MENTOR MattersIssue: December 2011

Earlier this month, North Carolina MENTOR welcomed Families Together, Inc. into the organization. Families Together is a human services company based in Asheville, and their mission is similar to that of North Carolina MENTOR—strengthening families by supporting them in their own communities. They have been recognized for doing outstanding work in the western part of the state, particularly in Buncombe County, that is making a difference for children who attend their Day Treatment programs.

Families Together partners with county school systems to provide mental health and substance abuse day treatment in a school setting, with classes taught on site at the host schools. Each class is staffed with two teachers and one transition specialist from the school system, along with a five-person treatment team from Families Together. At the heart of these programs is the Circle of Courage, a treatment model in which the ideas of mastery, belonging, independence and generosity are used to empower students. In this model, students learn to communicate, feel supported and give back to the group—skills that can help them transition back into their regular classes.

This fall, Families Together staff held a graduation ceremony for a student in the Program for Academic and Social Success (PASS). Before working with Families Together, the student was having difficulties in school, including missing classes. During treatment, he not only began attending school regularly but began offering support to other students in the program. At the graduation, his mother thanked the staff for the difference they made in her son’s life and for teaching her skills that she can use to support him in his continued growth.

“Our staff was able to engage the student in the program and they were also able to build positive relationships with the family to ensure ongoing success after discharge from day treatment,” said Erin Bee, Day Treatment Coordinator for Families Together.

The Day Treatment team also hosted a Thanksgiving meal for the New Beginnings program at Owen Middle School. The meal was offered in partnership with the Buncombe County Schools staff and was funded 100 percent with donations from the community. All students in the program were able to attend the meal, and the group honored a Student of the Week, who spoke about how New Beginnings has helped him. The students had also created Christmas tree centerpieces, which will be donated to a local hospice. To demonstrate what students learned in treatment, staff incorporated the Circle of Courage

I don’t know about you, but I can’t believe the end of 2011 is already here.

This summer, when I accepted the role of Executive Director of North Carolina MENTOR, I knew that I was taking the helm at an exciting time, one of growth and opportunity for all of us. An exciting change, for someone many of us have had the privilege of working with for years, was that Charles Davis was moving into a new role as Director of Periodic Services for The MENTOR Network, the parent organization of North Carolina MENTOR. Over the years, I have benefited from Charles’ knowledge and expertise, so I hope you will join me in congratulating him on his new position. Fortunately for us, Charles will still be actively involved in government relations in North Carolina and will keep us informed on public policy as we move forward and continue raising the bar in the care we provide.

I say “raise the bar” because over the past few months, that is exactly what the North Carolina MENTOR team has been doing. The hard work you have done is having measurable results, with new staff and new locations added to handle the growth we are just beginning to see (turn to page 3 to learn more).

As part of that growth, Families Together, Inc. joined North Carolina MENTOR as of December 1. In welcoming Families Together, we have expanded our reach in the western part of the state, and the knowledge and unique energy that their staff possesses will enhance the service we provide statewide (read the article, left, for a great story about Families Together).

Putting the right pieces in place is only part of the strategy for growth in North Carolina. During the week of November 7, I attended The MENTOR Network’s annual Ripple of Hope Awards and Leadership Summit. It was inspiring to hear the stories of people across the country who have gone the extra mile for our consumers. They were nominated because every day they look for ways to improve the care they provide—to make a difference in the life of each person they serve. That is something we are already doing here in North

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Great Expectations

Families Together Staff Create a “Circle of Courage” in Buncombe County

By Scott Martin

North Carolina

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(Continued on page 2)

Carolina, so it came as no surprise to me that seven members of the North Carolina team were among the nominees (turn to page 5 to read the story).

