PRESENTED BY SERVICES FOR THE UNDERSERVED IN

PARTNERSHIP WITH NEW YORK STATE REHABILITATION

ASSOCIATION (NYSRA)

Parachute NYC

SUS’ Brooklyn Respite Center

Presenters

• Katie Linn, Assistant Program Director, SUS

• Audrey George-Owens, Program Director, SUS

• Atla Parker, Respite Specialist, SUS

Acknowledgment & Disclaimer

This project is supported by Funding Opportunity Number CMS-1C1-12-0001 from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.

The contents of this presentation are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of HHS or any of its agencies.

Parachute NYC

Mobile Crisis Teams

Crisis Respite Centers

Support Line

Creating a

“soft-landing”

for people in crisis

by offering

alternatives to

hospitalization

Parachute NYC: Variable Levels of Service

Confidential, peer operated phone line

Connect with someone who has

had similar experiences

Support through difficult times

A place to stay when a crisis is unmanageable at home

Staffed 24/7 by peers and behavioral health professionals

Home-like open door setting

Peer support, wellness education and skill building

Coordination with mobile team or other treatment providers

Home based treatment from a

mix of peer & behavioral health

professionals

Family involvement in “the network” from 1st visit

Flexible, non-hierarchical approach

Mobile Crisis Team

Crisis Respite Center

Support Line

Project Timeline

Launched Manhattan Mobile Treatment Team & Respite in January ‘13

Launched Citywide Support Line in February ‘13

Launched Brooklyn Mobile Treatment Team & Respite in April ’13

Launched Bronx Mobile Treatment Team & Respite in September ‘13

Will launch Queens Mobile Treatment Team & Respite in March ‘14

All: peer and non-peer professionals; respite center + mobile team + Access to Peer Support Line

Manhattan:

Ages 18-65 experiencing a

psychosis-related crisis

Bronx:

Ages 18-65 experiencing a

psychosis-related crisis

Brooklyn:

Ages 16-65/first break

Current Parachute NYC Teams

Brooklyn’s Parachute NYC Team

Mobile Team: Woodhull Hospital

Respite Center: Services for the

UnderServed

Access to Peer Support Line:

Community Access

(646) 741-HOPE

Respite Center: New York City Children’s

Center

The Models We Follow

Non-hierarchical

The Need-Adapted Treatment Model and Intentional Peer Support are:

Use mutual responsibility and avoid coercion

Trauma-informed

Moving toward, not away

About co-learning and finding new ways of seeing, thinking, and doing

Mobile Team

An immediate response

Orientation to the family and social network

Flexibility

Responsibility and continuity

The mobile team practices the Need-Adapted Treatment Model, which features:

Tolerance of uncertainty, rather than problem-solving

The promotion of dialogue, for each to speak and be heard

Respite Centers

Completely voluntary

Beds in individual bedrooms in a warm, home-like environment

Stays between 1 and 14 days

Yoga, meditation, visual arts, spoken word, Wii games and more

An open kitchen

24/7 peer support

A Look Inside the SUS Brooklyn Respite Center

We’re Introduced To Sam

• Sam’s parents tells us that they are afraid, because

– His hygiene is not good

– He seems withdrawn

– He has stopped sleeping at night

– He has dropped out of school

– He won’t eat with his family

– He does not have friends

– He had a fight with his brother that scared his family, even though no one was hurt

What Does Sam Do At The Center?

We connect

with Sam: talk about

his interests, goals, and

how he has come to be here

We share our

worldviews with Sam and listen

for his worldview

We co-learn and grow

from sharing our knowledge

and experiences

Sam starts to see and move

toward what he wants

Two of the Skills and Ideas Shared

-Sam felt unsafe eating food that other people had

prepared

-Sam and the peers decided to go grocery shopping together and prepared food together

-Sam believed that bad things only happen to bad

people, and he felt confused and guilty

- We explored other ways of viewing the situation and the idea that Sam

might not be a bad person

Network Meetings

Who is invited?

Everyone who is important to the person about whom people are worried

How long is a meeting?

Usually 1.5 - 2 hours long

Where do we meet?

Wherever the network chooses to meet, usually in the person’s home

How often do we meet?

Depends on the network; often multiple times a week

Do we share what we are thinking?

Yes! This is called “reflecting” and is usually done twice during a meeting

Sam’s Family’s Network Meetings

Sam’s mother talked about the

pain of seeing the police use force when they took Sam to the ER

Sam’s brother shared that he was

afraid that Sam would kill them while they slept

We talked about the ways in which

Sam behaved differently at the

respite center than at home

What Did Parachute NYC Do and Not Do?

We did not provide

professional solutions.

Instead, we shared our belief that the family could create the best solutions

for themselves

We did not make judgments or predictions.

Instead, we came from a position of not-knowing and

uncertainty

We did not hold private meetings about Sam or his

family.

Instead, we shared our perceptions and ideas openly with the family

Success!

Sam eats dinner with his family

for the first time in a

year

Sam begins to talk to his father, whom he has not

spoken to in a year

Sam begins to take care

of his hygiene in a

way comfortable

for him

Sam goes home to live

with his family

Questions?

How to Make Referrals:

Contact Us Directly (347) 505-0870 | sus.org/sus-brooklyn-crisis-respite-center/

Services for the UnderServed www.sus.org Parachute NYC http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/mental/parachute.shtml