San Quentin Rehabilitation Center’s mental health staff are recognized during Nurses Appreciation Week for their continued commitment caring for residents.
Dr. E. Anderson, Suicide Prevention and Training Cooridnator, arrived at San Quentin in 2021 after her role as a mental health clinician at the California Health Care Facility at Stockton where she worked close to eight years.
“I love what I do but wish I had more time to be more involved with all the amazing programs at San Quentin,” said Anderson, who said becoming a doctor to her is a calling.
In her current role at SQRC, she is tasked with monitoring and providing support for patients and residents who are identified as high risk for suicide. As such, Dr. Anderson has responsibility for ensuring compliance with suicide prevention policies and with making sure that all mental health staff have the required mental health training.
“I care about people and have a lot of compassion for those who struggle with their mental health,” said Dr. Anderson. She said her urge to want to help others came as a child. Now Anderson helps adults who suffered from trauma.
Dr. Anderson said the most interesting part of her occupation is having the flexibility to organize events and programs creatively and in conjunction with mental health care directives.
She added that her ability to pull in outside resources and bring in assistance makes her job “cool to be able to work with programs and create events that bring awareness to mental wellness.”
Anderson expressed that the most rewarding part of her experience at SQ is her involvement with Light Keepers, a program where residents are trained by mental health staff to be peer mentors who can support other residents going through a mental health crisis.
She noted that the amount of kindness, gratitude and appreciation she received from residents, patients and the Light Keepers group members which assured her that she is in the right profession.
However daunting the challenge appears to her at the moment, Dr. Anderson said she has no plans of leaving San Quentin anytime soon. About the future, she talked about creating and doing even more for San Quentin.
