Elissa Bargas

Director of Behavioral Health

Elissa Bargas, LICSW is a compassionate and community-centered Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with more than 20 years of experience as a social worker, providing trauma-informed, culturally responsive mental health care to refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers, children, and families. Grounded in a human rights and social justice, she is committed to health equity, dignity, and the belief that access to compassionate care is a fundamental right, not a privilege. As a BIPOC clinician of Chicano/Mexican heritage and a mother in a multigenerational Chicano/Mexican–Puerto Rican family, she brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her work. Her understanding of cultural identity, migration, resilience, and the strength of multicultural communities shape a culturally responsive approach that honors lived experience, cultural traditions, and collective healing. She has extensive experience supporting individuals and families affected by forced displacement, systemic inequities, acculturative stress, and intergenerational trauma. Her clinical practice integrates evidence-based approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), SMART Recovery, and Play Therapy, with a focus on resilience, empowerment, and strengths-based healing.

In addition to direct clinical care, she has a strong background in interdisciplinary collaboration, program development, and community-based behavioral health program organization. She is passionate about bridging behavioral health care with the social determinants of health, recognizing that housing, education, healthcare access, and social connection are essential to overall well-being. Her work includes partnering with community organizations to reduce barriers, build trust, and improve access to care for newly arrived and historically underserved communities. Passionate about advancing human rights through clinical practice, program development, and community engagement, she is committed to creating safe and respectful spaces where individuals and families can heal, reclaim their strengths, and move toward self-determination. Her work is guided by the belief that thriving communities are built when all people have equitable opportunities to flourish emotionally, physically, socially, and economically.

Elissa speaks English.