Element 4: Mental Health Services
In order to increase student access to mental health services in the community and schools, MUSD will both create and expand upon services provided while simultaneously working to reverse negative stereotypes surrounding mental health treatment. Under Project Safety Net, we will provide school-based mental heath services that include assessments, case management, and therapy for an additional 6,000 at-risk students annually. A qualified mental health service provider will offer school-based mental health service to include an additional 250 emotionally disturbed students. We will also increase the number of referrals for students by 10% annually. Achieving the goals of Element Four will improve school environments relating to all elements of the SS/HS grant.
Element Leader: George Muriel
 Being a mental health advocate and coordinator of such services requires a lot of gritty frontline interaction with students who face mental health challenges. Working with parents of students who live with various mental health issues requires the balance of compassion with aggressive programs to bring at-risk kids into a state of well-being, and those who do this work deserve a standing ovation for their efforts, and none is more deserving of our accolades than George Muriel.
George Muriel is a counselor, lawyer, educator, parent liaison, troubleshooter, peacemaker, and conflict resolution expert. Quite a plateful for a man who’s been in mental health educational programs since 1981! George has a BA in Political Science from UCLA, a Masters in Education from same, got his Juris Doctor in Law from Brigham Young University, and finally received his Masters in School Counseling from California State University, LA in 2000.
George has been a school principal, a bilingual teacher and currently works as District Coordinator for Pupil and Community Services. He has also taught the Individual Counseling Practicum for Cal State in collaboration with the Montebello Family Support Center, and is very involved in the 40 Developmental Assets program throughout the District. George also will be responsible for implementing and managing a social marketing campaign aimed at changing attitudes and stereotypes relating to mental health.
As any good mental health professional knows, it’s key to take leisure time. To this end, George says he loves travel and has extensively through Mexico, Europe and Eastern Europe. His love of language led him to a course in conversational Mandarin in recent years, believing that language is the way to connect with peoples and cultures. He greatly enjoys his work with the youth in his church, particularly summer youth camps in the exploration of nature. He’s an art buff, enjoys poetry and music and says just hanging with his friends is a great pleasure.
Juan Hernandez
 Juan Hernandez is an extremely compassionate young man who believes that his calling as a social worker can and will make a difference. He is the mental health caseworker for Montebello Unified School District under the Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant awarded in 2008. Mr. Hernandez is responsible for connecting qualified students with mental health resources and serves as an advocate for such children. He also serves as a case manager for families whose kids are having truancy and attendance issues.
Juan graduated from Pioneer High School, received his B.S. in Sociology from San Francisco State University, and is working on obtaining his Masters in Social Work from USC in 2013. Before coming to MUSD, Juan worked with The Whole Child, a non-profit mental health agency in Whittier. His focus there was working with severely emotionally disturbed children by providing a social skills curriculum, conducting parent workshops and behavioral-educational advocacy at school sites. He is proud of the progress his clients make when they become empowered to be the best they can through their own efforts. He states that he wants to continue to be the person who helps unlock that potential.
Juan is a fiercely loyal Mexican-American; he cites the sacrifices his parents made when they arrived as immigrants over thirty years ago. He and his three brothers feel humbled by the educational opportunities provided due to their parent’s diligent struggle. He is a proud American with deep indebtedness to his roots “in the land of the sun.” Juan is a thoughtful guy who loves to read and then travel to places he’s read about. For example, Paris detailed in Dan Brown’s DaVinci Code, and the Mexico City environs learned from the history penned by John Ross in Monstruo: Dread and Redemption in Mexico City. He’s a hip-hop fan when it comes to music. Sports teams that get his competitive spirit going are the Chicago Bears, LA Lakers, and say’s he bleeds Dodger Blue! And he’s an avid fan of what he calls the “sweet science of boxing”! Family and friends over for a meal of carne asada or barbeque is a special pleasure for Juan Hernandez.
Needless to say, it is the District’s good fortune and pleasure to have this uniquely dedicated and passionate young man working with our students and their families.
Joseph Caron
 The Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant initiative at Montebello Unified School District provides for a mental health coordinator who will be a facilitator, coordinator, planner, and communicator for the grant’s evidence-based mental health programs. It’s a tall order, but Joe Caron is fitting into each role with ease due to his credentials and long time experience within the mental health field.
Joe Caron comes to the SS/HS with a long resume of professional work, ranging from a Juvenile Diversion Specialist with SPIRITT Family Services in Whittier to Youth Counselor to Program Manager for the LA Skid Row Collaborative program. He is proficient in oral and written Spanish and has worked with youth and adults since his graduation from California State University-LA with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work. Next year, Joe will begin studies for a Masters in Social Work.
Joe brings his special brand of skills to MUSD to head up the Why Try? groups at key district school sites. This skill-building program focuses on decreasing truancy, drug and alcohol addictions, and youth engaged in violent behavior. He is also with charged with the Parent Project, a program that helps families deal with strong-willed and hard to manage children. There is a long list of other programs and duties within the grant initiative that will keep this energetic professional hopping.
But it’s not all work and no play for Joe Caron. He maintains a busy family life with his son, age 17, and a 13 year-old daughter. They hike the San Gabriel mountains on a regular basis and love attending street fairs and music festivals. The family even has its own band with Joe on drums and percussion, his son playing keyboards, and his daughter providing vocals. He’s learning to play keyboard himself while composing and recording on his computer. His family likes to bike along beaches, and if you’re in Huntington Beach some Sunday you’ll probably find Joe in a drum circle!
The SS/HS team is fortunate to have such a well-rounded professional working with district kids who risk falling through the cracks because of untreated mental health issues, and helping struggling families to understand those issues and work toward positive outcomes for their children. Kudos to you, Joe Caron - we’re happy to have you here!
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