COUNTYWIDE : Program Targets Mentally Ill Women

In the summer of 1990, Ruth (not her real name) had reached rock bottom. One sunny afternoon, she walked up and down a busy street in Tustin, making no attempt to avoid oncoming traffic. She hoped that a car would strike her and end the problems that had troubled her for months.

Though no one hit her, no one stopped, either. As with earlier cries for help, this one, too, went unnoticed.

Ruth’s despondency had two roots: clinical depression and impending homelessness.

Until last year, women like Ruth had few places to turn in Orange County. The Mental Health Assn. of Orange County encountered women through the Lighthouse, a drop-in center for mentally ill, homeless people, but there was no program targeting women and their special problems.

To remedy that, the mental health agency started the Athena Program for Women in June, 1990. However, even today “most of the programs in the county are just for men,” said Lisa Gilberto, a counselor with Athena.

To be eligible for Athena, women must be psychiatrically impaired and willing to receive mental health treatment. Clients must be medically stable, not pregnant and may not have children living with them.

And though the program stipulates that participants may not be abusing drugs or alcohol, “often we’ll find that, once a client is in the program, we discover there is a substance abuse problem,” according to Carol Burby, director of programs for MHA. “About 65% have a problem and we have them deal with that first.”

Ruth was referred to the Athena program by the YWCA last January. Counselors from Athena helped her find housing and offered follow-up support for her treatment for clinical depression.

More important, Ruth said, the program has given her someone to talk to.

“I can talk to Lisa (Gilberto) about anything. She helps me make my decisions. Before I always did what others wanted me to do . . . please(d) others around me.”

Another component of the program is vocational training. Most Athena clients are capable of employment. Some need job training, while others just need help in finding a job.

In Ruth’s case, her part-time job as a clerk at a clothing store did not give her a living wage. That was true even though Ruth had quit another part-time job at the request of the clothing store manager, who wanted her to be more available. Nevertheless, she still was not getting enough hours to support herself.

Despite having a master’s degree in linguistics, Ruth felt intimidated by her manager and was scared to talk to her.

In the past, she might have just quit, but Gilberto persuaded her to speak up. By doing so, Ruth not only got more hours but gained respect from others and from herself.

“It felt really good to stand up for myself. I don’t think I could have done it without Athena,” she said.