The Center for Rehabilitation and Recovery provides assistance to the New York City mental health provider community through expert trainings, focused technical assistance, evaluation, information dissemination and special projects.

Center News  

Increasing Consumer Enrollment in Medicaid Buy-in for Working People with Disabilities (MBI-WPD) Program

Since September, 2007, The Center has facilitated a work group focused on ways to increase enrollment in the Medicaid Buy-in Program for Working People with Disabilities (MBI-WPD) among people with psychiatric disabilities. This initiative is being undertaken in collaboration with NYSOMH, NYSDOH, NYCDOHMH, consumers, and providers.

The Center continues to provide training to providers on this vital program via our Introduction to Benefits Management series, and Center staff promote the buy-in through engagement with other stakeholder groups throughout NYC. Marc Kutner, Director of Special Initiatives, and Pat Feinberg, Peer Educator, presented on our efforts to NAMI’s Media and Advocacy Work Group on May 4th, 2009. Marc also recently discussed this initiative with the Coalition of Mainstream Employment Programs’(CMEP) board in hopes of broadening support for our initiative among employment services providers. Further, Marc will be facilitating a think tank focused on statewide enrollment efforts at this year’s NYSRA Rehabilitation Summit in September. In the coming months, the Center expects to launch a city-wide effort to actively enroll eligible mental health consumers in the buy-in. Stay tuned for further details.

Project on Youth in Transition Update

 Since its inception in July, 2006, the Youth Initiative has grown substantially in scope and reputation. To reflect the Center’s long-term commitment to identifying and addressing the needs of disconnected youth living with SED, the Initiative was recently renamed The Project on Youth in Transition.

• The Project has begun an evaluation of the TIP (Transition to Independence System) experience at our eight model sites in NYC. Preliminary results were presented by Project Manager, Amy Smiley at a special session at the NJAMHA annual conference, Renaissance: Revitalizing Mental Health on April 29th.

• A software pilot of TAPIS, a progress tracker designed in collaboration between MOSAIC, Inc. and Rusty Clark (author of TIP) to support the TIP system will begin in July. Free of charge, the pilot will give select TIP sites firsthand experience with the software and allow us to work with MOSAIC to refine the application.

• The Center will soon offer technical assistance to a wider spectrum of mental health programs serving youth and young adults. This consultation may focus on topics covered by our Youth Seminar Series; our in-depth work with staff on clinical case review and/or assessment; how to modify documentation to reflect the needs of transition-age youth and their families; enhancing leadership capacity at a program; and enhancing/implementing a transition-age youth program. A formal description of this new service will go out to the community after the summer.

• The Youth Seminar Series continues to address staff competency needs, most recently through a special session on May 8th on psychiatry and transition-age youth, featuring Jeanie Tse, MD, Director of Integrated Health at the Institute for Community Living.

• Our new online resource directory for disconnected, transition-age youth is now undergoing final testing and revision. The site is expected to launch at the end of June, 2009. 

For more information on the Project on Youth in Transition including upcoming events, go to: http://www.coalitionny.org/the_center/youth_initiative/ 

Congratulations to Center Staff

• Marc Kutner, Director of Special Initiatives, will begin his Ph.D. in social welfare policy this fall. His course of study will specialize in social enterprise administration, program design, and evaluation.

• Kathryn Whitehead, Youth Initiative Research Assistant, was recently admitted to law school. Kat will continue to focus on a wide range of social justice issues, in particular, those pertaining to advocacy on behalf of troubled youth.

• Patricia Feinberg’s article, The Healing Power of Work now appears in the current edition of New York Non Profit Press. As the Center’s Peer Educator, Pat provides training to agency staff supported by her personal experiences and recovery story. To read this inspirational piece, go to:  http://nynp.biz/index.php/voice-of-the-consumer/737-the-healing-power-of-work.

Center Participates on Committee to Develop and Implement Peer Advocate Program at Institute for Community Living (ICL)

The Center is now participating in a steering committee to provide consultation on the development and implementation of a Peer Advocate Program at ICL’s Emerson Davis Family Center. Developed in partnership with OMH, DOHMH, NYAPRS and other key stakeholders, ICL’s Peer Advocacy Program aims to empower graduates of the Family Center to help their peers achieve recovery goals and enhance their ability to provide a nurturing environment for their families.    

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Education and Training

The Coalition’s Center for Rehabilitation and Recovery:
NEW Supported Education Training

Title:                 Learning to Build Your Future
Date/Time:      Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 9:30am - 12:30pm
Location:         The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies
Facilitator:       Marie Sabatino  
Fee:                 $25.00
More info and registration: CLICK HERE  

Description: This interactive half-day training is designed for mental health providers interested in learning about an emerging best practice: supported education. Participants will review the most up-to-date research on supported education programs. Staff will learn how to support persons in recovery with gaining access to educational programs that will help them develop meaningful careers of their choice. Discover how educational opportunities can spark recovery and inspire people to build a hopeful future. Providers who are helping individuals to achieve their educational and career goals are especially encouraged to attend.

Note: Special guest presenter and NAMI-NYC Metro member, Emily Hughes, will discuss her personal  path to recovery, including experiences with the education system.

NYC’s Third Annual Peer Specialist Conference

Title:                 Peer Specialists in New York City: A Change We Can Believe In
Date/Time:      Monday, June 22, 2009, 8:30am - 4:30pm
Location:          New York University, Kimmel Center
Fee:                   None
More info and registration: CLICK HERE  

Description:  Co-sponsored by the Coalition’s Center, New York City’s third annual peer conference will emphasize the accomplishments, experience, knowledge and expertise of people working as Peer Specialists throughout NYC.

