| Student Support Service Department Announcement: |
| Hello Warriors! We have some exciting news to share from the Student Services Department! Thanks to the work we have been doing through Project AWARE (a grant that seeks to increase access to mental health services in schools) we have been able to welcome a mental health therapist to Wahluke School District! His name is Fernando Alaniz. He will be on our campus four days a week to serve students as a school-based mental health therapist. He is employed through United Way Family Center but will be integrated as a part of our staff. He is able to receive referrals for therapy from school counselors, respond to the mental health crises that occur with our students, and will be a great additional support to our students. You are invited to meet Fernando through his attached introduction. He has also been going around campus getting to know the place, so hopefully, you have the opportunity to see him in person as well! – DJ Garza - Student Support Services Director Hello Wahluke School District, I currently work at United Family Center as a mental health therapist in Kennewick. It is an absolute pleasure beginning a new journey with all of you as the school-based mental health therapist for the Wahluke School District. I was raised in the Lower Yakima Valley, where the culture there is similar to the culture at the Wahluke School District. Although I grew up in the lower valley, I attended and graduated from Prosser High School. I live in the Tri-Cities area with my husband Miguel and my two dogs. A Golden Retriever named Flash and Dachshund mix named Freckles. Shortly after graduating high school, I decided to enlist in the United States Marine Corps, where I specialized in low altitude air defense. When I was getting ready to leave the Marine Corps, I knew that there was a shortage of people within the mental health field; surely if there was a shortage in the military, then the same had to be true within the civilian sector. It was after I left the Marine Corps that I realized that I needed to pursue an education and career in the mental health field. I began my education at Yakima Valley Community College (YVCC), where I received my Associate in Arts with an emphasis in psychology. After, I enrolled in a bachelor’s of science degree in psychology at the Washington State University in Richland, Washington. After graduating from Washington State University, I enrolled in the master’s degree program with The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP). Graduating from TCSPP in 2021. Still, the urge to keep pushing myself further drove me to enroll in a Ph.D. program. I am currently enrolled in Saybrook University’s clinical psychology programs, in pursuit of obtaining a Ph.D. I have experience working in different fields within mental health. I started my career working as a case manager/mental health worker at one of Comprehensive Healthcare’s inpatient facilities. After I left Comprehensive Healthcare, I began crisis work. I became a crisis counselor at Lourdes Crisis in Kennewick. While at the crisis center, I would work with clients within various age ranges that were struggling with mental and/or substance use-related problems. Along with being a mental health therapist, I also work for the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) as a social service specialist 2, within the Child Welfare Operations Division at the Richland office. Thank you for allowing me to introduce myself to you Wahluke School District. Best Regards, – Fernando Alaniz - Mental Health Therapist
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