Mental Health Champions: Why & How Dr. Lisa Wong of Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) Is Helping To Champion Mental Wellness
An Interview With Michelle Tennant Nicholson
Take a breath. When things feel like they’re escalating, I stop myself in my tracks and take a couple deep breaths. That small, simple disruption can be all I need to shift perspective, or at least give myself a little “breathing” room.
As a part of our series about Mental Health Champions helping to promote mental wellness, I had the pleasure to interview Dr. Lisa Wong.
Dr. Lisa Wong is a Mental Health Champion. She currently serves as the Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) where she is consistently helping in many ways. Dr. Wong has spent nearly 30 years providing significant mental health resources to the public, and speaking on the topic to various audiences across California.
Dr. Wong has extensive experience with mental health as she previously was LACDMHs Senior Deputy Director, and during that time, also served as interim Chief of the Full-Service Partnership (FSP) program.
In these roles, she has not only overseen clinical programs and provided mental health services throughout the Los Angeles community, but through the FSP program was able to help at-risk individuals with mental health needs.
Dr. Wong has truly made an impact and continues to speak and educate the state of California through her powerful words and ability to provide the best resources for those struggling with mental health.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, oldest of 3 children. My mother (homemaker) is from Guangzhou, China and my father (photographer) was from Hong Kong. I learned English as a second language, primarily speaking Cantonese and Toisan as a child. I grew up surrounded by music, science, art, books, extended family, travel and good food — all things that are still important to me today.
You are currently leading an initiative that is helping to promote mental wellness. Can you tell us a bit more specifically about what you are trying to address?
At The L.A. County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) we believe that mental health is health, but also that it is a social justice issue. We want to bring wellbeing to our clients, families, and communities. We want to reduce the stigma often associated in society with mental health issues, provide access to culturally relevant and linguistically responsive services, and change the life trajectories of the people we serve. Our goal is to bring hope, wellness, and recovery to the people of Los Angeles County, with a special commitment to working with people living with serious mental illness.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
I’ve always wanted to be in a helping profession, first starting off as a pre-med major, then switching to psychology when I started to learn about schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses. After my first practicum experience in Skid Row as a BA level student, I fell in love with the population I worked with, and felt drawn to helping them to alleviate their suffering, and build a better life.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest them. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
I don’t know if I can identify a specific point in time, but I do know my future was sealed after my exposure to working with people living with serious mental illness and experiencing homelessness in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles. I was so moved (and often heartbroken) by the stories people shared with me, and the incredible privilege of accompanying them on their journeys of recovery. I worked with many people who society gave up on yet were able to turn their lives around — the resilience, recovery, and hope I witnessed were enough to fuel the rest of my career.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
I’m not sure if this is the most interesting story, but I have really been struck by the number of people who have approached me or reached out to me to tell me how much it means to them to have a director who is a woman (first female DMH director in 25 years), a person of color, and specifically someone who is from the AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) community. This has made it clear to me that representation matters, and the ability to have role models is important, even if I don’t see myself in that way.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
I have been very fortunate to have many mentors and cheerleaders throughout my career. I have benefitted from the kindness, grace, and wisdom from those who have been a part of both my professional and personal lives. Some of my early Skid Row mentors showed me what it was like to have a vocation, not just a career. They taught me about the humanity and value of all people, and the incredibly rich experience of working in a helping profession.
In your experience, what should a) individuals b) society, and c) the government do to better support people suffering from mental illness?
There are many reasons there’s still stigma about mental illness. We, as a society, are often quick to categorize those who are different, or who we may not understand. There is a sense of safety or security in establishing an “otherness” — it helps people deal with the fear that something as devastating as serious mental illness can happen to anyone — including our loved ones and ourselves. I think the stigma also has to do with not having a good understanding about what serious mental illness is, including the etiology, treatment, and prognosis.
In order to better support people suffering from mental illness, we need to start having conversations — at the individual, societal and governmental levels. We have to humanize the experience of mental illness, educate ourselves and others about mental illness, and take action to bring about changes, whether its developing relationships, community integration, volunteering, providing resources, or lobbying for funding and legislative support. The department of mental health, even one as big as the LAC Department of Mental Health, is not going to be able to bring about mental health and wellbeing by itself — we need everyone to get involved and be a part of the solution. People living with serious mental illness need to have social supports, and communities that will stand by their side.
What are your 5 strategies you use to promote your own well-being and mental wellness? Can you please give a story or example for each?
- Take a breath. When things feel like they’re escalating, I stop myself in my tracks and take a couple deep breaths. That small, simple disruption can be all I need to shift perspective, or at least give myself a little “breathing” room.
- I take a quick walk, even if it’s just a lap around the floor of my office. It oxygenates the brain, and gives me the opportunity to take a break and re-group.
- I have a really good cup of coffee. It feels like a kindness I extend to myself.
- I re-connect to why I do the work I do — even when moments appear to be heavy or challenging. I try to have regular times that I still have client contact and do street outreach and treatment. I also talk to my staff. They are amazing human beings, and it is always encouraging or inspirational to spend some time with them — and they make me laugh.
- I pray. A lot. It connects me to a higher power, something greater than myself. It gives me a sense of peace and helps to calm, even when things get tough. Prayer helps me to know that I am not alone in the work that needs to be done.
What are your favorite books, podcasts, or resources that inspire you to be a mental health champion?
Aside from doing the actual work, and being with the people we serve and who I serve with, I am greatly inspired by the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Dr. Cornel West. I try to read as much as I can, or sometimes I’ll watch interviews, or try to go to in-person talks whenever possible.
If you could tell other people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Never underestimate the impact of what you can contribute to the wellbeing of another person.
How can our readers follow you online?
They can follow me on Twitter at @directorLACDMH, or they can follow the department @LACDMH on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Also, please check out our department’s new recruitment campaign, “Do Worthwhile Work”, at doworthwhilework.com.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About the Interviewer: Inspired by the father of PR, Edward Bernays (who was also Sigmund Freud’s nephew), Michelle Tennant Nicholson researches marketing, mental injury, and what it takes for optimal human development. An award-winning writer and publicist, she’s seen PR transition from typewriters to Twitter. Michelle co-founded WasabiPublicity.com.
