History and Purpose

GOALS started in 1997 as an informal support group. While gathered in founder Gwen Wilson's South Central Los Angeles living room, group participants discovered that they had all experienced frequent and recurring depression related to the long-term effects of cultural insensitivity, racism, and other oppressions.

Gwen Wilson, MSW

Together these African American women explored the psychological impacts of discrimination, denied opportunities and internalized racism. They experienced the healing effects of interventions rooted in African American cultural tradition like community caring, spiritual faith, history, visual art, music, and talking over a meal.

The revelations from the informal GOALS' support groups gave Gwen Wilson impetus to formalize the project and champion programs for social change. While advocating for mental health support for underserved African Americans, Gwen enrolled in a master's program in community mental health at U.C. Berkeley's School of Social Welfare and began her research. With an advanced degree and backing and encouragement from her professors, Gwen presented proposals to the California Wellness Foundation and Alameda County's Behavioral Healthcare Services to provide mental health support services to Welfare-to-Work participants. She was awarded contracts from both agencies to provide peer counseling services to African American women in Oakland who participate in the CalWORKs program. Since April 2002, GOALS for Women's African American Family Counseling Center has reached out to over 500 underserved Black women in Northern California.

Our services have reduced participants’ stress levels and improved their abilities to achieve and maintain employment, be good parents, and seek health support. With our growing experience, collaborations with other community stakeholders, and participant feedback, we are continuously gaining a greater understanding of the multiple interlocking needs of our clients, their families and the community. Since 2002, we have researched and developed a program model that meets the needs of very low-income African American women, with a focus on CalWORKs beneficiaries. Luna Calderon, LCSW was instrumental in working with Gwen to develop the program model based on staff, consultant, and participant feedback.

Our approach to treatment is to establish a safe and culturally sensitive neighborhood setting where clients can get support to reexamine all aspects of their emotional lives to better understand all that has happened to them, understand how to regulate their bodies, thoughts and feelings, and learn how to put feelings into words. Our goal is to remove functional impairments and build resiliency. We mentor and coach to help clients become more informed, confident and resourceful. We also support them to achieve higher self esteem, more effective interpersonal and adaptive coping skills.

As of November 11, 2006, GOALS' African American Family Counseling Center is now located at 3356 Adeline Street on the Berkeley-Oakland border near the Ashby BART station and right on AC Transit line #15. In this visible location, community members frequently walk-in to our offices to inquire about our services. In addition to a counseling center, our space is a clubhouse. Here women have access to cultural enrichment videos, computers for conducting job-searches, a play area for their children, a kitchen, and a meeting area. The space is child friendly, thus clients who do not have the luxury of childcare are encouraged to make their appointments by bringing their children along.

We have extensive experience, indigenous and professional mental health cross cultural knowledge in providing culturally sensitive and appropriate services to low-income, at-risk, African American/Black women and their children. We know that aesthetic and pleasing environments, flexibility in access and mentoring and coaching are essential for their cultural needs. The clubhouse surroundings are warm and inviting, colorful and texturally rich with African and American art and images of African people who resemble our clients.