New Director, Growing Services

Mental health has always been a top priority at Saban Community Clinic. And expanding access to care is critical to our mission. That’s why we’re excited to introduce you to our new Director of Behavioral Health, Dr. Stefanie Smith.

Access is the first issue we have to tackle. Our goal is to be able to serve more people, because there’s such a huge demand for our services. We have to get creative.

Dr. Smith is a clinical psychologist and trauma expert. A native Angeleno, she has over 30 years of experience in direct service, including 15 in nonprofit leadership. With a dual focus on integrated health and trauma-informed systems, she is an ideal fit for our holistic program, which takes into account the connection between chronic illness and mental health.

Dr. Smith is excited to strengthen ties with the many other care areas within Saban where there’s a natural tie to mental health: pain management, diabetes, and perinatal care to name just a few.

The primary goal of the Behavioral Health Clinic is to expand access to mental healthcare — starting with Saban patients and broadening out into the wider community. To complement the group therapy sessions we’ve offered for years, we received a new grant to develop sound therapy sessions, using drumming and other sound inputs to shift a patient’s mental state.

Under Dr. Smith’s leadership, we’re extending our trauma-informed initiatives. Through this lens, we are re-examining our policies and procedures to better serve our patients and staff. Taking their lived experiences into account supports our commitment to becoming a more culturally sensitive, anti-racist organization.