Healing A Broken Mental Health System: Dominique Hamler Of Los Angeles Outpatient Center On 5 Things That Can Be Done To Fix Our Broken Mental Health System
An Interview With Stephanie Greer
Behavioral health policy reform.
The current state of the mental health system is a conversation that echoes in the halls of policy-making, the corners of social advocacy, and within the private struggles of individuals and families. As we continue to witness an unprecedented need for robust mental health support, the shortcomings of the existing system become more glaring. It is within this backdrop that we seek the insight of those who are at the forefront of behavioral health. In this interview series, we are talking to behavioral health leaders, policymakers, mental health practitioners, advocates, and reformers to share their perspectives on healing our broken mental health system. As a part of this interview series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dominique Hamler, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Outpatient Center (LAOP).
With over two decades of experience in the healthcare industry, Dominique Hamler, RN, MSN, BSN, is the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Outpatient Center (LAOP) in Culver City, CA. As a dedicated and compassionate healthcare professional, Dominique has gained extensive leadership experience and collaborated with healthcare departments across a variety of areas, including mental health awareness, patient rights advocacy, and providing exceptional care to critically ill patients. As an advocate for mental health, Dominique strives to eliminate stigmas surrounding mental illness, offering a healing touch and unwavering compassion to those in need.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your background and your childhood backstory?
I grew up in Louisiana where the values of integrity, self-love, and a strong Christian base were instilled into my everyday life by my family. My mother and father met at Grambling State University, a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). Soon after graduation, they married and with the benefits of affirmative action, they relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana. Because of their university accomplished degrees, General Motors hired them into top management level positions. As you well know, this type of feat was not the norm for a black couple from the South in the 1970s. That experience in Indiana working at the General Motors plant spawned a life of achievements and subsequently returning home to Louisiana. My parents began to do prison outreach and international missionary work and of course, they dragged my younger sister and me along for the adventurous ride. This prepared me for the harsh and abrupt experience we all refer to as LIFE.
As a young 8th grader, I began to tap into my passion for helping others. I knew that I wanted to become a Registered Nurse and the journey of my purposeful existence began. This was my calling and my comfort to provide care, compassion, and support to those in need.
Growing up was awkward and it was difficult to find real friends. I was teased due to my tall stature of 6 feet 2 inches. I felt like I didn’t belong in this world, I was an outsider. It would be little things like not having proper shoes or clothes that fit my slender, large frame. My classmates referred to me as “Olive Oyl” “Stilts” and the most infamous “Too Tall Jones”, these comical yet hurtful names boxed me into a full-blown identity crisis as a teen. I wanted acceptance like all human beings. I can recall a time when my desire to be liked and accepted backfired. I was in the cafeteria and one of the male workers started a casual conversation with me. Over time, we greeted each other almost daily with a common smile or a casual hello. One day, for some weirdly odd reason, he thought it would be a good idea to touch me inappropriately in front of a crowd of people. His openly groping me sent me into a state of confusion and as a result, I was completely disoriented. At that moment, I forgot about eating and ran to the principal’s office to sound the alarm. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t the same sense of urgency that I had in mind. I was able to speak with the principal and he solicited me of all people to find witnesses that would corroborate my story. Here I am on assignment to find other young girls to tell their story and I was met with willful rejection. I was hearing statements like “I don’t want that old guy to lose his job” or “He is harmless.” This launched an attack on my self-esteem as a young woman by severely damaging my self-worth. Not only was I not fully believed, but I had to see this man in the cafeteria for the rest of the school year. He mysteriously disappeared for a few weeks but was back at work with little to no consequence. I wholeheartedly believe this perpetually led to a high school relationship that involved verbal and physical abuse. Things were happening so fast in my life, I graduated from Grambling State University School of Nursing and got married the very next year. We moved to LA intending to advance our careers, little did I know that my life would be disrupted by tumultuous patterns of a toxic narcotic abusive pattern that left me emotionally scarred. I had not quite learned that self-love is love. I had been manipulated to the point that I had become a second-class citizen in my own home. The actual momentum and trial by fire it takes to leave a relationship of 19 years is nearly death-defying. Yet here I am at peace and on a mission to serve.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite life lesson quote is “LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE.” This quote is relevant because it is how I have survived in my life. I am determined to live my best life despite being challenged and at times, knocked down. I have gone through enough adversity to know that I can get back up again and again and again. Laughter is just like a medicinal healing balm that soothes many wounds. It tends to instantly overcome despair while boosting your mood to different heights. My heart remains open to love because I believe GOD is love and it is my divine purpose to walk in the light as I lead others.
Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. It is often said that “the mental health system in America is broken”. What does that statement mean to you? From your perspective what is “broken” today?
