Mila Shank (she, her, hers) has worked at Santa Cruz Community Health since 2013 and has been in the role of Chief of Behavioral Health since 2018. Mila is passionate about the mission-driven work and commitment to social justice that infuses our organization.
Mila grew up in the East Bay and received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz. She worked in a Day Treatment school program for at-risk youth before returning to get her Master’s degree in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley in 2001. Since that time, Mila has worked in both school settings and non-profits, focused on serving marginalized youth from diverse backgrounds. The model of integrated behavioral health is a great fit for Mila, who enjoys working with multi-disciplinary teams that have a patient-centered approach. Mila has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker since 2009 and has been trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Mila is a Behavioral Health Provider at East Cliff Family Health Center and works with the Gold and Aqua Care Teams. As a therapist, Mila focuses on building relationship, developing achievable goals and addressing underlying trauma that impacts current functioning. She is comfortable working with all ages, but has a special place in her heart for teens and foster youth. In her free time Mila enjoys hiking, traveling and building Legos with her two boys.