Brattleboro Retreat brings mental health care to Morningside Shelter

News Release Brattleboro Retreat
April 10, 2015

Contact:
Jill Terrell-Ouazzani, MSM
Marketing & Community Relations Coordinator
Brattleboro Retreat
Phone: (802) 258-3785
Fax: (802) 258-3787
Email: [email protected]
www.brattlebororetreat.org

BRATTLEBORO, VT (April 10, 2015) Two Brattleboro-based nonprofits are collaborating on an innovative new pilot program designed to prevent crisis and improve the mental health of Morningside Shelter residents by offering onsite therapeutic services.

Launched last month, the Mental Health Clinical Collaborative, a grant-funded collaboration between the Brattleboro Retreat and Morningside Shelter, offers onsite clinical mental health services for residents of the Shelter. The program was also recently nominated for an Innovation Award from the Philadelphia-based Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation.

“We know that mental health care is difficult for many people to access for a range of reasons from transportation to stigma to uneasiness with accessing mental health supports at all,” said Retreat CEO, Rob Simpson. “This program will keep valuable supports and connections to the Retreat’s services available, even as residents transition out of the Shelter into long-term housing.”

Therapist Mac Newman, CMHC, AAP, of the Retreat’s Starting Now program works onsite at Morningside two days a week where he provides individual and family therapy, general wellness support, and case consultation with Morningside staff.

“Mac is a fantastic fit for this program,” said Kurt White, director of outpatient services at the Retreat. As White points out, one day of crisis health care translates to one month of shelter services, underscoring the importance of crisis prevention from a financial standpoint.

The inspiration for the Mental Health Clinical Collaboration was born last year when the Retreat hosted a community dialogue, “Dreams of Home,” on the subject of homelessness with Deborah Luepnitz, Ph.D..