The theme of this year’s Leadership Summit was “Great Expectations,” with the idea that in order to grow, we have to continually work to improve our services. On any given day, there will always be someone who does what we do as well as we do it. So in 2012, each of us has to commit to improving the quality of the care we provide. I want to present this as our challenge for the next year: make North Carolina MENTOR the statewide provider of behavioral health services. We want to be the first call our partners make. It’s up to each of us, in each office and in each area of service, to look for ways to raise the bar. I know what you are thinking. “How can I do that?” Start by writing down five ways—even small ways—that you can do your job better, be a better coworker or improve quality of life for a consumer. Share this list with your supervisor and talk with him or her about how you can implement these ideas into your daily practice.

If you need a little guidance, think of the words quality, integrity and accountability. If you have attended any of my meetings, you have heard these words many times. That’s because they are so important to what we do.

Quality – Make sure you have the right people, the right processes in place and the highest possible standards for the work you do. If you aren’t sure how to make that happen, ask for help.

Integrity – Do the right thing, even when no one is around to give you credit for it.

Accountability – Recognize that other people’s success—that of our clients and coworkers—depends on you doing your part. Be someone the rest of us can always count on, and be ready to take responsibility for your actions—good and bad.

If you don’t think you can make a difference, think about the idea behind the phrase “ripple of hope.” One small act of positive change can inspire many, so if we all pull together, we can make a big difference.

In closing, I want to wish all of you and your loved ones a peaceful and happy holiday season. Thank you, again, for all you do. I look forward to working and growing with you in the New Year!

Great Expectations (cont.)

Trauma Training Helps Staff Improve Treatment for Children with PTSD

Dr. Zaiim helps staff understand the biology behind PTSD

Want to learn more about the effects of PTSD on children?

O:\Library\Child Periodic Services\CHILD PERIODIC SERVICES\Clinical Supervision and Training Meeting\Handouts from meeting\October 2011

Download Dr. Zaiim’s presentation at

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concept into these two events. Students spoke to the groups about the challenges they have overcome, and they celebrated with those who attended. They also created cards and posters to praise the graduate and thank community members for their support. “These are great examples of how teaching children simple skills such as communicating and supporting each other can have a positive impact on the lives of everyone involved, from the students who are able to transition back into their mainstream classrooms, to their families, to the communities who give support,” said Brian Payne, Western Regional Director of North Carolina MENTOR. “Great job, and congratulations on these two successful events!”

If you haven’t done so already, visit www.familiestogether.net to learn more about the work our new partners at Families Together are doing.

Families Together Staff Create a “Circle of Courage” in Buncombe County (cont.)

A three-part lecture series by Loghman Zaiim, M.D., Medical Director of North Carolina MENTOR, is helping clinical staff understand the biological processes at work when a child experiences trauma.

“Our focus in treating children with behavioral challenges is on the ‘software’ malfunction in the brain,” said Dr. Zaiim. “But when there is trauma such as abuse, the ‘hardware’ of the brain is affected as well. As clinicians, we have to be able to recognize the signs that this has occurred.”

Dr. Zaiim gave his first lecture on October 26 at North Carolina MENTOR’s monthly clinical supervision and training meeting. He explained how early and/or prolonged trauma causes physical changes in the brain and creates “fear patterns” that can stay with the child into adulthood. When these children receive sensory information, including memories, associated with their original trauma, they re-experience the trauma, causing the more primitive fear and emotion centers of the brain to take over. In a clinical setting, this means that a child may react to questions about their trauma with fear or anger—and even refuse to participate in treatment.

Dr. Zaiim will present his second lecture at North Carolina MENTOR’s January meeting, focusing on how clinicians can recognize the symptoms of trauma including PTSD and make a diagnosis. The third lecture, in April, will discuss some of the latest somatic treatment modalities developed in the field of trauma such as the Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM), which can also help stabilize a PTSD patient enough to complete their therapy.

On November 14, staff from the Troy and Rockingham offices attended the Sandhills Center provider fair at the Agriculture Center in Carthage, N.C. This quarterly event brings providers in a wide range of specialties together to network and promote their services.

