Lecturer and Field Consultant Patti Park is a licensed clinical social worker with a Master's in Social Welfare and a Doctorate in Psychology. She has extensive experience in executive and senior leadership positions in community mental health organizations throughout Los Angeles County, and has been providing direct clinical services since 2001.
Dr. Park's areas of interest include mental health, organizational leadership, trauma-informed and culturally responsive care. Her experience includes clinical practice, research, teaching, program evaluation and development, grant writing, and executive management. She was involved in the planning and implementation of the Mental Health Service Act (MHSA) funded transformation of LA County's child mental health system. She has served on county best practices committees to enhance assessment and treatment for children involved in the child welfare system. Her most recent agency-based leadership role was as Regional Director and Interim Vice President for Children's Institute, Inc. In this position, she provided strategic and organizational leadership to develop and sustain comprehensive evidence-based and trauma-focused mental health programs to children and families suffering from the intersecting effects of poverty, oppression and trauma. Due to her experience and expertise in child trauma, she is currently a National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) Individual Affiliate.
Dr. Park integrates her clinical and leadership experiences into her teaching role at UC Berkeley She has also taught theory and practice courses at UCLA, CSU Dominguez Hills, and CSU San Jose. In addition to her teaching roles, Dr. Park maintains a private practice where she provides psychotherapy and consultation services. Her clinical interests are primarily in the areas of mindfulness-based approaches in psychotherapy, third wave CBT, resiliency, trauma and interpersonal neurobiology.
When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in social welfare?
In many ways I always knew I wanted to be a social worker, but the moment I decided to pursue my MSW was while working on a research project examining racism and intergroup conflict. The project crystallized my interest in advancing social justice through community-based work. Since completing the MSW, my work has centered around transforming child mental health systems through the development of trauma-informed integrated service delivery models and programs. Twenty years later, I continue to be grateful for the opportunity to engage in such meaningful work.
What interested you in the position at UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare?
As a Southern California social worker, I was always drawn to the diversity and vibrant culture of the Bay Area. When I had the opportunity to move to Northern California, Berkeley Social Welfare's diverse community and innovative faculty really captured my attention. The program's focus on multi-level practice, leadership, and evidence-informed practice were well aligned with my experience and areas of interest. Since joining the faculty [as a community lecturer] in 2018, I have enjoyed engaging with colleagues and students, and feel grateful for the opportunity to be part of this forward-thinking and compassionate community.
Describe a few high points of the year.
The unprecedented challenges of this year have highlighted the many strengths of our faculty and students and have served as high points. Faculty have demonstrated tremendous adaptability as they meet the needs of this historic period by engaging more deeply with issues of racism and anti-racist social work practice, while simultaneously transforming their teaching methods to adapt to the global pandemic. Students have also demonstrated immense flexibility and resilience as they shifted to virtual learning environments and navigated a year full of uncertainty, while remaining deeply committed to advancing social justice. The tenacity of this cohort of students brings a deep sense of hope regarding their ability to impact future change.
Creativity is an important skill that social workers are continuously engaged in across all levels of practice. The complexity of problems that social workers routinely address requires original thinking and approaching problems in new and transformative ways. Creativity creates room for deeper collaborative dialogues and brings greater curiosity to our work. This skill has helped me meet many complex moments with greater flexibility, openness, and imagination.