Stacey Roth of Hillsides Named Vice Chair of LA Trauma Informed Care Task Force

Stacey Roth, the chief program officer of Hillsides, has been appointed the vice chair of the steering committee for a Los Angeles Trauma Informed Care Task Force.

The 11-member task force steering committee consists of a cross section of Los Angeles County service providers. The task force’s mission is to promote comprehensive approaches that mitigate the impact of trauma on individuals and communities.

In her position, Roth, who is a licensed clinical social worker, will help lead the task force as it creates, coordinates, and sustains trauma-informed infrastructures throughout the diverse systems of Los Angeles.

Trauma Informed Care (TIC) is an innovative method of care that screens and treats individuals according to the trauma(s) they have experienced, avoiding blame and emphasizing self-care and healing.

Hillsides is one of a handful of agencies in Los Angeles Country selected by the National Council for Behavioral Health to be a member of its TIC learning community for 2013-2014 and is on track to become a full-fledged TIC agency within a few years. Under Roth’s leadership, the agency’s nearly 450 employees have been trained in TIC and received additional self-care/wellness training.

“Stacey brings an incredible amount of knowledge as she has collaborated nationally within TIC systems,” said the task force’s creator Susan Hess, LCSW-IL, an adjunct lecturer at USC’s School of Social Work. “Hillsides has a leader who is integrating cutting-edge interventions to support vulnerable youth and their families, and we are thrilled to harness her expertise, experience, and enthusiasm in a leadership position.”

Serving as other officers on the task force steering committee are Hess and Olivia Piacenza, director of programs at A Window Between Worlds, co-chairs; Katie Tyler, MFT, clinical director at Haven Hills, secretary; Janel Byrne, MSW, treasurer; Dulce Acosta, MSW, of the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry at USC, community liaison; and Debi Biederman-Ash, MFTi, outreach coordinator.

The remaining steering committee members are Marino Aragon of Project Fatherhood; Nicholas Bruss, LMFT, of Compassion LA; Emily Cummins Polk, MSW, of Juntos, a Trauma & Wellness Center Serving the Lennox Community; and Lisa Nichola, MSW, of Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.

The steering committee will be launching the task force on July 14, and the task force will meet on a quarterly basis yearly.

Hillsides, a premier provider of behavioral healthcare headquartered in Pasadena, is dedicated to improving the overall well-being and functioning of vulnerable children, youth, and families. It serves more than 8.900 individuals throughout Los Angeles County, including Echo Park, the Hollywood Hills, Pomona, and Baldwin Park. For more information, please visit www.hillsides.org.