Westfield Crisis Intervention Program Real Help Experienced crisis clinicians provide temporary and face-to-face support, consultation and evaluation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The program is staffed by psychologists, clinical social workers, and mental health counselors working in collaboration with staff psychiatrists. Evaluations are provided in our Westfield offices on weekdays, at Noble Hospital Emergency Room after hours and on weekends, or on an outreach basis when necessary. Crisis intervention can address the following conditions: Severe depression Acute anxiety Suicidal thoughts and feelings Psychosis/loss of touch with reality  Substance abuse and addiction  Services Information and referral Telephone crisis intervention  In-person emergency counseling Evaluations to determine the type and level of treatment needed Short term respite/crisis stabilization unit Location 77 Mill Street Westfield, MA Tel: 413-568-6386 ____________________________________________________________________________ Center for Crisis Stabilization and Respite Services Real help 24-hour-a-day Crisis Line: 413-568-6386 The Carson Center for Crisis Stabilization and Respite Services offers crisis stabilization, planned respite, and hospital step-downs for adults.  These are time-limited residential services intended to meet the needs of individuals who require more intensive care than outpatient treatment provides, but who do not require hospitalization. The Center is staffed 24-hours a day. The nursing staff provides assessment, treatment coordination, patient education, and interventions. Our clinicians provide case management and group and individual psychotherapy. Medication evaluation and treatment is provided by The Carson Center's psychiatric staff. Services  Crisis Stabilization Planned Respite Hospital Step-downs -  Short to longer-term stays for adults requiring additional structure and support in order to successfully transition home from an inpatient psychiatric admission. These are typically planned as part of a patient's discharge plan, with the hospital team. Contact Tel: 413-568-6386 Fax: 413-572-4144 ____________________________________________________________________________ Center for Adults and Families Real Help The Carson Center for Adults and Families provides comprehensive outpatient services to individuals over age 18 and their families. At the Westfield site, treatments are tailored to suit the needs of individual clients whose problems range from life adjustment to serious mental illness, including those with dual mental health and substance abuse issues. Services  Substance Abuse Services Assessment: Evaluation of psychological functioning, including psychological testing when indicated, and treatment planning. Individual Therapy: Brief treatment for focused problems and longer-term therapy depending on client needs. Therapy approaches include behavioral, cognitive, supportive, and insight-oriented. Group Therapy: Time-limited and open-ended groups are offered to individuals whose problems involve interpersonal difficulties and isolation Psychiatric Consultation: May be recommended to assist in diagnosis and treatment planning. Couples/Marital Evaluation & Treatment: Time-limited, focused treatment utilizing insight, behavioral changes, and communication skills to facilitate healthy relationships. Dual Diagnosis: Dual diagnosis services for people who have emotional problems as well as a problem with drugs and alcohol. Community Outreach Services designed to promote community living for people with serious mental illness. Dialectical Behavior Therapy: An innovative and effective approach for high service users Sex Offender Assessment & Treatment: Court or self-referred assessment and group treatment for sexual offenders and dually-diagnosed clients with problem sexual behavior. Bilingual (Spanish) services available Community Based Flexible Supports CBFS services are designed for adults with serious and persistent mental illness who are eligible clients of the Department of Mental Health. CBFS services are based on the values of: Recovery and resiliency Rehabilitation Person-centered care The primary goals of CBFS services are to facilitate and support each individual's maximal integration in the community and to increase clients' capacity for independent living and their recovery from mental illness.Referrals are made by the Department of Mental Health. Services are available to clients deemed eligible by DMH. Internships An Internship in Professional Psychology is available at the Center for Adults and Children. A detailed description of the internship program and application requirements is available in the Employment section of the website. Location  77 Mill Street Westfield, MA 413-568-6141 (T) 413-572-4117(F) ___________________________________________________________________________ Center for Children and Youth Real Help The Center for Children and Youth provides comprehensive outpatient mental health and family stabilization services to children, adolescents and their families. Working in close collaboration with other community and state agencies, including schools, our staff is prepared to respond to a wide range of emotional and psychiatric problems from family adjustment and behavioral issues to serious mental illness. Services * Assessment and treatment planning * Individual, couples and family therapy * Parent consultation and counseling * Psychiatric consultation and evaluation * Psychological testing * ADHD evaluation * Family Reflective Team * School and community consultation * Parenting groups * Children's activity and social skills groups * Specialized community art group * Summer outdoor group for middle school youth * DBT and anger management groups * After-school day treatment program * Home-based family stabilization services Staff members from the Center for Children and Youth provide workshops and presentations to school and community groups on topics such as effective parenting/discipline, anger management, child/adolescent suicide prevention, and other topics as needed. The Center also operates TeamWorks, an after-school day treatment program that provides intensive support and skills training to a small number of children (ages 8-13) referred by the Department of Mental Health. Additionally, through its FamilyLinks Program, the Center provides home-based family stabilization and crisis services. Our group activities are designed to be flexible and positioned to meet the unique needs of youths and their parents. 