Accreditations/certifications
- American Association of Suicidology
- American Psychological Association (Doctoral Psychology Internship Program, CE provider)
- California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CE Provider)
- California Board of Registered Nursing (CE Provider)
- California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CE Provider)
- California Department of Health Care Services
- Contact USA Online Emotional Support (Suicide Prevention Center)
- Joint Commission Accreditation
- Los Angeles County Mental Health Plan – MediCal
Accreditations/licensing for clinicians
- American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
- California Board of Behavioral Sciences
- California Board of Psychology
- California Certification Board of Alcohol and Drug Counselors
- California Association of DUI Treatment Programs (CADTP)
- California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP)
- California Medical Board
- California Board of Registered Nursing
- United States Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration
- American Association of Community Psychiatry
Recognition and awards
2024
- Rare Impact Fund – Make a Rare Impact Award presented to Didi Hirsch for expanding youth mental health services and reducing stigma
2022
- Morgan Stanley – Children’s Mental Health Innovation Award presented to Didi Hirsch’s Teen Line program as part of the inaugural cohort
2017
- Los Angeles County Mental Health Commission – Appointed (3-Year Term) Advisory Board to President/CEO Dr. Kita S. Curry
2016
- The Los Angeles Commission on the Status of Women, Mayor Eric Garcetti, and the Los
- Angeles City Council – Pioneer Woman of the Year to President/CEO Dr. Kita S. Curry
2013
- Los Angeles Board of Supervisors – Advocacy in Suicide Prevention Award to Didi Hirsch
- California State Assembly Member Mike Gatto – Certificate of Recognition to Didi Hirsch Armunity Program
- City of Inglewood – History of Advocacy, Service and Leadership Award to President/CEO Dr. Kita S. Curry
2012
- California State Senate, 26th District – SHero Award to President/CEO Dr. Kita S. Curry for demonstrated leadership, volunteerism, and commitment to the community
2011
- Southern California Psychiatric Society – Honored President/CEO Dr. Kita S. Curry for leadership in providing comprehensive treatment to underserved individuals and families
2010
- National Alliance on Mental Illness, Urban L.A. chapter – Exemplary Psychiatrist Award to Dr. Curley Bonds, Medical Director
- National Alliance on Mental Illness, Urban L.A. chapter – Outstanding Service in Communities of Color to Dr. Kita S. Curry
2009
- American Association of Suicidology – Certificate of Recognition to Survivors After Suicide Program for serving the survivor community for more than 25 years
- Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic – Evis Coda Award for Building Hope for Families to Dr. Kita S. Curry
- National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare – Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Norman Farberow, co-founder of the Suicide Prevention Center
2008
- LA County Mental Health Commission – Outstanding Program of the Year to Jump Street and Excelsior House
- SAMHSA and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award to the Suicide Prevention Center for pioneering hotline services in the U.S.
2005
- National Alliance on Mental Illness, Urban LA chapter – Heroes in the Fight Award to Dr. Kita S. Curry
Mental Health and substance use
Didi Hirsch has pioneered many innovations in mental health and substance use:
- Established first nonprofit mental health clinic in Los Angeles in 1942
- One of the first agencies in the nation to receive federal designation as a Community Mental Health Center
- Developed a crisis-oriented, solution-focused, brief treatment program that emphasized building on strengths, treating as many people as possible and reaching neglected groups such as the elderly and ethnic communities.
- Had the first non-hospital based clinic in the Western United States to provide walk-in services.
- Opened the first residential center for women struggling with substance use, where mothers could remain with their children while in treatment. (1971)
- Since Project 50 started in 2007, we have provided substance use disorder services to the most vulnerable individuals brought from the streets of Skid Row into supportive housing.
Services for children and youth
Didi Hirsch has received significant recognition over the years for its services to children and youth:
- Awarded and implemented a multi-year Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant-funded program to help military families and children adjust to veterans’ deployments and returns
- Earned 5 awards from First 5 L.A., the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health and the University of California, Davis jointly for our exceptional work and outcomes with Parent-Child Interaction Therapy
- Maintains one of the oldest American Psychological Association-accredited doctoral internship programs in the nation (since 1956), providing specialized training in therapeutic work with children
- Member of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), a national resource funded through the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and Department of Health and Human Services to improve access to care, treatment, and services to traumatized children and adolescents exposed to traumatic events
- First mental health partner in the Los Angeles Child Abduction Task Force (established 1992) and continues to assist abducted youth in reuniting with their families after being recovered
Suicide prevention
In addition, the Suicide Prevention Center has received the following recognition:
- Norman Farberow—renowned psychologist, one of the founding fathers of suicidology, and one of the three founders of the Suicide Prevention Center—was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Council on Community Behavioral Health
- Recognized at the 6th Annual International Conference on Suicide Prevention in Mexico City (1971) for its groundbreaking efforts in suicide prevention research, education and service
- Our Suicide Response Team partnered with the Los Angeles Mayor’s Crisis Response Team to provide immediate support at the scenes of suicides
- Created a support group curriculum for survivors of suicide attempts that has been accepted by a national registry and ordered over 1,000 times by mental health professionals in all 50 states and 30 nations
- Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center volunteers, Sam and Lois Bloom, were awarded the Eli Lilly National Council of Behavioral Health’s Volunteers of the Year Award for their suicide prevention advocacy at the local, state and national level. They helped develop bereavement support groups for people affected by suicide after their son, Sammy, took his life at the age of 23
- On its 50th anniversary, we were recognized nationally by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration with an award for our pioneering work in the area of suicide prevention hotline services
- Chosen by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration as one of three Disaster Distress Helpline centers in the country
- Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center volunteer, Ester Ybarra Bryant, a mother who previously lost her 13 year old son to suicide, was awarded Woman of the Year by Congresswoman Grace Napolitano for her dedicated suicide prevention and bereavement support work with children and families
- Didi Hirsch led a collaboration of suicide prevention centers throughout California to establish common metrics for crisis line data
