Project Highlights

Rural and Tribal Behavioral Health Fellowships (2023-2027)

The Rural and Tribal Behavioral Health MSW Fellowship (RTBH MSW) and the Rural and Tribal Behavioral Health BASW Fellowship (RTBH BASW) are committed to transforming behavioral health ecosystems to address structural inequalities, respond to intersections between culture, trauma, and colonization, and expansively represent equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging in services, supervision, and the workforce.

High debt burdens, living expenses, and requirements for internship/practicum/field placement hours have been reported by students, educators, and employers as significant barriers to college affordability, persistence, and completion, especially for adult learners, low-income students, and caregivers. As a result, many students work full time or part time jobs in retail, food service, or other low-wage, hourly occupations in addition to unpaid internships and coursework, causing many of them to fall behind in their course requirements, drop out, and/or burn out and pursue other career opportunities outside of behavioral health after program completion.

Thanks to grants from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information, the United States Department of Education, and the California Social Work Education Center, the RTBH Fellowships will strengthen California's behavioral health workforce by identifying Social Work students with a strong interest in working for behavioral health organizations in underserved rural and Tribal communities and provide them with Supported Basic Income during their professional studies.

The related Rural and Tribal Behavioral Health Supervision Program addresses a shortage of licensed behavioral health professionals in rural and Tribal communities of Northwestern California due, in part, to challenges in securing licensure supervision for Associate Clinical Social Workers (ASWs). The Rural and Tribal Behavioral Health Supervision Program is designed for Cal Poly Humboldt MSW graduates pursuing clinical licensure and working in selected community-based organization(s) in Northwestern California that do not have the capacity to provide supervision for clinical licensure.

Sam and Pearl Oliner described widely shared characteristics of people who provide support to other people with little to no significant material gain for themselves. These principles inform the knowledge, skills, values, and standpoint of the Altruistic Behavior Institute’s ongoing behavioral health workforce development efforts in relation to mental health and problematic substance use services. Behavioral health practice with vulnerable populations often requires a strong commitment to service for others at the expense of short-term material gains for oneself.

The Altruistic Behavior Institute’s workforce development efforts produce a workforce that demonstrates these characteristics:

Different social classes and diverse lived experience
Internalized values such as helpfulness, responsibility, fairness, justice, compassion, and friendship
Relationships with groups outside of their own family circles or immediate communities
Acceptance of differences
Responsibility for many kinds of people
Meaning in their work
Confidence to take calculated risks
Awareness of what is happening around them
A supportive emotional network
Affirmation of their work by family members or others who can be trusted

Rural and Tribal Substance Use Disorder Earn & Learn Program (2023-26)

This program increases the number of substance use disorder counselors with advanced certification in California’s outlier, rural, frontier, and Tribal communities. Over the project period, twelve undergraduate social work participants will receive a $20,000 educational stipend, comprehensive education, job experience, and support for certification as a CADC-III, CATC III, or SUDCC III.

Oliner Altruism Research Archive

Sam and Pearl Oliner's original research on Holocaust rescuers and survivors, forgiveness and apology, love and compassion, heroism, moral exemplars, and more is being shared with the world. Access the free library of audio recordings, interview transcripts, and surveys of Holocaust Rescuers and Survivors here: https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/oliner

Conversations on Altruism

Initially convened for the 40th Anniversary of the Altruistic Personality and Prosocial Behavior Institute (now known as the Altruistic Behavior Institute) these ongoing public conversations join seasoned academics, researchers, practitioners, and educators with a new generation of those interested in possibilities for doing good while honoring the work of Sam and Pearl Oliner. Maral Attallah, Altruistic Behavior Institute Board Member and faculty in the Cal Poly Humboldt Department of Critical Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, co-facilitates the conversations. Videos from previous Conversations on Altruism are available below:

Northwestern California Rural and Tribal Integrated Behavioral Health Training Program (2021-2025)

This grant through the United States' Health Resources and Services Administration expands the number of professionals working with persons in high need and high demand rural, vulnerable, and medically-underserved communities by providing team-based primary/behavioral health care training, rural/Tribal experiential training placement opportunities, a $10,000 stipend, and post-graduation employment search assistance for 34 advanced year Master of Social Work students over the project performance period.

Manifesto for Ethical Research with Indigenous Communities of Northwestern California

With support from the Cal Poly Humboldt Indian Tribal & Education Personnel Program, Sponsored Programs Foundation, and Advancement Foundation, a team of Native students is assisting in the development, production, and circulation of principles, commitments, and basic conditions necessary (but not sufficient) for non-Native researchers who wish to engage in ethical research with Northwestern California Tribal communities. This is particularly important given the increase in research requests stemming from Humboldt State University's transformation into California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt.

Evidence-Based Panhandling

The Institute continues to distribute pocket-sized and weather-proofed cards that aim to increase the amount of money people engaged in panhandling receive, decrease incidence of conflict between people panhandling and law enforcement, and decrease incidence of conflict between people solicited and those soliciting (thereby leaving both parties feeling safer and more respected). Read the "white paper" here.

Consortium of Higher Education Centers for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Studies

The Altruistic Behavior Institute is a member of the Consortium of Higher Education Centers for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights, a nonprofit organization that endeavors to be the primary assembly and professional organization of center directors committed to securing, integrating, and advancing Holocaust, genocide, and human rights education on U.S. college campuses. We are a consortium of experts that leads in scholarly projects, educational innovation, and networking opportunities. We offer our expertise and support to faculty, directors, administrators, and campus leaders seeking to strengthen existing centers, as well as develop new ones. We are a unique Consortium in that we believe in building upon the current tides of political and social concerns by incorporating our work and activism on our campuses in the service of students’ future and welfare.

Museum of Lemko Culture at Zyndranowa - Jewish Hut

The Jewish Hut at the Museum of Lemko Culture in Zyndranowa, Poland is flourishing under the care of Bohdan Gocz, son of museum founder Teodor Gocz. The senior Mr. Gocz was a friend of Sam’s and worked with Sam to preserve the family home of one of Sam’s relatives which miraculously survived Nazi seizure of Jewish property and post-war re-development. Bohdan Gocz says, “We recently replaced the entire roof and made renovations, including clear signage. Samuel Oliner was a great man. We miss him very much." A Polish film translated by Dr. Sam Oliner that features the Museum of Lemko Culture, Our Common Ground, can be found here.

Completed Projects

Opioid Overdose Prevention and Education

The Institute has trained over 100 people across the state on administration of the life-saving opioid overdose reversal medicine naloxone (Narcan) along with opioid overdose prevention education. Each trainee received two doses of naloxone to use if they encounter an opioid overdose in the course of their work. This project is winding down as naloxone has been approved for over-the counter purchase.

Fentanyl test strips were distributed across the Cal Poly Humboldt campus to provide people who use drugs with important information about fentanyl in the illicit drug supply so they can take steps to reduce risk of overdose.

Wellness Coach Certification Training Guide

The State of California has developed an early career behavioral health provider role that can provide services covered by public and private insurance. Formerly called a Behavioral Health Coach, the name Wellness Coach was recommended by consumer stakeholder groups. Wellness Coaches will be based in schools and community-based organizations to engage directly with youth 0-25 years old. Certification requires completion of a specific training curriculum. The institute developed a process to assist participating California State University undergraduate social work programs with demonstration of training equivalency.

We Live Here: Humboldt Families Coping with COVID-19

This podcast series cultivated community connections by collecting, editing, and sharing interviews with parents and caregivers of young children about their stories of struggle and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic in Humboldt County, California. Listen here.

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