Note: This year’s conference will include a Mental Health Provider Intensive track. Training Specialist, Marie Sabatino, and Peer Educator, Pat Feinberg will be facilitating the workshop, “Leading the Way to Recovery: Promoting Peer Integration in the Workplace.”

For more information about Center training, projects, and events go to: http://www.coalitionny.org/the_center/  

The Coalition’s Professional Learning Center:

Title: New Privacy Law Developments Affecting Behavioral Healthcare Providers
Date/Time:  May 18th, 2009, 9:30am - 11:30am
Location:     The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies
Facilitator:   Robert Belfort, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Fee:              None

Title: Board of Directors: Compliance, Information, and Risk...Oh my
Date/Time:  May 21st, 2009 9:00am - 11:30am
Location:     The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies
Facilitator:    Kenneth R. Cerini, CPA, CFP, D.A.B.F.A, Managing Partner, Cerini & Associates, LLP
Fee:              None

Title: Fourth Annual Advanced Management Training Institute - Planning and Managing Large Projects
Date/Time:  May 27th, 2009, 9:00am – 12:00pm
Location:     The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies
Facilitators: Ira Hammer and Michael Swerdlow
Fee:              None

Title: Fourth Annual Advanced Management Training Institute -Preparing for Survey and Financial Audits
Date/Time:  June 17th, 2009, 9:00am – 12:00pm
Location:     The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies
Facilitators: Ira Hammer and Michael Swerdlow
Fee:              None

Title: Fourth Annual Advanced Management Training Institute - Behavior in the Workplace
Date/Time:  June 25th, 2009, 9:00am – 12:00pm
Location:     The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies
Facilitators: Ira Hammer and Michael Swerdlow
Fee:              None

For more information and to register for Professional Learning Center trainings, go to: http://www.coalitionny.org/prof_learn_ctr/training/

Other Community Trainings and Educational Events

Organization: Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services (JBFCS), Martha K. Selig Educational Institute One Day Workshops:
Title:               Transference and Counter-transference: Clinical Applications
Date/Time:    May 21, 2008, 9:30am - 4:30pm
Title:               Psychological First Aid in Schools
Date/Time:    May 28, 2009, 9:30am - 4:30pm
More info and registration: www.seliginstitute.org

Organization: The LGBT Citywide Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Developmental Disability, Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services of the DOHMH Federation
Title:               One day conference, Culturally Competent Care for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People
Date/Time:   May 13th, 2009. 9:00am - 4:30pm
Location:       LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th Street
More information and registration: e-mail Parker Hurley at [email protected].

Organization: Mental Health Association of New York City, The Geriatric Mental Health Alliance of New York
Title:               3rd Annual Geriatric Mental Health Alliance of NY Conference, Treatment and Beyond:  
                        Meeting the Behavioral Health Challenges of the Elder Boom
Date/Time:    May 15th, 2009, 8:30am – 4:30pm
Location:       Marriot Hotel at Brooklyn Bridge
More information and registration: http://mhaofnyc.org/gmhany/index.html  

Organization: The Metropolitan Institute for Training in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
Title:              Diving Deep: The Use of Shared Language and Personal Disclosure in a Case of Narcissistic Personality Disorder
                       (Open House and Clinical Presentation for those Considering Postgraduate Training)
Date/Time:    Wednesday, June 24, 2009, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Location:       160 West 86th Street
Facilitator:     Marlene M. Reil, Ph.D., CASAC, Office of Health Integration, NYC DOHMH
More info and registration: http://www.mitpp.org/Current%20Events.html

Organization: New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCE&TC)
Title:              2009 NYC Workforce Development Summit and Expo
Date:             May 18th, 2009
Location:      Borough of Manhattan Community College
More information and registration: www.nycetc.org

Organization: New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS)
Title:               SAVE THE DATE!  27th Annual Conference, A Home, A Job and A Date on the Weekend
Date:              September 16th – 18th, 2009
Location:       Hudson Valley Resort and Conference Center
More information: www.nyaprs.org

Organization: New York State Rehabilitation Association (NYSRA)
Title:              SAVE THE DATE!  The Rehabilitation Summit
Date:             September 21st – 23rd, 2009
Location:      The Desmond, Albany
More information: www.nyrehab.org

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Publications and Reports

Cornell University, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Employment and Disability Institute

Report, Changing Circumstances: Experiences of Child SSI Recipients Before and After Their Age-18 Redetermination for Adult Benefits. http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/edicollect/1253/

Health Affairs, The Policy Journal of the Health Sphere

Article, May/June 2009, Volume 28, Number 3, Mental Health Crises and Public Policy: Opportunities for Change? Michael Hogan, Ph.D., Lloyd Sederer, M.D. http://content.healthaffairs.org/current.shtml

 National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare

New fact sheet on mental health disorders in children and youth.  http://e2ma.net/go/1987036705/1817534/67927633/goto:http:/www.thenationalcouncil.org/galleries/business-practice%20files/Childrens%20MH%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA)

Report, “Working Together to Help Youth Thrive in Schools and Communities,” www.samhsa.gov/children  

National online resource, “Getting Through Tough Economic Times guide” practical advice and hope for people dealing with emotional health issues related to financial stress “http://www.samhsa.gov/economy/ 

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