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Five Lessons Learned in National Trauma-Informed Care Training
Over decades of practice-informed research, clinical support, and advocacy, a gradual embrace of trauma-informed care as a fundamental component to quality health service delivery has emerged. Every patient has a story - a context, and a set of experiences- that impact their health and wellbeing,...
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On Becoming Trauma-Informed: It Takes a Village
Healthcare and social service providers who aim to promote optimal health and wellness among the populations they serve cannot achieve their objectives unless they address the impact of traumatic life events (both past and recurring) on vulnerable individuals. The landmark Adverse Childhood...
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Housing and Mental Health Services Are Key to Recovering from Trauma
This article is part of a quarterly series giving voice to the perspectives of individuals with lived experiences as they share their opinions on a particular topic. The authors are served by Services for the UnderServed (S:US), a New York City-based nonprofit that is committed to giving every New...
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Responding to the COVID Pandemic and Racial Injustice
One of the truths that have been exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic is that while the trauma and grief of COVID-19 and the accumulated racial injustices have been widespread, the impact has been felt more strongly in some communities. COVID-19 has been much more harmful to Black and Brown communities...
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The Need for Community-Based Early Intervention for Youth and Young Adults at Early Stages of Substance Use/Abuse
There is a serious gap in the continuum of services between Prevention and Treatment services for high risk youth and young adults at early stages of substance use. When we speak to these youth what we often hear is, “Prevention, education? I know it all! I could even teach the course!” Or,...
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Opioids and Homelessness in America
We will present five strategies behavioral health providers can use to help combat the opioid crisis among our national homeless population. Two catastrophic public health issues have become American epidemics: opioids and homelessness. The two are clearly interrelated—opioid use/misuse...
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Trauma-Informed Care in Community Mental Health Settings
Utilizing a trauma-informed approach in behavioral healthcare can potentially improve patients’ mental health and protect the well-being of providers. Integrating a trauma-informed approach, however, can seem overwhelming, as it requires resources, time, patience, and insight. Fortunately, the...
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Behavioral Health Care: How Far We’ve Come in 15 Years
Fifteen years goes by in the blink of an eye. This summer I’m stepping down after 15 years as president and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health, which is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary. This is a good time to take stock of where we have been as a field and where we are...
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Staff Development at the Mental Health Association of Westchester
In recent editions of Behavioral Health News, we have written of sweeping transformations in services offered at The Mental Health Association of Westchester (MHA). These transformations require critical staff development - learning new skills and new processes of working. To manage these changes,...
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AGES (Assessing, Guiding, and Empowering Seniors): Supporting Seniors Aging in Place in Supportive Housing
The Bridge’s Aging Services program addresses critical gaps in the mental health system by offering individualized care to seniors with behavioral health and physical health conditions living in supportive housing. In 2014, with approximately 800 beds in service, The Bridge recognized that we...