Zoe Playe, foster care program recruiter for the Rockingham office, and Pam Wiggins, program supervisor for the Troy office, coordinated North Carolina MENTOR’s presence at the event and manned the table, which featured photos and other marketing materials. They also offered giveaways and a raffle as an incentive for attendees to come learn about us.

Thanks to the effort they put into this event, Zoe and Pam were able to make helpful contacts, such as an emergency respite provider who could potentially aid foster parents.

“This is an example of relationship-building in the community—an important part of growing our services and improving quality of life for our consumers,” said Jeannie King, Eastern Regional Director for North Carolina MENTOR.

Good job, Zoe and Pam!

Is your office taking advantage of provider fairs in your area? They are a great way to promote North Carolina MENTOR’s services within the provider community, but they can also connect you with providers offering complementary services that may benefit the people we serve.

Check to see if LMEs or other organizations in your area host provider or health fairs and make arrangements to attend!

Troy and Rockingham Staff Take the MENTOR Message to the Sandhills Provider Fair

Stories from Across the State

DeVault Clevenger Director of CABHA Services

DeVault previously served as North Carolina MENTOR’s clinical director. In his new position he will oversee all clinical, training, QA and marketing services.

Jeannie King Regional Director East

Jeannie previously served as program manager for the Rockingham region. She will oversee operations and managers in the Raleigh, Wilmington, Rockingham and Troy regions.

Brian Payne Regional Director West

Brian previously served as program manager for the Hendersonville region. He will oversee operations and managers in the Hendersonville, Charlotte and Greensboro program regions, including Families Together locations.

If there is one word to sum up 2011, that word is “growth.” Over the last three months alone, our Intensive In-Home (IIH) service has grown from 37 to 50 teams. In addition, we opened a new office in Clinton, and plans are underway to open offices in Smithfield, Jacksonville, Lumberton and Fayetteville. On top of all of the additional IIH staff that we have brought on to help us meet the increased demand for our services, we have also added other staff to support our growth agenda, including five new intake coordinators, eight IIH leads/supervisors, four TFC recruiters, a few TFC team leads, two staff recruiters and one marketing specialist.

“Our goal now as an organization is to make sure that growth continues and we do it in a way that creates quality, sustainable growth,” said Scott Martin, Executive Director of North Carolina MENTOR.

To accomplish that goal, Martin has created three new positions, drawing on leadership that was already helping us be the best in the industry:

2011 Growth Brings New Staff, Locations and Opportunities

Zoe and Pam used a simple but impactful

display to promote our services

Congratulations DeVault, Jeannie and Brian, and welcome to all new North Carolina staff members! 3

Families Together Staff Create a “Circle of Courage” in Buncombe County (cont.)

