over 65 years in the making

Our Mission

To help families raise emotionally and physically healthy children and have a place to call home.

Our Vision

We envision a world that values the individual needs of each child and their family. A world that secures access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive and live a happy life.

Our History

The Whole Child (TWC) is a non-profit organization established in 1957 by community members who saw a need for children in vulnerable communities.

We have evolved over the years to meet the growing needs of the population we serve. Through our Mental Health, Family Housing, Parent Enrichment and Nutrition Education services we carry out our mission each day.

Watch our video celebrating 65 years of The Whole Child: from our earliest beginnings as a Mental Health provider in Whittier to our expansion and plans for the future!

The Whole Child - A Look Back at 65 Years

We believe that not only does every child matter, but every aspect of the child matters – the whole child.

Our Impact

The Whole Child strives to improve the lives of more than 8,000 individuals each year through our mental health, family housing, parent enrichment and nutrition services. With these services, we address four key areas to stabilize and help families recover from challenges in ways that ultimately strengthen our community.

1437

Hours of Therapy Provided

945

Served in Family Housing Program

345

Served in Parent Enrichment

82

Workshops Held in Nutrition Education

Our Clients

All our families are low to extremely low income and 79% are from underrepresented communities of color. 61% of caregivers are female.

Challenges Our Clients Face

The Whole Child clients

Develop. Outreach. Advocate.

The Whole Child is deeply committed to the enrichment of the various fields of expertise where we provide services. We are believe in using our influence and resources to advocate for social justice and equity on behalf of the families we serve.

For more than 35 years, The Whole Child has been involved in a graduate student internship program with our partner universities to provide a comprehensive training curriculum for Associate Social Worker (MSW) and Marriage & Family Therapy (AMFT) students. Our internship program places students throughout various programs, integrates class work with supervised, hands on clinical practices and provides real-time feedback through mock video exercises.

University Partners
California State University, Fullerton – Master’s Degree in Social Work
California State University, Long Beach - Master's Degree in Social Work
California State University, Los Angeles – Master’s Degree in Social Work
Loyola Marymount - Master's Degree in Art Therapy/Marriage & Family Therapy
University of Southern California - Master's Degree in Social Work
Whittier College - Bachelor's Degree in Social Work

Student Internship Program Goals
Develop a full scope of understanding of different philosophies, theories and procedures in the field of psychotherapy.

Exposure to various theoretical orientations and forms of therapy specific to children and families in an attempt to influence the child/family to make changes in the areas of cognition, emotion and overt behavior.

Develop knowledge and skills for the process of participating in the therapeutic support work with parent(s)/caregiver(s) in individual and group psychotherapy.

Develop directive and non-directive play therapy techniques.

Develop assessment, diagnostic, and treatment intervention skills.

Gain knowledge and understanding of an ethical and legal practice.

Develop skills in culturally sensitive assessment and intervention.

Practice application of critical and reflective thinking processes.

Expose students to community based non-profit service delivery.

Gain knowledge and understanding of county funded mental health services.

Instructional/Teaching Methods
Lecture and Discussion (Didactics)
Case Study
Case Load Assignment
Group Therapy Participation
Process Recordings
Clinical Recordings
Individual and Group Supervision
Evaluation Process
Video and Audio Recordings

Participation Requirements
Student must be attending one of the affiliated universities identified above.

Student must be willing to work one evening until 7:00 p.m. to meet the needs of families who require a late appointment.

Student must be motivated and have enthusiasm for higher learning, and for acquiring knowledge and skill in a community based mental health agency.

If you are a University that would like to be considered for a partnership with the The Whole Child Mental Health Graduate Student Internship Program, please contact:

Juan Martinez, PhD, LCSW
(562) 692-0383, extension 256
jmartinez@thewholechild.org

The Whole Child dedicated to our staff's ongoing development as leaders in their field as well as continuing to host various regional training sessions to develop others with a larger goal of furthering the field itself.

The Whole Child attends various community events across the region to raise awareness of behavioral disorders, homelessness, child abuse and neglect, and child obesity. We also organize events and campaigns throughout the year with the help of our partners to facilitate the collection and distribution of in kind gifts to enrich the lives of the families we serve.

The Whole Child is a powerful voice on behalf of those we serve. We raise awareness of community needs with policy makers and participate in various working groups around the issues our clients face.

Read our latest Annual Report

2021-2022 Annual Report

Executive Team

Leadership Team

Programs

Administration

Board of Directors

Officers

Chairman of the Board

Gary Martinez
Senior Vice President
Ashwill Associates

Vice Chair

Fabio Soto
Business Owner
State Farm Insurance

Treasurer

Danelle Thomsen
Chief Administrative Officer
AmeriNat

Secretary

Bonnie Bilitch
Retired Chief Nursing Officer
Olive View – UCLA Medical Center
at LA County Department of Health Services

Immediate Past Chair

Alex Moisa, Esq.
Law Offices of Alex Moisa

Members

Maria Martinez-Poulin, E.D.
Deputy Superintendent
Los Angeles County
Office of Education

Conny McCormack
Election Consultant
Former Registrar – Recorder
County of Los Angeles

Corinne Muñoz
Retired Educator
Los Nietos School District

Thedora Nickel
Executive Director
The Change Company

Robert J. Quist
Retired Deputy Court Administration
Los Angeles Municipal Court

Rick Rodriguez
Rodbat Management Inc.
Founder

Janice Roodzant
Founder and President
Details Business Organizer

Maria Segovia
Vice President /
Credit Administrative Officer
Pacific Western Bank
Board Member Emeritus

Robert Tapia
Reverse Mortgage Professional
American Advisors Group
Partner

Barbara S. Van Ligten
Retired
Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo, Partner

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