News

LEWISTON – The THRIVE system of care initiative is pleased to announce that the following area clinicians recently completed a learning collaborative in Child Parent Psychotherapy: Ellen Crosby, Amy French, Ina Goldstein, Evelyn Lent and Deborah Stauffer, all of Auburn; Laurie Bertulli of Brunswick; Kathleen Koch of Lewiston; Mariette Hanlon of Lisbon; Peggy Jensen of North Yarmouth; and Kryse Skye of Norway. For contact information, go to: thriveinitiative.org

The 14-month learning collaborative trains clinicians to treat parents and children 0-6 years of age who have experienced domestic violence, maltreatment, and other forms of trauma.

“This treatment strengthens the child-parent relationship, empowers the caregiver to maintain a safe and nurturing environment for the child, and helps to address the developmental consequences of trauma exposure,” says Judith Day, THRIVE’s clinical coordinator. It is one of several evidence-based trauma treatment models that THRIVE is helping to promote in the tri-county area.

Learning collaborative trainers, Eileen Fair, Judy Muller and Anne Williams completed training sponsored by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Dr. Patricia Van Horn, a nationally recognized early childhood expert served as training consultant.

The ME Infant Mental Health Association, Central Maine Medical Center and the Auburn Public Library supported the collaboration.

THRIVE System of Care Initiative is building a network of services and supports for children and youth who have experienced severe emotional disturbance and their families in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties. The Thrive Initiative promotes family-driven, youth-guided, culturally and linguistically competent, and trauma-informed services. It is a partnership of Maine’s Children’s Behavioral Health Division, Tri-County Mental Health Services, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in collaboration with local provider agencies.

AUBURN- It has been one year since the launch of Trauma Focused- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) in our region, and last week clinicians who are using this specialized treatment with children gathered to share and celebrate a year of intensive training. The two day event was the culmination of a year-long Learning Collaborative sponsored by Thrive. The collaborative included participants from Tri-County Mental Health Services, Providence, St. Mary’s Renaissance and Genesis Houses , Rumford Group Homes, Spurwink, Long Creek Youth Development Center, McMahon School Day Treatment Program, and Mark Rains, Ph. D. [private practice].

Judith Day, Clinical Coordinator for the THRIVE System of Care initiative, congratulated the team members. “You now have some new tools for working with children and families who have been impacted by trauma,” she said, noting that THRIVE will continue to offer technical assistance to participating agencies requesting help with implementation of TF-CBT. Clinicians who have begun using the model reported positive results. “I’ve had a lot of success with this treatment,” said one Providence clinician.. “The kids have really embraced this approach. It gives important structure to the treatment, provides the words to open up, and validates the trauma,” said another clinician.

TF-CBT is a proven treatment for youth 6 to 18 who have experienced trauma and are having emotional or behavioral problems. It is short term [12 to 18 sessions] and ideally involves a caregiver with the child. Participants in the Thrive learning collaborative are providing TF-CBT in a variety of settings including outpatient, schools, in-home, residential treatment, and juvenile detention facilities.

Under the auspices of THRIVE, more than 40 clinicians and clinical supervisors have been trained in this Learning collaborative to offer this specialized treatment, and about 30 youth/families have been treated so far. The learning collaborative has provided ongoing clinical consultation and support for implementation of the new treatment model, which will now be available across Androscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford counties.

The Thrive training team participated in the 2007 Eastern Trauma Focused- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Learning Collaborative, sponsored by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and Duke University. Other participants included th the Dartmouth Trauma Interventions Research Center, Childhood Violent Trauma Center at the Yale Child Study Center, University of Maryland Baltimore Child Trauma Clinic, and eight others. . For more information, contact Judith Day at 207-782-5783 or visit www.thriveinitiative.org.

On May 8, 2006, across the nation, many communities will once again celebrate National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day by planning activities that are creative and meaningful for their individual communities. The theme for the day is “Thriving in the Community”.

Tri-County Mental Health Services, the area’s largest and most comprehensive provider of mental health services for children, will observe the event by reaching out to children and families through public libraries. Focusing on its groundbreaking work to develop a “Trauma-Informed System of Care” for children with severe emotional disturbances, the agency will offer informational toolkits for public libraries to share with their communities. The toolkits will contain a resource list of books for children from grade school to high school that address the issues of mental health, free bookmarks for children, youth, and families, and other resource information.

