Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos And Elizabeth Munoz.
Hi Carlos and Elizabeth, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
On October 11, 2015, our only child Juan Carlos Munoz Jr. was a victim of gun violence and succumbed to his wounds. Our lives were devastated an unimaginable pain with disbelief and immense sorrow. Jr. had just turned eighteen and was focused on becoming a psychologist. Through the grieving, depression, anxiety, and PTSD developed. My husband and I attempted to seek mental health services. I was employed as a nurse at the time, had medical insurance, spoke English, and I had tons of mental health experience as a psych nurse. However, it took me over three months to schedule an appointment. After waiting for an appointment what felt like forever and having suicidal ideation, I finally was seen by a therapist. To make a very long story short.
At the end of my behavioral health assessment, I was told I was too complicated and would have to be outsourced to a third party. Well almost 10 Years later I’m still waiting for “the call”. Because of the lack of MH services, not only I attempted suicide but so did my husband. By the grace of God, we are both still here.
Because no one deserves to be abandoned without therapy, we started our non-profit Jr’s Trauma Care Initiative offering Blue Sage Counseling services.
When the tragedy of our son happened. We did not know of any support or resources for a family “like us”. However, there are victim services, resources, and support through the district attorneys office. So, we decided to support victims of crime through our Support Response Team program at Jr’s Trauma Care Initiative. Through this program lived experienced advocates and clinicians are dispatched by the police. Other referrals are made by the DA office, schools, organizations, church, and community members. We assist all victims of crimes through their most difficult times.
We decided to not only have reactive programs to assist the community. So, we started our D.K.A.Y (deterring kids and youth) mentoring program. We also work on the preventative side by providing youth and young adults with deterring them from crime, violence, gangs, addiction, and more.
We are so grateful to provide our services to the San Diego and Riverside communities, and all in memory of our son Juan Carlos Munoz Jr. (Junior).
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. Funding is always an issue. We have applied for grants however the funding is always given to the large organizations or to county services. My husband and I run the organization without a salary so we both have full time jobs outside of volunteering for Jr’s TCI. However, we are able to serve everyone who reaches out to us for services and scheduled within the same week of their contact with us. We are very proud of that.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
On October 11, 2015, our only child Juan Carlos Munoz Jr. was a victim of gun violence and succumbed to his wounds. Our lives were devastated an unimaginable pain with disbelief and immense sorrow. Jr. had just turned eighteen and was focused on becoming a psychologist. Through the grieving, depression, anxiety, and PTSD developed. My husband and I attempted to seek mental health services. I was employed as a nurse at the time, had medical insurance, spoke English, and I had tons of mental health experience as a psych nurse. However, it took me over three months to schedule an appointment. After waiting for an appointment what felt like forever and having suicidal ideation, I finally was seen by a therapist. To make a very long story short.
At the end of my behavioral health assessment, I was told I was too complicated and would have to be outsourced to a third party. Well almost 10 Years later I’m still waiting for “the call”. Because of the lack of MH services, not only I attempted suicide but so did my husband. By the grace of God, we are both still here.
Because no one deserves to be abandoned without therapy, we started our non-profit Jr’s Trauma Care Initiative offering Blue Sage Counseling services.
When the tragedy of our son happened. We did not know of any support or resources for a family “like us”. However, there are victim services, resources, and support through the district attorneys office. So, we decided to support victims of crime through our Support Response Team program at Jr’s Trauma Care Initiative. Through this program lived experienced advocates and clinicians are dispatched by the police. Other referrals are made by the DA office, schools, organizations, church, and community members. We assist all victims of crimes through their most difficult times.
We decided to not only have reactive programs to assist the community. So, we started our D.K.A.Y (deterring kids and youth) mentoring program. We also work on the preventative side by providing youth and young adults with deterring them from crime, violence, gangs, addiction, and more.
We are so grateful to provide our services to the San Diego and Riverside communities, and all in memory of our son Juan Carlos Munoz Jr. (Junior).
What matters most to you?
Saving lives! What happened to us should not happen to anyone or any family. Trauma should be addressed to break the vicious cycles of crime, violence, substance use, and more within our communities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jrstraumacareinitiative.org
- Instagram: jrstraumacareinitiative
- Facebook: jrs trauma care initiative
