Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 8, 1 August 1987 — Standing Tall in School and at Work [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Standing Tall in School and at Work

Psychiatric Worker Giving BacktoHawaiians

By Kenney Haina, Editor Ka Wai Ola O OHA Charmaine Kinoikio'ewa Bissen has the current distinction of being the only Hawaiian studying for her doctorate in psychology at the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Honolulu and the only Hawaiian psychiatric social worker in the Hawaii prison system. What makes it equally unique in this young Hawaiian's career is the fact she is so proud to be an Office of Hawaiian Affairs scholarship recipient in 1986. "I can't tell you how appreciative 1 am for the grant. It was very niee of OHA to have done this for people like me," she declared.

She explained that she had been living on the mainland for a spell and decided to return home in 1985 "because I wanted to work for and among Hawaiians. I wanted to give back to the community, especially the Hawaiian community." A 1974 graduate of the Kamehameha Schools, the former Charmaine 01iveira has racked up an impressive list of academic and employment credentials. After graduating with an Associate of Arts Degree from Leeward Community College in 1976, Charmaine enrolled at College of Notre Dame, Belmont Calif., from where she graduated eum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. In the two years at Notre Dame, she was on the dean's list.

In 1984, Charmaine graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills, Calif., with a Grade Point Average of 3.9 and a Master of Science degree in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling. Shortly following her return home in 1985, she enrolled at Forest Institute where she is a doctoral candidate. She joined state employment on Oct. 1, 1986, with the Department of Health's Courts and Corrections Divisions as a Psychiatric Social Worker IV where she has been assigned to the Oahu Community Correctional Center in Modules 1, 3 and 13. Her supervisor is Dr. Dwight Colley, elinieal psychologist. Charmaine's assignment involves the following: • Provides direct case work and related services requiring utilization of a variety of social work skills and informed professional judgement in assisting over 200 prisoners. • Serves a wide range of clients (child abuse victims, abusers, etc.) who require support and guidance in dealing with their problems to avoid serious personal difficulties and resolution of previous interpersonal eonflicts.

• Conducts individual, group and family counseling. • Writes parole mental health evaluations and makes necessary recommendations for parole and reduction of minimum sentences. • Attends various Health Department meetings and child abuse/sex offenders conferences and inservice training of treatment programs for offenders.

Charmaine has also put in stints as an outreach worker at Kapiolani Hospital, educational assistant at Keanae School and Washington Intermediate School, program coordinator at Moiliili Community Center, teaching assistant at Notre Dame, Affirmative Action student advisor at Cal State and two and one-half years as Marriage, Family and Child Counselor for the Saivation Army in Torrance, Calif. She has done volunteer work with Big Sisters of Hawaii and the Waikiki Drug Clinic.

Ihis iivewire Hawanan has co-reserched ana eoauthored several books and has won many honors and wards, among them Phi Kappa Phi Nationa! Honor Society and "Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities." She belongs to several professional organizations and attends conferences regularly for professional enrichment. Charmaine has been married eight years to Kenneth Bissen, former airline employee who recently joined the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

At Forest Institute, where the enrollment is about 35 students, she is also the student eouneil president. In looking at psychiatric social workers, Charmaine bemoans the very minute number of Hawaiians pursuing such a career. "There is a definite need for more Hawaiians in this field," she observed. She used older sister Keakealani Mitchell of Keanae, Hawaiian culture specialist with the State Department of Education, as a role model. Keakealani is the wife of

Harry Mitchell Jr. and the daughter-in-law of Unele Harry Mitchell Sr., a legend in our time and an expert on La'au Lapa'au. Charmaine feels it is an advantage being the only Hawaiian psychiatric social worker in the prison system "because the Hawaiian inmates, who comprise about 38 percent of the OCCC population, identify with me and I identify with them."

According to a NewsMaker story reported by Honolulu Star-Bulletin reporter Catherine Enomoto June 22, Charmaine said: "Traditionally psychodynamic therapy wasn't working with the Hawaiian inmates. Most of them didn't graduate from high school, and this approach was just too technical. Currently I'm conducting two counseling groups on Hawaiian values so the inmates ean appreciate their Hawaiian heritage and values, and understand what thev're all about."

Charmaine also feels that the number of Hawaiians going to prison ean be decreased if parents would pause and realize how important it is for their children to get a high school diploma. They must encourage their ehildren not to have a family early. " Just delay it a while until they (the children) ean get established," she advises. With enthhusiasm, dedication and mueh aloha, Charmaine hopes her invovlement and work with Hawaiians will bring down the Hawaiian population at OCCC and put many of them on the road to an education and subsequent productive life.

Charmaine K. Bissen