Devondra Rodgers pursued her undergraduate degree at California State University, Los Angeles, and changed her major seven times. She wanted to help people with disabilities to function as contributing members of the society, and none of the majors seemed like a good fit. When a friend led her to the Rehabilitation Services department where they offered a unique program that focused on helping individuals with disabilities to function and lead productive lives, she finally found her calling.
After working several years in social services in the San Francisco Bay Area, Devondra noticed that mental health services were not integrated into primary care settings at her work. She was passionate about mental health care—both her mom and cousin Fatima struggled with mental health disability. Devondra resolved to pursue a master’s in social work with a concentration in community mental health. When she found out about the Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) MSW Training Program offered at San José State University, Devondra jumped at the opportunity.
Devondra received her MSW from San José State in May 2022. Equipped with the tools and experiences she acquired in the IBH Training Program, Devondra has joined Palo Alto VA Outpatient Mental Health Clinic as a Medical Social Worker. She says, “Bringing awareness to mental health and educating others on what it means to be a social worker are two things that I take pride in.”
The most challenging aspects of the IBH training was juggling her schedule and keeping up with the seminars and trainings. It was a demanding program that required good time-management skills. Devondra participated in a competitively paid internship with the San Francisco VA Hospital in their drug and alcohol treatment clinic. She also took on several part-time jobs with flexible schedules working at nights at local hospitals like Kaiser and other crisis stabilization centers and gained experience in emergency mental health and crisis intervention.
The most rewarding part of the training was the opportunity for working with other professional disciplines. “Working with occupational and physical therapy students as well as nursing students to find the best possible solution for patient care was nothing short of amazing,” Devondra says. “Working in small groups and sharing with the larger group what we came up with was a great learning experience. Being able to really understand what a team dynamic is and how important communication is were some of the best tools I learned and have been applying to my everyday work.”
Since completing her IBH Training Program, Devondra has switched up the way she completes her assessments—asking additional questions about the quality of health care being received as well as determining if there are any unmet needs with primary care or behavioral health care. She is now better equipped to determine clients’ needs and provide resources, and be an advocate when necessary.
“It has been such a unique and amazing training experience that made me feel confident in my ability to become an expert in my field and feel comfortable with creating the best possible care to patients in this field through education, support and overall health advocacy,” Devondra says.
The COVID pandemic brought many challenges to Devondra’s life. Living with her 97-year-old great-grandma who was diagnosed with cancer, Devondra felt torn between caring for her great-grandma and continuing her work as a social worker. She fell in love with social work because she enjoyed being out in the field and engaging with her clients. “Being allowed into their space and really getting an opportunity to see who they are and how they live is a rewarding part of my job,” says Devondra.
The pandemic took that away from her because she wasn’t allowed to go out and see her clients. Many of her clients were older adults unable to take care of themselves. It took a heavy toll on Devondra when so many of them became sick and some never recovered. Their devastation and fear resulted in many sleepless nights because she felt that she was letting down the people who needed her. “Although things have gotten much better since 2020, some things you never forget,” says Devondra. Fortunately, her 97-year-old great-grandma has recovered and is now healthy and cancer-free.
Working in integrated behavioral health care is very special to Devondra because she has seen so many people suffer from not having proper access to behavioral health care. “I hope to normalize mental health and change the overall stigma,” says Devondra. “My goal is to make seeking treatment for behavioral health issues as simple as receiving a flu shot. With as many problems as we face every day, I am hoping to take one less problem away by making sure that there is access to proper and quality mental health care for the community.”
Devondra has different approaches for self-care depending on what it is that she needs at the moment. Most of the time, she tries to immerse herself in something that takes her away from her own reality—reading a book, doing a puzzle or enjoying a spa day. She also finds it relaxing to be near any body of water, so she often takes strolls along the beach, marina or hikes on trails near a river or lake.
Devondra is excited about her career prospects. At the Palo Alto VA Outpatient Mental Health Clinic, she is part of the Integrated Patient Aligned Care Team which focuses on integrating primary care and behavioral health care in a team-based care model that is strictly focused on overall patient care and satisfaction. “I am very excited for this next chapter and to have an opportunity to use what I have learned in the real world,” says Devondra. “I have a lot of dreams and this is just the beginning!”