77 Mill Street Westfield, MA 01085 Tel: (413) 568-1421 Fax: (413) 572-4104 ___________________________________________________________________________ Center for Development Real Help The Carson Center for Development provides comprehensive out-patient mental health services for adults and children with developmental disabilities. Life can be uniquely challenging for individuals with developmental disabilities and for those who support them so we approach every individual's circumstance with knowledge and care. Services Evaluation and treatment planning Individual and family therapy Family consultation Group therapy for emotion regulation, life and social skills, anger management, depression and life transitions Consultation and training for agencies and schools Psychiatric evaluation and treatment Sexuality evaluation and treatment Substance Abuse evaluation and treatment planning  Treatment planning includes the individual, and collaboration with families and other service providers.The Carson Center for Development is staffed by professionals with experience and special expertise in working with people with developmental disabilities. We offer graduate internship training and employment opportunities in this important area of mental health treatment. Locations 77 Mill Street, Suite 251 Westfield, MA 413-572-4105 (T) 413-572-4117 (F)   120 Maple Street, Suite 219  Springfield, MA 413-737-3730 (T) 413-737-1748 (F) ___________________________________________________________________________ Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Services Real help The Carson Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Services of Western Massachusetts has been providing services to those who have sustained traumatic brain injury for almost 25 years. Our goal is to maximize each person's level of independence in the least restrictive environment possible. Funding for the program is provided by the Statewide Head Injury Program. Our staff members are well trained specialists in head injury and related rehabilitation, case management, rehabilitation counseling, vocational counseling, therapeutic recreation, and neuropsychology. Staff work in the center as well as in the participant's homes. Services Cognitive rehabilitation/remediation Training for daily living skills Vocational rehabilitation services and community living Case management rehabilitation counseling/testing Vocational exploration services Academic support Leisure/recreational activities Family support groups Location 505 E. Columbus Avenue Springfield, MA  413-747-3700 (T) 413-747-3769 (F) ___________________________________________________________________________ The Carson Center at Valley Human Services Real Help Valley Human Services provides behavioral health and child care services for residents in Ware and Palmer and the many rural communities that surround us. Outpatient Services Valley Human Services provides individual, family and group psychotherapy for individuals of all ages. Our licensed therapists see clients at the clinic on South Street, in the Ware Public Schools and occasionally in their homes. We provide psychiatric assessments and prescribe medication for those who can benefit from this type of treatment. Community Based Flexible Support Services CBFS services are designed for adults with serious and persistent mental illness who are eligible clients of the Department of Mental Health. CBFS services are based on the values of: Recovery and resiliency Rehabilitation Person-centered care The primary goals of CBFS services are to facilitate and support each individual's maximal integration in the community and to increase clients'capacity for independent living and their recovery from mental illness. Referrals are made by the Department of Mental Health. Services are available to clients deemed eligible by DMH. School-Based Services Valley Human Services provides three therapists to the Ware Public Schools who are available to see children referred by their teachers, by their parents or by themselves for help. Therapists consult with teachers, attend team meetings, provide support to the entire school community in case of a crisis situation, and give special support to children who are in foster care placements. Therapeutic Foster Care Children and adolescents who need a temporary home are referred to us by the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Children and Families. Clients are placed in one of our licensed homes and are given a caseworker who will coordinate all of these clients services and work towards the goal of returning them home or making the transition to independent living. Our foster care families are highly trained and supported by the child's caseworker who meets with the entire family weekly and sees each child two to three times a week. Children who are in a foster placement receive individual weekly therapy, recreation therapy, family work when appropriate and access to an appropriate educational placement. Intensive Family Based Services Sometimes a little extra support helps to keep families from breaking apart. Families referred to our program receive individual and family therapy, parenting support, casework services