Ayesha Siddiqi said: “Be the person you needed when you were younger.” Born in San Francisco, Gloria Musto had very little guidance and support growing up. During her teenage years, she experienced some of her worst times, including family, community and personal trauma. She wished she had someone in her life at that time to just ask her what was going on with her, how she was and what she needed. Now, working as a behavioral health clinician at the Alameda County Juvenile Hall, Gloria works with African American and Latino youths ages 12-25, a population that needs most support with finding their own healing journeys. There is a Mayan term In Lak'ech which means “You are my other me. What I do onto you, I do onto myself.” Gloria feels that In Lak'ech and Ayesha Siddiqi’s quote really embody her own moral code and life’s purpose. She says, “I feel blessed every day that I get to be that person I wish I had so that our youth don’t have to go through it alone like I did.”
Gloria’s parents immigrated from El Salvador to America for work in the early 1980s. They both grew up in a small indigenous town, in extreme poverty with no education and under an oppressive government. In San Francisco, they found work as janitors and sometimes worked five jobs at a time. When Gloria was born her grandmother came to the US to take care of her because Gloria’s parents were often away working and didn’t have time to parent. Her grandma was the one person who loved Gloria unconditionally, who never judged Gloria, and accepted her for who she was. Her grandma taught her the strength to survive. But as new immigrants no one in Gloria’s family really knew how to navigate life in this country.
Gloria rarely went to the doctors. Since her family did not grow up with medical care, it was never prioritized. She only went to the doctor when home remedies didn’t work or when school personnel got involved. The medical neglect Gloria experienced as a child was not because her family didn’t care, but because they didn’t know how medical insurance worked or where to go. As an adult, Gloria realized how important having access to medical resources was to her overall health and self-value. This was a reason why the Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) Program made sense and was a good fit for Gloria. “Working in a setting where primary care was integrated with behavioral health just made sense, and would decrease barriers to medical care and vice versa,” she says.
The stipend money was what attracted Gloria to the IBH Training Program initially. She was paying for school with her savings while working at the same time. She was also motivated to participate in the program because it would give her an opportunity to explore a specific part of the field and to put into practice a more comprehensive approach to mental health. The training gave her more confidence in her ability and competence to be a clinical social worker and in working collaboratively with a team of people from different fields. However, time commitment was a challenge. “I had to work while in school,” Gloria says, “and I also relied on classmates for carpool support, so I had to compromise on work hours and ask my carpool support to work with me to make sure I can continue to save money on transportation.”
The pandemic started just before Gloria completed her master’s in social work with an emphasis in community mental health from California State University, East Bay. She lost her lease on the apartment in March 2020 and had to scramble to find a place to live and look for work after graduation. She didn’t want to move back home because she was concerned for her 88-year-old grandma’s health. She was very anxious, scared, and in some ways felt robbed of her graduation, a time for celebrating the biggest milestone of her life.
She was determined to survive, reminding herself of what it meant to be a first-generation American and college graduate. She also felt a bigger responsibility to her community. Her friends and classmates were her biggest support system. They all went through similar situations and it helped to connect through FaceTime or short visits outdoors. “COVID forced me to slow down and take the time to care for myself, to let go of expectations and find meaning in the everyday things in life, not just the big events or the end goals, but the process and the small wins,” Gloria says. “I really learned the importance of friendships and community support for myself, not just as a contributor but as a recipient.”
Gloria feels that her lived experiences and opportunities have guided her to where she is today. She wants to continue her work as a clinical social worker with youth and young adults. She also wants to get into a management position to support systems changes, inform policy changes, and eventually support a new generation of social workers. The IBH training has definitely impacted and informed her work and professional goals. She sees the benefits of integrating primary care and behavioral care, but also sees where there is room for improvements, and ways to fully integrate and address challenges.
“One part that I do feel is missing in our overall healthcare and mental health care system is our spiritual health,” Gloria says. When she was 10, she met her great grandfathers and one of them spoke Náhuatl. That was the first time she learned about her indigenous heritage. Through research she learned about the colonization of El Salvador, the generational trauma, and her indigenous roots. Over the years Gloria has learned more about traditional indigenous healing practices and holistic alternatives, and she hopes to incorporate that into her practice as a clinician now. She wants to support her clients in accessing the external resources medicine has to offer, but also the internal resources of spirituality and the accumulated wisdom from our ancestors.
“I’m hoping to get my license this year,” Gloria says, “and with that comes a lot more job opportunities and potentially having my own private practice. In the years coming I hope to continue to grow my clinical skills and training to then be at a point where I can support interns and future social workers. At the same time, I hope to find ways to advocate for the youth I work for on a systems level from a management position. I’m hoping to be at a place where I can share and teach what I have learned to others.”