I feel like this statement speaks to the brokenness of humanity and how disconnected we all are. We are communicating on a superficial level, not the depth required to be relatable at all. We are “Mental Health” mind, body and soul. As it stands presently, we are even separating the holy trinity that represents the very essence of being human. The mind controls the body which produces action, the soul sustains the thoughts and feelings. In our broken healthcare system, we have a systemic problem where we develop artificially intelligent treatment plans that negate the real problems of trauma, anxiety, and stress. These problems exist because we are not properly acknowledging the source which is usually some sort of deviation from a stability deeply rooted in trauma. What is deemed traumatic for you might not necessarily be traumatic for me. For instance, I can break up with a significant other and it will take a toll on my mental health. I can talk it over with friends and over time regulate my emotions. On the other hand, another person with the same experience may become acutely suicidal and need hospitalization. What is broken today, you ask, is the pathway to healing. There are so many monumental obstacles when it comes to access to mental health care. When we look at the social determinants of health such as access and quality, here is where we are failing miserably. The awareness of the extreme mental health crisis is at least on the radar but we cannot provide care because there aren’t enough resources. If a person is experiencing a mental health crisis and needs care, they can call 988. This call provides responsiveness and resources. Once there is a decision that a person needs immediate care, an ambulance would take them to the nearest emergency room which is already overloaded with patients experiencing critical cardiac events, facing life and death in need of services. Hospitals are understaffed, underfunded, and often unsafe for mental health patients in crisis because they are not equipped to keep them safe. Next, the patient needs a mental health bed in an acute facility after they have been deemed a danger to themselves, or others or gravely disabled, where they cannot navigate the community for food or cannot perform activities of daily living. There are not enough hospital beds in behavioral health units simply because our communities are not resourced with enough. After waiting an extended amount of time for a bed, a patient is admitted for 3 to 4 days and provided a safe environment, medication, food, and a discharge plan to the abyss. Unfortunately, the cycle starts all over again with recidivism and no therapeutic resolution. That’s why this unfortunate chain of events needs a reboot. Best practices have proven that people need intensive, comprehensive, individualized mental health treatment. They need to interact with mental health professionals routinely. The science behind why we do what we do is present but there is no formulated intention behind the provision of care to those in dire need.
What about any bright spots? Do you think there are any elements that we get right in today’s world that we wouldn’t want to reverse unintentionally?
If there is a bright spot, I would have to say that people know what mental instability looks like and what it feels like. We have also identified a joint awareness of how important it is to take care of your mental health.
In your opinion, what are the 5 most impactful things that could help heal the broken mental health system? These could be on any level including training, workforce, policy, culture, equity, etc.
1 . More acute mental health facilities.
2 . Access to residential mental health treatment.
3 . Behavioral health policy reform.
4 . Health insurance reform.
5 . Stable and affordable housing.
If all of the items on your list were magically implemented tomorrow what change might we see in the world? What are the signs (big and small) that would show us that the system is being healed?
If all the items on my list were to miraculously come to fruition, there would be harmony instead of agony because everyone’s outlook would be much better due to their mental health needs being addressed. There would be access to the appropriate treatment facility depending on the level of care needed. Health insurance plans would not have the ability to create barriers that deny access to crucial interventions such as psychopharmacology, intensive outpatient, or partial hospitalization therapy. Our massive unhoused population would disappear because a sheltered individual would be able to sustain mental wellness. Mental health treatment is accessible and our legislature has taken the proper steps to make sure that care stays equitable.
What is a project you or others are working on today that gives you hope? How can our readers learn more about this work?
I am mission-driven by mental health awareness and destigmatizing mental illness. Readers can see the work we do day in and day out at Centered Health where we provide healing resources for teens and adults combating behavioral health issues.
How do you see technology shaping the future of mental health care and its accessibility?
During the pandemic, we became innovative with technology by force. Most behavioral health facilities were forced to create virtual programs from scratch. As of now, we have devised a platform that has the capabilities to reach the masses at their fingertips. This growth in Clinical Informatics has shown that we can stay connected on all levels.
In your view, how do social factors like poverty, education, and culture affect mental health care and its effectiveness?
Research proves that your income, education level, and culture all tie into how accessible you are to mental health care. Addressing the social determinants of health of economic stability, education, access, and quality will improve overall health. This is why we have to continue to provide solutions that combat stigmas attached to mental health. The continued heightened awareness is a start but not enough without direct access equitably to mental health treatment.
In light of the growing mental health crisis among young people, what innovative approaches or interventions have proven most successful for children and adolescents?
Some innovative approaches have emerged such as high-quality residential treatment for adolescents and teens. Another approach is a change in parenting styles like “gentle parenting.” This style uses empathy, respect, understanding, and boundaries. Teaching children and adolescents to develop an emotional vocabulary increases the bond between the parents. The strengthening of this relationship ensures that children are heard. If they have a voice, their trust level increases, and they are more proactive about coming to you when they are in crisis because they feel safe.
Are there any books, podcasts, or other resources that have helped you understand or manage your condition better?
Yes, the book I recommend is by Dr. Anita Philips titled, The Garden Within. The podcast, Navigating Narcissism with Dr. Ramani, is a great source for healing from narcissistic relationships.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them. :- )
Yes, Serena Williams, she is such an inspiration to me. She has overcome barriers of misogyny and racism in her field which takes a strong mental fortitude.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
www.linkedin.com/in/dominique-hamler-155219242
https://centeredhealth.com/laop/
Thank you for your time and thoughtful answers. I know many people will gain so much from hearing this.
About The Interviewer: Stephanie Greer, PhD is the Co-founder and CEO of Akin Mental Health — a company dedicated to guiding families on their journey supporting a loved one with mental health challenges like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and severe depression. Stephanie is passionate about this topic from her own personal experience growing up with a mother who struggled with bipolar 1 disorder and found a path forward to overcome the obstacles and live well. Stephanie’s professional experience includes a doctorate in neuroscience as well as design research roles at Hopelab and Apple. Stephanie brings this personal passion together with her world-class science and technology background to support families across the US in their personal journeys supporting loved ones with mental illness. To learn more about Akin Mental Health and join our community, visit us at akinmh.com.
Healing A Broken Mental Health System: Dominique Hamler Of Los Angeles Outpatient Center On 5… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.