12Richelle Gairrett, Raleigh

13Billie Jo Richardson, Troy

14Sallie McCrea, RockinghamDonterio Perkins, Wilmington

Michelle Quigley, Hendersonville

15Sanya Stewart, Greensboro

16Jessica Ferrence, Troy

17Katina Cozart, GreensboroLee Opata, Rockingham

Rovaughna Richardson, Rockingham

18Beverly Tate, Greensboro

Jonadab Franco, Rockingham

19Crystal Pedley, Rockingham

22Allan Reeve, Rockingham

Anniversaries1

Anisha Blanding, GreensboroTanisha Corbett, Raleigh

Sardie Izzard, GreensboroLisa Lamiman, WilmingtonKisha Pinckney, Raleigh

Elyssa Rivera, RockinghamSerena Williams, Raleigh

2Jane Capin, Charlotte

Wendy Huggins, WilmingtonLeJay Parker, Greensboro

Victoria Smith, TroyJocelyn Stephens, Raleigh

3Hazel Cox, Rockingham

Sharon McPhaul, Rockingham

5Tracy Herron, Raleigh

Lee Opata, Rockingham Martha Webb, Rockingham

6Deena Kersting, Greensboro

7Cavassine Wall, Rockingham

10Terry Barnes, Troy

Cecilia Bream, Rockingham

17Michele Swigunski, Raleigh

Cause for Celebration

Birthdays2

Julie Welch, Greensboro

3Jonathan Williams, Troy

4Jasmine Rush, Rockingham

5Terry Barnes, Troy

6Joyce Morton, Troy

7Cokley Martin, Greensboro

Nicole Mason, Troy

8Tanisha Corbett, Raleigh

Tia Weaver, Charlotte

9Delia Saint-Fleur, Charlotte

Monique Temoney, GreensboroCavassine Wall, RockinghamCrystal Whitted, Rockingham

11Jannetta Headen, Raleigh

23Tamara Morris, Troy

24Veronica Pressley, Rockingham

25Jasmine Hunt-Gross, Wilmington

26Wendell Coker, Rockingham

Navonne Moore, Troy

27Jason Mandara, Troy

28Dawn Harrison, Hendersonville

29Dotti Harris, Hendersonville

Imogene Patrick, RockinghamShelia Reynolds, Troy

30Myshka Wilkerson, Rockingham

31James Otchere, Greensboro

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Anniversaries

Cause for Celebration

23Tamara Morris, Troy

24Veronica Pressley, Rockingham

25Jasmine Hunt-Gross, Wilmington

26Wendell Coker, Rockingham

Navonne Moore, Troy

27Jason Mandara, Troy

28Dawn Harrison, Hendersonville

29Dotti Harris, Hendersonville

Imogene Patrick, RockinghamShelia Reynolds, Troy

30Myshka Wilkerson, Rockingham

31James Otchere, Greensboro

On November 9, The MENTOR Network held its seventh-annual Ripple of Hope Awards in Boston, Massachusetts. Nominations came from across the country, identifying staff and Mentors who have gone out of their way to make a positive impact on others. They were nominated because each day their actions create a “ripple of hope,” inspiring consumers to succeed in their treatment or setting a positive example for other staff to follow.

Here in North Carolina, six people embodied that spirit and were nominated for the awards. These employees have done their jobs with enthusiasm and creativity, encouraged other staff to be their best and, most importantly, made a difference in the lives of the people they serve.

“The Ripple of Hope Awards show us what we can accomplish if we constantly ask ourselves, ‘How can I do it better next time?’ That’s why these seven nominees deserve our congratulations and thanks,” said Scott Martin, Executive Director of North Carolina MENTOR. “These are people for whom ‘just good enough’ just wasn’t good enough, and this should serve as inspiration for the rest of us on the North Carolina team. Let’s all take a moment to congratulate them for their nominations and for their outstanding work!”

Do you know someone who embodies the spirit of Ripple of Hope? Visit The MENTOR Network’s Ripple of Hope page for instructions on nominating a staff member for the 2012 awards.

News You Can UseNorth Carolina MENTOR Staff Nominated for Ripple of Hope Awards

Ulanda Canady – Administrative Assistant (Hendersonville)

Daisy Dawkins – IIH Team Member/Family Support Specialist (Rockingham)

Sheila and Dean Gibbs – TFC parents (Hendersonville)

Nicole Toto – TFC Coordinator (Hendersonville)

Delilah Warner – Family Support Specialist (West End)

North Carolina MENTOR 2011 Ripple of Hope Award Nominees

Questions About Medicaid Waivers? By now, you have heard a lot about the changes being made at the state level in how mental health, disability and substance abuse services are provided. It’s a lot of information to sort through, but a good summary of the changes is available in the waiver resource section of the Western Highlands Network LME website.

You can learn more about why the changes were made, who is affected, as well as the different types of Medicaid waivers and how they work. The section also includes fact sheets, FAQs and a helpful PowerPoint presentation that you can download.

Check it out at westernhighlands.org/component/content/article/168.html

Send Us Your Stories Do you have an idea for a story that could be included in North Carolina MENTOR Matters? Send it to Emily.Koon@TheMentorNetwork.com.

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