NJAMHAA FY23 Advocacy Campaign

Counselors Help Individuals Gain Confidence and Careers When Elaina came from Florida two years ago to live with her brother and sister-in-law in Camden, she was pregnant and suffering with severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder from having been physically abused in previous relationships. “I was numb and it was hard to get help during the pandemic,” Elaina said. Through individual, culturally sensitive psychotherapy provided primarily through telehealth, as well as medication, Edna Rodriguez, PsyD, a Clinical Psychologist at Hispanic Family Center of Southern New Jersey and Program Director of the agency’s Family Counseling Clinic, empowered Elaina to progress along a path of healing. “Elaina has learned to accept herself and developed a resilient mindset, confidence and self-sufficiency,” according to Dr. Rodriguez. Elaina started working as an eye technician, is working toward a nursing license and is living with her son in her own apartment. Investment Is Needed to Make More Successes such as Elaina’s Possible • Invest $39 million to raise all behavioral health rates and contracts. • Pass S2668/A508 and S136/A1456 to establish formulas for automatic rate and contract adjustments that are indexed to actual costs. 2 H   “My passion is to support and guide individuals in their path of healing and recovery. They always tell me that I help them, but I always say, ‘No, you let me help you and you help yourself.” Edna Rodriguez, PsyD Clinical Psychologist Hispanic Family Center of Southern New Jersey