ProSPECT: For young people noticing changes in their mental health
Everybody has days where they feel up or down. When you feel like your mental health is making it hard to live life or understand what is real and what isn’t, it’s time to get help.
Changes in your mental health can be scary. But if you get help early, these conditions are much easier to manage.
Early signs of serious mental health problems include:
- Feeling confused, uneasy or suspicious of others
- Feeling confused about what is real and what isn’t
- Withdrawing from family and friends
- Noticing changes in the way things look or sound
Like with physical health, a medical professional can help you cope and manage your symptoms.
To make an appointment, call Vanessa Trujillo at (212) 633-0800 x 1472.
Worried about someone in your family?
Family members are often some of the first to notice upsetting symptoms in a loved one. If you are concerned about a family member, here are some signs to look out for:
- A worrisome drop in grades or job performance
- Noticeable difficulty concentrating
- Suspiciousness or uneasiness with others
- Less attention to personal hygiene, cleanliness or appearance
- Spending a lot more time alone than usual
- Showing strong, inappropriate emotions or showing no feelings at all
To make an appointment, call Vanessa Trujillo at (212) 633-0800 x 1472.
What’s next?
If you are between 14-25 years old, our ProSPECT program can help. We can help you with:
- Figuring out what’s going on
- Learning about mental health and mental health treatment
- Individual, group and family therapy
- Accessing help with school or employment
Getting help early is key in learning to manage symptoms. Because mental health conditions can vary greatly between different people, the ProSPECT team will work with you and your family to develop a treatment plan that works for you.
You can make an appointment by contacting our program coordinator Vanessa Trujillo.
You can call her at (212) 633-0800 x 1472.
What to expect from your ProSPECT visit:
Your first meeting with the ProSPECT team will be an interview with a mental health professional who can determine what the next steps should be. These steps may involve:
- Individual therapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy
- Group therapy or family therapy
- Working with a psychiatrist to determine whether medication is appropriate
Mental health can vary greatly between different people, so your team will work to design your treatment plan to suit your individual needs.
As with all programs through the Institute for Family Health, nobody is turned away based on their ability to pay.
You can now do your appointment through telehealth.
Learn more about how to connect with a provider by video or phone.
Meet our Team
Institute for Family Health ProSPECT Staff
Vanessa Trujillo, LCSW, Director of Clinical Supervision for Behavioral Health, ProSPECT ProgramCoordinator
Vanessa Trujillo, LCSW, received her master’s degree in social work and bachelor’s degree in economics and political science. Her commitment to working with underserved communities began while at the University of California at Berkeley, where she worked to increase access to healthcare for Californians. Vanessa’s focus on health disparities lead her to pursue an M.S.W., with a focus on health, mental health, and disabilities, at Columbia University. While at Columbia, she participated in the Consortium Project for Evidence-Based Practice in Mental Health, in conjunction with the New York State Office of Mental Health at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Since then, she has received post-graduate training, including on cognitive behavioral therapy, rational emotive behavior therapy, problem-solving therapy, and motivational interviewing. Currently, she is the Director of Clinical Supervision for Behavioral Health, and the Program Coordinator of the ProSPECT program at the Institute for Family Health.
Dana Brodsky, LMSW, Project Clinician
Dana graduated with her MSW from Columbia University School of Social Work in May 2020 after completing the Advanced Clinical Practice track with a focus on health, mental health, and disabilities. She is a licensed social worker in the state of New York. Dana also graduated from Muhlenberg College with a BA in Psychology. In her graduate school training, Dana interned at an after-school college access program for adolescents providing counseling and social-emotional/mental health programming. Dana also interned at the Mount Sinai Morningside (formerly St. Luke’s) Child & Family Institute in the outpatient department providing biopsychosocial intake assessments, individual psychotherapy, collateral family therapy, and small group therapy. Dana was thrilled to join the IFH staff as a Mental Health Clinician and ProSPECT clinician. She is committed to providing trauma-informed care and support to individuals of all ages and backgrounds.
Jessica Younger, MSW, Project Clinician
Jessica graduated from Stony Brook University with her MSW in May 2021 after completing the Families and Youth in Transition track. She also attended Stony Brook University for her undergraduate degree, completing two BAs, Psychology and Women’s & Gender Studies, in four years. Jessica is a licensed social worker with the state of New York and has 2 years of case management experience prior to entering graduate school. During the first year of her graduate training, Jessica interned with Commonpoint Queens within Martin Van Buren High School. There, she provided group therapy and individual crisis intervention for 9th and 10th grade students. For her second-year internship, she worked with the Family Health Center of Harlem providing individual therapy to a diverse caseload of clients. Jessica was excited to be offered the opportunity to continue to work with the Institute for Family Health as a Mental Health Clinician and a ProSPECT clinician post-graduation. She believes strongly in taking a person in environment approach to therapy and is committed to collaborative treatment.
Abigail Herron, DO, Site Clinical Leader
Neil Calman, MD, FAAFP, Site Executive Leader
Diane Hauser, MPA, Administrative Director
Ichan School of Medicine ProSPECT Staff
Yulia Landa, PsyD, Site Principal Investigator, Director of CBT Education
Rachel Jespersen, LMSW, Clinical Coordinator
Matthew Dobbs, MA, Education and Technical Support
Rene Kahn, MD, Scientific Director
Cheryl Corcoran, MD, Director of Recruitment and Evaluation
Kim T. Mueser, PhD, Family and FEP Intervention Consultant
Katarzyn Wyka, PhD, Biostatistician
Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene ProSPECT Staff
Ilana Nossel, MD, Program Director
Lisa B. Dixon, MD, MPH, Program Advisor