Tri-County Mental Health Services is Maine’s most comprehensive agency dealing with the psychological and social well-being of children, adults, and elders. TCMHS serves over 6,000 individuals each year with innovative programs and services addressing mental health, substance abuse, mental retardation/developmental disabilities, autism, and more. Its philosophy of building toward recovery and sensitivity to traumatic experiences of consumers gives hope to individuals, families, and communities in Androscoggin, Northern Cumberland, Franklin and Oxford counties. For information about Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, call 783-9141 x 300.

For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Tina Clark, APR
Director of Development & Community Relations
207-784-4110 x 158
tclark@tcmhs.org

BRIDGTON/OXFORD/FARMINGTON/RUMFORD –

Children with serious emotional disturbances and their families often face a bewildering maze of services available through schools, communities, health care providers, counseling agencies, law enforcement, just to name a few. Getting connected with the right ones at the right time and learning how they can work together can be one of their toughest challenges.

Beginning in 2006, Tri-County Mental Health Services will lead the way in creating a more coordinated system, improving early identification and providing the most effective treatment for these children and their families. Family and youth will have a central role in the development and implementation of the project.

Funded with a $9 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), TCMHS and its partner the Maine Department of Health & Human Services will build an integrated system of care. The project, titled “A Trauma-Informed System of Care for Children with Serious Emotional Disturbances in Maine” will service the areas of Androscoggin, Franklin, Oxford, and Northern Cumberland Counties over the next six years and serve as a model for the state and nation.

The project will focus on ensuring that families find “no wrong door” to treatment services, and that barriers to care are removed. There will be special emphasis on more effectively addressing the needs of vulnerable and high risk groups, and young people who have experienced trauma.

Tri-County Mental Health Services is Maine’s most comprehensive agency dealing with the psychological and social well-being of children, adults, and elders. TCMHS serves over 6,000 individuals each year with innovative programs and services addressing mental health, substance abuse, mental retardation/developmental disabilities, autism, and more. Its philosophy of building toward recovery and sensitivity to traumatic experiences of consumers gives hope to individuals, families, and communities in Androscoggin, Northern Cumberland, Franklin and Oxford counties.

For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Tina Clark, APR
Director of Development & Community Relations
207-784-4110 x 158
tclark@tcmhs.org

AUBURN: “Trauma takes away dreams.” That was the message at the core of Wednesday’s event in Auburn that introduced the nation’s first Trauma-Informed System of Care. The project, led by Tri-county Mental Health Services (TCMHS) in partnership with the State of Maine Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS), Children’s Behavioral Health Services, will transform services for children and families in our region over the next six years. It will create a new way of working as a community to meet the needs of children and families through coordination, collaboration, and communication. Keynote speaker Karen Baldacci called the project an exciting start toward “building health children, families, communities, and a healthy Maine.” The First Lady is Chair of Maine’s Children’s Cabinet. “Every child desires the opportunity to be socially and emotionally healthy and a vital part of their community. Each one of you can help us reach this goal,” she said. The audience of 130+ people included mental health providers, educators, law enforcement, juvenile justice, healthcare, community groups, policy-makers, youths and families, all of whom will be working together over the next six years in the $9 million project funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Tri-County Mental Health Services is Maine’s most comprehensive agency dealing with the psychological and social well-being of children, adults, and elders. TCMHS serves over 6,000 individuals each year with innovative programs and services addressing mental health, substance abuse, mental retardation/developmental disabilities, autism, and more. Its philosophy of building toward recovery and sensitivity to traumatic experiences of consumers gives hope to individuals, families, and communities in Androscoggin, Northern Cumberland, Franklin and Oxford counties.

Breanne Masseli, Youth Coordinator for the Trauma-Informed System of Care Project (left) and Arabella Perez, Project Manager, were among the speakers at the project launch on Wednesday in Auburn. The six year project will bring together all youth and family services in the region and create a coordinated System of Care that is sensitive to trauma.

For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Tina Clark, APR
Director of Development & Community Relations
207-784-4110 x 158
tclark@tcmhs.org