Skyland Trail Celebrates Mental Health Month with Arts in the Garden

Celebrating Mental Health Month with Arts in the Garden

On May 1, 2015, more than 800 individuals filled the gardens at Skyland Trail for the 15th annual Arts in the Garden to kick off Mental Health Month and celebrate the strengths and talents of individuals living with a mental illness. Skyland Trail hosts the event annually, and many other organizations in Atlanta’s mental health services community participate. This year we were honored to have Georgia First Lady Sandra Deal visit as well.

Throughout the day, guests enjoyed a wide range of visual arts on display and for sale as well as live performances – all from individuals living with mental illness. An Artist Market with 45 participating local vendors sold unique arts and crafts including fine art paintings and drawings, jewelry, ceramics, hand-dyed scarfs, hand-crafted candles, natural soaps, and homemade jams. The main stage was filled with live music and spoken word performances from the mental health community, including the Skyland Trail Alumni Band, Youth Villages – Inner Harbour Drummers, and the Community Friendship Inc. Choir. Throughout the day, guests also enjoyed an art gallery, art demonstrations like yarn spinning and a pottery wheel, and a plant sale in the greenhouse.

The day included four-legged friends as well. Happy Tails Pet Therapy brought pet therapy animals to Arts in the Garden – dogs and bunnies. Wandering through the Skyland Trail gardens, guests also encountered a therapy pony, tropical birds, and a petting zoo.

Proceeds from the event benefit the artists who are living and thriving with a mental illness, including bipolar illness, major depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders.  Arts in the Garden is a project of the unique adjunctive therapies program at Skyland Trail, which includes horticultural, process art, product art, music, and recreational therapy. Led by caring professionals who are experts in their fields, adjunctive group sessions help clients find new ways to express their thoughts and emotions, learn new skills, build confidence, and interact with their peers and the community.

NATSAP Shines the Spotlight on Auldern Academy

Auldern Academy is a therapeutic boarding school offering an excellent academic curriculum and outstanding clinical program in a warm, nurturing environment.  Young women who succeed at Auldern are academically capable students who most likely have completed some prior therapeutic or wilderness program and bring with them an awareness of, and willingness to continue to address personal issues.  Our goal is to prepare young women academically, emotionally, and socially for the challenges of the coming college years.

Auldern Academy offers a fully accredited, college preparatory 9th – 12th grade curriculum. Our small class sizes allow students to benefit from a high level of teacher interaction and support to help them reach their full academic potential.  Our dedicated faculty members are skilled at working with students who have been diagnosed with ADHD, low working memory and processing speed, executive functioning difficulties, and other learning disabilities.

Led by Master’s level clinicians, Auldern Academy’s Clinical Services Program is built upon a gender specific, evidence based curriculum designed specifically to help young women in their quest for confidence, emotional health, and relational healing.  Our clinicians are skilled in the areas of CBT, DBT, art therapy, and expressive art therapy – allowing students to benefit from an array of therapeutic methodologies.  Students receive weekly individual and group therapy, and participate in multiple experiential workshops.  In addition to monthly family therapy sessions with Auldern clinicians, families also benefit from access to Certified Parent Coaches and on-campus Parent Education Workshops.

Auldern’s Student Life department strives to create a nurturing and caring community, filled with activities, camaraderie, and fun.  Evening enrichment classes include yoga, horseback riding, guitar, photography, and fitness opportunities.

Our newly developed College EDGE program offers Auldern graduates an opportunity to enhance their independent living skills through attending community college, maintaining a part-time job, and living in one of our on-campus apartments.  Students learn to balance the demands of young adulthood while continuing to have the support of Auldern staff during this critical transitional period.

http://www.auldern.com/

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NATSAP is proud to shine the spotlight on our wonderful member programs. If you would like to participate, please e-mail megan@natsap.org with your program description.

May 22nd is the deadline for pre-registering for the Utah Conference.

The Utah Regional Conference is Friday, June 5, 2015

at the Heritage School located in Provo, Utah and we look forward to seeing you there!

REGISTER NOW!

The Pre-registration cutoff is this Friday, May 22, 2015. Click here to register

You will have the opportunity to register onsite at the Conference, however you must pay a higher registration fee.  Following are the registration rates:

Registrant Type	Before  Conference	At Conference
NATSAP Member	$80.00	$105.00
Non-NATSAP Member	$95.00	$120.00

Exhibitor & Sponsorship Opportunities Available!

Are you interested in participating as a conference sponsor or exhibitor for the Utah Regional Conference?

Click here for information about participating as an exhibitor.  Click here for information about participating as sponsor.

Following is the tentative Conference Agenda

Friday, June 5, 2015

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM	Breakfast & Registration
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM	Welcome & NATSAP Update Brent Hall, Discovery Academy Melissa Lawson and Megan Stokes, NATSAP
9:30 AM – 10:45 AM	Keynote Presentation Using Mindfulness to Thrive in a Hectic World Presented by: Donald Altman, MA, LPC, Portland State University Description: Learn about the 4 core mindfulness practices for overcoming the negative effects of stress on mood and the body’s immune system. This workshop will examine key research on how mindfulness has been proven to be helpful for learning in the school setting, as well as beneficial for teachers and staff. Explore how in minutes a day it is possible to cultivate a greater sense of brain balance, peace, calm, clarity,and constructive distance from emotional reactivity.
10:45 AM – 11:00 AM	Break
11:00 AM – 12:15 PM	General Topic Breakout Sessions A Session 1 – Situational Leadership for Residential Departments Presented by: Matt Quackenbush and Adam Broud, Telos RTC Session 2 – Teaching DBT Through Media Presented by: Melissa Hartman, LCSW, MSW & Chris Taggart, MSW, CSW, Sunrise RTC Session 3 – Part 1: Wars Are Won in the General’s Tent: Creating Residential Friendly Treatment Plans Presented by: Nathan Sellers, LCSW and Cameron Armstrong, LCSW, Telos RTC
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM	Lunch & Excellence in Service Awards
1:15 PM- 2:30 PM	General Topic Breakout Sessions B Session 1 – Digital Immigrants & Digital Natives: A Multicultural Approach to Teens and Technology in Therapy Presented by: Malissa Morrell, LMFT, ATR-BC, La Europa Academy Session 2 – Dangers of the Good Hair Therapist Presented by: Greg Burnham, MS, LMFT, WinGate Wilderness Therapy and Tony Mosier, MS, LMFT, Telos RTC Session 3 – What’s New in Licensing? Presented by: Diane Moore, DHS Office of Licensing Session 4 – Part 2: The Mid-Treatment Doldrums: Putting the Wind Back in the Sails Presented by: Nathan Sellers, LCSW and Cameron Armstrong, LCSW, Telos RTC
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM	Afternoon Break
3:00 PM – 4:15 PM	General Topic Breakout Sessions C Session 1 – Do You “Like” Me: Social Media Use, Body Image and Eating Disorders Presented by: Nicole Hawkins, Ph.D., CEDS, Center For Change Session 2 – Sensory Interventions in Adolescent Residential Treatment Presented by: George Ballew, LCSW, Heritage School and Stormy Hill, M.D., MOTR/L, Busy Bee Therapy Services Session 3 – Driving Enthusiasm Through the Ranks: How to Avoid or Recover from Institutional Drift Presented by: John Stewart, LCSW, New Haven RTC Session 4 – Viewing Addiction Through the Lens of Attachment Presented by: Nikki Preece, LCSW, Fulshear Treatment to Transition
1:15 PM – 4:15 PM	Specialized Academic Track 1:15 PM – 2:30 PM Providing for the Needs of Diverse Learners in the RTC Setting Presented by: Megan McCormick, Ph.D., N.C.S.P., Psychological Solutions 3:00 PM – 4:15 PM Enabling vs. Accommodating: Helping All Students Reach Their Potential Presented by: Erin Smith, M.Ed., Spring Ridge Academy The Blended Classroom: Effective Strategies and Tools for Technology in Residential Treatment Presented by: Alicia Walters, New Haven RTC Specialized Medical Track          Note: Continuing Ed hours are not available for these sessions. 1:15 PM – 1:50 PM Balancing Medical, Psychiatric and Therapeutic Models (Heritage School) 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM How to Effectively Deal with Somatic Complaints (Sunrise RTC) 2:40 PM – 3:10 PM Medical Collaboration in an RTC (Alpine Academy) 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM Teaching Effective Sex Ed to Teens (New Haven RTC) 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM – Open Discussion: Ideas to Improve Case Management Skills as an RTC nurse.
4:15 PM	Conference ends

Continuing Education Information

Continuing education credit for NATSAP’s  2015 Utah Regional Conference is co-sponsored by the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs and the Institute for Continuing Education.  The program offers a total of 7.00 contact hours.  Continuing education credit is awarded on a session-by-session basis, with full attendance required for the sessions attended.  There is no additional fee to receive CE credit.  CE applications will be available on site.

Exhibitors & Sponsors

Special thanks to our conferences exhibitors and sponsors. 

Aspiro Group (Exhibitor)

BestNotes (Exhibitor)

Adoptive Families Coalition (Exhibitor)

Evoke Therapy Programs (Exhibitor)

GroupRx (Exhibitor)

Tucson Transitional Living (Exhibitor)

WayPoint Academy (Sponsor)

Youth Care (Sponsor)

Conference Location

The Heritage School

5600 N. Heritage School Drive

Provo, UT 84604

Conference Hotel

Courtyard Provo

1600 N Freedom (200 W) Boulevard

Provo, UT 84604

Phone: 801-373-2222

NATSAP Shines the Spotlight on Sedona Sky Academy

Every detail of our family owned therapeutic boarding school, also licensed as a residential treatment center, is designed with the unique needs and the goal of empowerment for girls age 13-17 in mind. From the sensitivity of our individual therapy and group process to the bonds we nurture between girls and horses in our nationally renowned Horsemanship Program to our intensive family workshops, we work to promote lasting change and healthy stable transitions.  Sedona Sky Academy has a specialized and talented team of clinicians.  We are uniquely designed, at a ratio of 1:8, to serve girls struggling with: substance abuse, trauma, attachment issues, adoption, learning differences, body image issues, mood disorders, underachievement and impulsivity.  Our team has successfully reunited 1500 daughters with their families.

Our lush campus in the Verde Valley of central Arizona creates an ideal setting for exercise, play and reflection. A lazy creek runs alongside our western border and leads to three southern colonial-style mansions, a full-size soccer field and track, and a pasture which houses a herd of horses. Students live in three comfortable, home-like dorms that are named after the trees that line our campus – Juniper, Willow and Sycamore – each with its own library and team of residential and clinical staff.

Sedona Sky students benefit from a well-respected college preparatory academic program known for above national average testing scores and 100% college placement.  Students have access to secure computer labs, libraries and specialized Learning Support.

Students as Sedona Sky Academy receive a multitude of off campus experiences including sports, hiking, and travel such as trips to Washington D.C. Presidential Classroom, Shakespeare Festival in Utah, and service missions in Los Angeles. Upcoming trips include camping trips in the Utah, horseback riding in the Grand Canyon and numerous community service opportunities.

http://www.sedonasky.org/

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NATSAP is proud to shine the spotlight on our wonderful member programs. If you would like to participate, please e-mail megan@natsap.org with your program description.

Membership Renewal!

It’s that time of year again! Membership renewal is ramping up, please check your e-mail (including your spam folder) for your membership renewal letter. If you are planning to pay by check, the pdf link is embedded in the e-mail and must be filled out and sent to the NATSAP home office. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail info@natsap.org or call (301) 986-8770.

Birdseye RTC’s message regarding the recent fire

BIRDSEYE RTC: “Early Tuesday morning, May 12, 2015, we received a call that our vacant building 2 miles north of the RTC was on fire, and it quickly became a total loss. We are saddened by the loss of the building – one that we had remodeled and planned on expanding into within 2 weeks. Mostly, however, we are profoundly grateful that the building was unoccupied, and at no time were any of our residents or staff in any danger.

We wanted to ensure that everyone knew that the RTC was never in harm’s way. Because of the proximity, and the similar names, sometimes Birdseye RTC is confused with the Birdseye Boys Ranch – an older, closed program that used to occupy the building that burned down. Several news stations have reported on this fire as being the Birdseye Boys Ranch, and we wanted to clarify the situation. We hope this information helps to calm any fears or concerns as to the safety of our residents and staff.

We will continue to move forward with the good work of the RTC, and plan the next steps for the property we just lost in our efforts to expand the program.”

http://birdseyertc.com/

Join us at the NATSAP Northwest Regional Conference!

NATSAP Northwest Regional Conference

June 25 – 26, 2015

This year the Northwest Regional Conference will be held again in the international mecca for outdoor enthusiasts, Bend, Oregon.  Collaboration is the theme of this year’s Conference, and we hope you’ll join us for networking activities on Thursday, June 25th and our Conference on Friday, June 26th!

Exhibitor & