About Mental Health Hookup
MISSION
ADVOCACY
OUR BOARD & PARTNERS
Mental Health
Affects All Of Us
Millions of people in the U.S. are affected by mental illness each year. We’ve seen first-hand the importance of addressing mental health throughout our community.
50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24
Each Year
- 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness
- 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness
- 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder
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Mental Health Hook Up Mission
The mission of Mental Health Hookup is to assist families locate appropriate resources and to develop programs for their family members who suffer from mental illness.
Our qualified staff members follow a program developed by Barbara Wilson. Barbara has a Masters, Social Work and is a licensed clinical social worker in the state of California.
We serve families who have adult or older adult family members who have a Serious & Chronic form of mental illness. We also provide traditional therapy and holistic natural non-invasive forms of treatment such as neurofeedback.
The Mental Health Hook Up agency provides referrals to mental health and other community services. We design high quality cost effective programs for hospitals and other intensive programs and we coordinate care management for people who suffer from severe and chronic forms of mental illness.
Our Founder, Barbara B. Wilson, LCSW
Barbara B. Wilson is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in California, with a Master of Social Work and a strong history in mental health advocacy.
She is a non-attorney disability representative and a member of the National Association of Disability Representatives (NADR).
After a distinguished career in mental health, Barbara retired from her job as a psychiatric social worker with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health in 1992.
The need for mental health services continued to grow, so Barbara founded Mental Health Hookup, the Santa Clarita-based counseling and advocacy agency she has run on a shoestring budget ever since.
An innovator, ahead of her time, Barbara created friendship circles in the parks and recreation departments and got board-and-care operators together to do outings. They developed vocational opportunities.
For the last decade, Barbara has fought for renewed state support for board-and-care homes, which have been closing at alarming rates. Such facilities were once an integral part of the mental health system, but today get little money and are often “shabby,” though they house people with serious mental illnesses who otherwise could be homeless, hospitalized, or incarcerated.
Dedicated to families, Barbara continues her work as an advocate, care provides, and Executive Director of Mental Health Hookup.
Read a recent interview from The Steinberg Institute acknowledging the work Barbara has done regarding Adult Residential Facilities and helping individuals and families who have Serious Mental Illness affect them.
Our Board
Robert Trostler, MBA, JD
Board Chair
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Robert Trostler has been active in the health care industry in various capacities for over forty years, working in both the private and not-for-profit sectors. He began his career as an Assistant Administrator in a Medical Surgical Hospital, Administrator in both the Medical Surgical Hospital and Psychiatr4ic Hospitals.
Robert served as a Regional Administrator for two Acute Care Psychiatric Hospital Corporations. In addition, to his hospital experience Robert was the administrator for large psychiatric MSO. For the past twenty years Robert was the administrator and part owner of San Fernando Valley Adult Day Health Care Program; a license out-patient clinic providing a variety of nursing, social services, mental health and physical and occupational therapies to the disabled adults. The majority of the clients were individuals living with mental illness.
Robert holds a Bachelor Degree and Masters of Business Administration from the University of Southern California and a JD Degree from Southwestern School of Law. Robert believes that the chronically mentally ill population have been neglected and have not received their fair share of resources and health care funding, contributing to instability, homelessness and frequent use of emergency services. Now retired, Robert works actively to improve the system, devoting his time and energy to support this population and to help them receive the necessary services, serving as Board President for Mental Health Hook Up.
Eva Carrea MSW, LCSW
Board Vice Chair
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Eva Carrera, LCSW, recently retired after more than 27 years of service through the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.
Eva started as a Psychiatric Social Worker and ultimately managed multiple clinics for outpatient adult and children’s programs. In January 2000, Ms. Carrera was promoted to District Chief, leading special pilot programs, directing and monitoring mental health services in Service Planning Area 2 (SPA 2), including the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys. This position included managing all children’s contracted programs in SPA 2.
The last two years with Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Eva was assigned to manage quality assurance activities for LA County contracts with mental health nonprofit organizations in three Service Planning Areas. In 1980, Eva acquired her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She moved to Los Angeles California in 1985 driven by a calling to work with diverse, low-income communities.
Eva will continue to advocate for individuals struggling with mental health issues, working to ensure that their individual needs are addressed through our mental health system. Eva enjoys spending time outdoors.
Nicole Wilson, MS, MPPM
Board Treasurer
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Nicole Wilson has a passion to work toward community well-being. Her career has been a varied one leading her to work in the technology sector, and the private sector prior to establishing herself as a public service professional.
She started her public sector career at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Service through the Welfare to Work Program and is presently a Health Information Technology Management Analyst with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, working to demonstrate positive outcomes for Veterans in Southern California.
Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and a minor in Women’s Studies, from Sonoma State University, and a Master of Science Degree in Public Policy, from the H John Heinz College of Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. Nicole enjoys movies, books, hiking, and biking in the Santa Monica Mountains and the many trails in her hometown of Santa Clarita.
Caroline Kelly
Vice Chair
Our Partners & Sponsors
Your Donations Make a TREMENDOUS Impact
With your generous tax-deductible donation, we are able to help considerably more people in need of our services. We greatly appreciate your partnership and monetary or in-kind gift. Mental Health Hookup is registered as a California-based 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization. Contributions to the Mental Health Hookup are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