and recreation therapy. Families are assigned a caseworker who coordinates all of the services available and acts as the family's advocate with schools, the courts, and provides transportation  for appointments and school meetings. Recreation Therapy Our Recreation Program is community-based, and strives to introduce children and adolescents to leisure time activities for life. Families are included in many activities and often accompany their children on trips to Boston, New York and the nature trails of Western Massachusetts. Activities offered to our clients range from sports such as swimming, biking, boating etc. to volunteer activities such as cooking dinner at the Springfield mission. Child Care Services Our four child care centers provide early education, and a school age program is a place for older children when they are not in school. Parents who are working or studying may be eligible for subsidies for their children's tuition. Kidstop Children's Center is located at the Storrs Youth Center on Pleasant Street in Ware and cares for infants and young children from birth through age three. This new facility is bright and spacious with equipment and materials designed for infants, toddlers and young preschool children. The center opens at 7:00am and children may stay until 5:30pm. Parents are encouraged to visit whenever possible and provisions are made for mothers who wish to breastfeed their infants. Kidstop Preschool Center is a pre-kindergarten program for those children who will be ready to attend kindergarten in the fall. The program is located in the early childhood wing at Ware High School where we share facilities with the public school's early learning classrooms. Kidstop opens at 7:00 am each day and children may stay until 5:30pm. With a staff ratio of one teacher to every eight children, individual activities can be designed around the interests and developmental level of each child. The program consists of early literacy, math and science, art, music, physical activity and periods of rest. Kidstop School Age Program located in SMK Elementary School in Ware, cares for children before school, after school and during all school vacations, including a full summer program. Children may arrive at school as early as 7:00am. They are given breakfast and participate in a variety of activities, including homework help, until school begins at 9:00am. At the end of the school day, children may reenter the program and remain until 5:30 pm. Children have the option of attending the morning session only, the afternoon session only or both sessions. The school age program is open year round and is in session during all school vacations, half days and snow days. During the summer the children attend a full day program which includes many field trips and daily excursions to the Ware swimming pool. Quaboag Children's Center is located in Palmer, MA and accepts children ages 2.9 until they are ready for Kindergarten. The center opens at 7:00 am and children may stay until 5:00 pm. Children participate in a  curriculum  customized to their individual and developmental needs. Early literacy, math, science, art, music, physical activity and periods of rest are combined to give each child a stimulating and happy day. Parents are encouraged to visit all of our centers at any time and may join their children for lunch or other activities. Main Location 96 South Street Ware, MA 413-967-6241 (T) 413-967-9807 (F) ___________________________________________________________________________ The Carson Center Psychiatry Program Real Help The Carson Center Psychiatry Program developed through a cooperative effort with the University of Massachusetts Memorial Health Care System, whose psychiatrists provide most of the staff for the program. The Carson Center Psychiatry Program provides medical oversight and consultation necessary for comprehensive mental health care. The Carson Center is also a training site for psychiatric residents from the University of Massachusetts. The Carson Center's psychiatrists are investigators for national clinical drug trials for new treatments for mental illness. The psychiatric team is actively involved in continuing education for Carson Center's non-medical staff. Location 77 Mill Street Westfield MA 413-568-6141 (T) 413-572-4117 (F) ___________________________________________________________________________ Community Service Agency for the Holyoke/Westfield Area Real Help The Carson Center for Human Services "Community Service Agency" (CSA) for the Holyoke/Westfield area opened for referrals on Monday, July 20. The CSA will offer Intensive Care Coordination and Family Support and Training to MassHealth youth with serious emotional disturbance (SED), under the age of 21, and enrolled in MassHealth Standard or CommonHealth who meet the medical necessity criteria for this service. Intensive Care Coordination (ICC) is a service that uses the Wraparound care planning process to coordinate multiple services and supports for youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED). Involvement and participation in ICC is voluntary. Wraparound is not a service but a process used to create, put in place, and monitor an individual plan that is created specifically to address the needs of a youth and builds on the strengths of the youth, family, team, and community. Wraparound puts the family at the center of the planning process and builds a team around the family's vision for their child's future. For more information or to make a referral, call: 888-877-6346 Location: 77 Mill Street Westfield, MA 01085 413-572-4111 (T) 413-572-4115 (F) Community Support Program for Adults The Community Support Program is a short term voluntary program which is managed by MassHealth to provide intensive case management services to individuals who are considered to be "at risk" within the community. This program offers a single point of contact for coordination and follow up on a consumers' individual care. The Community Support Providers (CSP)are mobile, flexible and support consumers in the community.   The goals of the Community Support Program are to provide individuals with the opportunity to:   Enhance the quality of their lives   Focus on their strengths   Introduce new daily living and coping tools   Achieve their individual life potential The objectives of the Community Support Program are to improve the individual's overall quality of life in the community by:     Reducing recidivism rates   Reducing psychotic episodes   Strengthening treatment participation   Ensuring that substance abuse issues are addresed in treatment   Addressing health complications   Decreasing suicidality/homicidality   Improve prenatal care for substance abusing women The Community Support Program has an open-referral program.  Initial intake and referral forms and appropriate release of information forms should be filled out completly before calling referral lines.  These forms and the referral phone numbers may be obtained through the CSP Coordinator or through the insurance provider.   The Community Support Network Service Area is:   Agawam   Blandford   Chester   Feeding Hills   Granville   Huntington   Montgomery   Russell   Southwick   Tolland   Westfield Springfield   Westfield   Woronoco   For Community Support Services contact: Community Support Team 413-572-4109       Internship Program An Internship in Professional Psychology is available at the Center for Adults and Families. The APA-Accredited Internship is half-time (20 hrs./ week) for two years (100 weeks) for a total of 2,000 hours. The stipend is $8,500 per year. A detailed description of the internship program and application requirements is available in the Employment section of the website. For additional information contact: David Arbeitman, Ph.D. Director of Internship in Professional Psychology Carson Center for Adults and Families 77 Mill Street Westfield, MA 01085 darbeitman@carsoncenter.org _______________________________________________________________________________ Kamp for Kids Created in 1975 through the efforts of families, therapists and concerned citizens, Kamp For KidsTM is dedicated to providing a summer recreational experience for children where everyone is served together, regardless of ability or "disability". Over the years, Kamp staff have found that the fears of disabled people are no different from the fears of non-disabled people. Serving communities throughout Western Massachusetts, Kamp for KidsTM offers children and young adults ages 3-22, with and without disabilities an opportunity to experience growth, inclusion and fun in a summer camp setting which includes the following: Swimming Expressive Arts Outdoor Education Arts & Crafts Non-Competitive Sports Funding: Massachusetts Departments of Developmental Services and Public Health; school systems; limited scholarships available through public sector grants. Transportation: Children from throughout the Pioneer Valley and the Hilltowns are transported by bus to and from Kamp each day. Hours: 9:00a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Location 754 Russell Road P.O. Box 219 Westfield, MA 01086-0219 PLUS Program The Carson Center for Human Services PLUS program is a paid internship experience for college students age 18 to 25, as well as high school students accepted to college, at Kamp for Kids in Westfield, MA. Various positions at the day camp for school age students with developmental disabilities and their typical peers are available. All positions require the ability to work well with diverse populations, good interpersonal and communication skills, reliable transportation with a good driving record, and no relevant CORI or SORI. The program runs Monday to Friday from mid June through August for 35 hours per week and is subject to funding. PLUS program goals: -To introduce students to Human Service as a possible career field -To provide additional support for people with developmental disabilities -To find summer employment in Human Service for college students -To provide each student with the opportunity to earn three paid college credits during the summer covering important and current information in the Human Service field -To build a work force that culturally reflects the communities served by the Department of Developmental Services PLUS program benefits and trainings: -Work outdoors in a fun setting -Networking and event opportunities -Human Rights, Safety, and Team Building -Interpersonal skills/professional conduct & expectations -Work experience in Human Service and with people with developmental disabilities and in a diverse atmosphere -Paid 3 credit college summer course with in Human Service at Holyoke Community College For more information or to apply for a position, please contact: Anne Benoit PLUS Coordinator (413) 562-5678 Ext 101 abenoit@carsoncenter.org Self-Advocacy Group The Self-Advocacy Program encourages individuals 18 years and older to take greater control of their lives, become more independent, and to identify and speak out about their needs, concerns and dreams. The meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month. They are organized and facilitated by the members. Members work to improve the quality of life for themselves and others in the community. Members also help each other to achieve personal goals and the goals of the group. The Self-Advocacy Group organizes and runs social, community, and fundraising activities. Members can also hold officer positions and be part of local and state wide committees or boards. Meetings are held at The Carson Center for Abilities Unlimited located at 754 Russell Road, Westfield, MA For more information, please call Anne Benoit at 413-562-5678, ext 101 or abenoit@carsoncenter.org