YMCA Community Services 1633 E. 4th Street, Suite 184 Santa Ana, CA 92701 714-665-1342

Meet the Staff: Terri Chandler

Meet Terri Chandler, our Behavioral Health Program Coordinator for our Western Youth Services – Early Childhood Program (WYS-ECP).  Terri has been with the Y for 6 ½ years and provides mental health therapy for children ages 0-5 in preschool or within the home. 

How did you get to be where you are today within the Y?
I started out as a Behavioral Health Specialist for our Childhood Health Consultation program, funded by the Children and Families Commission of Orange County.  Last year, the Commission approached the Y with the idea of expanding mental health services to young children through Western Youth Services. I began my position with this program last December, 2006.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your job this past year?
I love being able to provide intervention services for kids who don’t usually have access.  Making a positive impact and seeing these children succeed makes it all worth it. 

What’s one of your biggest challenges?
If a client is ineligible to find outside providers and we cannot service them, it is incredibly difficult to turn them away.  I would love to be able to secure more funding to subsidize families who are ineligible but need consultation or therapy.

How would you like to better impact the children and families you serve?
Hopefully, we can add a 2nd clinician in 2008 to help serve the growing list of children. Currently, I serve 28 children and families and meet with them every week, which is my maximum capacity.  With a second clinician, we can serve even more families within the community and double our impact!