In today’s schools, students are facing anxiety, depression, and stress. Even though educators are not licensed to provide therapy for students, the power of connection goes along way. In this talk, Antonio shares stories of how he grew up in a minority immigrant family and how this affected his self-esteem. It took one educator to believe in him for Antonio to appreciate his background, and see his potential. Mr. Castro is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and the current Manager of the Department of Behavioral and Mental Health at the Colton Joint Unified School District (CJUSD).

He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology/Ethnic Studies from California State University in San Bernardino in 2003, and obtained MSW degree in 2005. In 2014 he earned his License in Clinical Social Work (LCSW) and has been working in the field of mental health for the past 13 years. His professional experiences include clinical practice with various outpatient populations including individual and group therapy with court mandated clients, marriage and family therapy, outpatient substance abuse counseling, and school based therapy with children and youth from K-12 grades.

In his current role at CJUSD since 2016, Mr. Castro has worked to establish a comprehensive school based mental health program that includes a Clinical internship program for 20 Social Work interns from local Universities. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

source