or a therapist, it is important for me to align with an agency like ICS because the core values connect with whole person care. Whole person care ensures that every person has the right to independence.
Abby: What are you most excited about exploring in your new role?
Alexis: I’m very excited to explore maximizing the behavioral health opportunities for the clients at ICS. It’s very important to me to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. I also am committed to serving a diverse range of individuals with diverse needs. As an LMFT and Art Therapist, I’m excited to integrate creative practices into the program.
Abby: What have you enjoyed the most in your first month of your new role?
Alexis: I’m really enjoying getting to know all the staff at ICS and how passionate everyone is in their roles here. I’ve had the opportunity to get to know clients in my first month and have gotten to know all the creative outlets that everyone has here at ICS. Everyone seems to bring a real palpable energy coming to work and it’s visible to me that the clients also benefit from that energy.