Welcome Portia Maillard-Laws, LPC Director of Community Services PSI Mental Health Rehabilitation Core Services Agency

Portia Maillard-Laws is a native of the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. “I was raised by loving and compassionate parents who encouraged her come to the United States for a college education”, Portia said. In the United States, she lived and worked in Queens, New York. She earned a Bachelor Degree with honors from New York City Hunter College in Psychology and Sociology, and worked as a New York social worker.

“I relocated to Maryland eight years ago with her husband, “ Portia explained. She earned a Masters in Counseling Psychology at Bowie State University and became a Licensed Professional Counselor in the District of Columbia and Maryland.

Before joining PSI, Portia had been Director of Family Services for SOME (So Others Might Eat) and program administrator for Sasha Bruce Inc., Independent Living facility for homeless youth and its Teen Parent Program.

Portia joined PSI in August 2011 as the Director of Community Services. She brought to her position 15 years of knowledge and experience working with individuals and families challenged by homelessness and mental health illness in urban settings. Her first hand understanding of what family restoration means, and which counseling techniques to use with individual and families under extreme stress.

“Her dedication to breaking the cycle of homelessness by offering supportive and effective case management services has greatly enhanced our community support services”, says Dr. Sadie Bianco, PSI Clinical Director. “She provides the solid leadership that our community support workers need in addressing challenges of consumers in housing, employment, addiction and family relations.

Portia manages the PSI Community Services Department of the PSI core services agency. She is responsible for over 30 community support workers and team coordinators. “Under her leadership and supervision, the quality of our community services has improved. She understands how to motivate staff and lead by example, “ says Dr. Yvonne Ali, Executive Vice President. Thanks to Portia, the community support workers really do adhere to the DMH mission as well as follow PSI mental health policies and procedures and embrace the PSI mission “Helping People Grow”, adds Dr. Ali.

Each child and adult admitted to the PSI core service agency has his/her own community support worker, supervised by Portia and her team coordinators. As a result, observes Darlene Tucker, PSI Intake Coordinator, mental health clients are selecting PSI as their core services agency so they can receive the quality of care and personal attention the Community Services Department offers.

What are Portia’s goals for the Community Services Department? “First, I want to ensure that 100% of the time each community support worker exhibits empathy, compassion and respect for the dignity of the persons served and their stakeholders. Second, I want to ensure that my staff and I remain flexible and creative in responding to changing requirements and expectations placed on our Department.

Welcome to the PSI family, Portia. And, welcome to her husband, mother and two birds.

PSI’s Training Institute (PSI/TI) Welcomes Our 2012 Spring Social Work Interns

Dr. Philip W. Lucas, LICSW, ACSW, PSI/TI Consultant

The PSI Training Institute (PSI/TI) is pleased to welcome seven very enthusiastic and committed interns this academic year. Students from Howard University School of Social Work and the University of the District of Columbia ‘s (UDC) social work program hit the ground running in last fall and continue this spring.

Howard University Interns

Four Howard University interns are in their final year of graduate study in the Master of Social Work (MSW) program and a fourth is beginning her third semester. Because of the range of social work services offered by PSI, interns have choices. Two chose the PSI Therapeutic Foster Care Program, where they work with vulnerable youth referred to PSI for foster home placement. They student interns work on permanency, foster home services, and pre-adoption services under supervision of a PSI Foster Care Team Coordinator.

Two other Howard University MSW interns have joined the PSI Mental Health Rehabilitation Services Clinic. They work with individuals of all ages with complex psychiatric disorders and with their families.

University of the District of Columbia Interns

There are three interns completing their Bachelor of Social Work degrees from the University of the District of Columbia. They have each expressed clearly defined aspirations and preferences for the persons they wish to serve. One UDC Intern who wanted to work with adults with developmental disabilities and mental illness has been placed in the PSI Work Hardening Program. Another UDC Intern had prior experience in child welfare and was placed in the PSI Early Developmental Intervention Program. The third IDC Intern wanted very much to work with seniors. She was placed in the PSI Golden Years Program, a day treatment program for seniors with age-related intellectual, physical, and psycho-social disorders.

PSI senior staff members are the field instructors, supervising and advising interns placed with them throughout the academic year. The supervisory meetings are exchanges during which the field instructors and interns discuss evidence-based practices in their service area, including comprehensive treatment planning, data management and measurable outcomes.

The success of the PSI Technical Institute is due not only to the outstanding interns placed with PSI’s various programs, but also to the dedicated PSI supervisors who have taken on the responsibility of field instructors.

The PSI Training Institute is growing each year because of the effective job PSI supervisory staff is doing cultivating the next generation of social workers and other human services professionals.

Regardless of the placement, interns find a supportive environment that respects their interest and nurtures their talents. PSI is proud to be making an investment in the future of our field. We like the challenge of training our interns. We know we will see great things from them in the future.

Work Hardening Participants Know – For Jobs, See

Monique Rice, PSI Job Developer

Monique Rice is the PSI Job Developer. Her challenges. . .

• find and place qualified Work Hardening day treatment program participants in voluntary trainee positions in participating non-profit organizations, and
• recruit openings for paid competitive employment.

Monique brings to this challenge over 16 years of knowledge and experience in healthcare working with people with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities, Mental Illiness, and the Dual Diagnosis.

“In her daily work, Monique is exceptional; she communicates effectively with all stakeholders from government workers to employers, from our consumers to their advocates and their families, “ says Darlene Tucker, PSI Intake Coordinator and former Job Developer.

Before joining PSI , Monique was a Certified Investigator for the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. “ I investigated cases of abuse, neglect, fraud and, elopement that involved people with disabilities. She worked to prevent the re-occurence of abuse.

Monique describes her work in Pennsylvania related because “it has made me very sensitivity to potential abuse and exploitation of our participants in the labor market.”

Monique’s daily objectives are to build long-term partnerships with employers and to help our participants join the labor force. She works hard closely with employers to develop vacancies for the interns and regular employment. “When I talk to employers, I share my experience as a small business owner. I point out that I found the one of the key components of operating a successful business is qualified and productive employees. I stress that as an employer I know what other employers are looking for -- job skills, work ethic, co-worker inter-personal skills.

Through the Job Development program, Monique educates employers on the benefits of hiring persons from our Work Hardening Program. She reminds employers the through our internship program they see what our participants can do and how their efforts benefits the employer. “I get excited when employers see our interns as workers, not simply as persons with disabilities.”

The Work Hardening Program has an open door policy. We accept adults that many other agencies have refused to serve. Participants focus on their specific vocational interest areas in the day treatment rooms and in the internships: home health, food services, buildings and grounds, and clerical. The Job Development component screens participants for job readiness skills and attitudes, then recruits and places them in internships and sends them to interview for job vacancies.

“Monique works with very effectively our Habilitation Counselors, Case Manager and care givers to solve challenges to employment and independence, such as transportation and SSI benefits” says Dr. Yvonne Ali, President of PSI Services, Inc. She knows an important part of her job is to help remove barriers to work and to make families and caregivers aware of the possibilities for employment, adds Dr. Ali.

Through her efforts, PSI has over 100 Work Hardening Program participants on community internships every day from nursing homes to bowling alleys.

Monique recalls one of my most rewarding experience as Work Hardening Job Developer was assisting an intern in a well-chair. Together we solved the problem of access to public transportation. “To do this, I chaired meetings with her, PSI Habilitation Counselors and her care givers, says Monique. “Working together we found the way to overcome the transportation problem and to help her fulfill her dreams.”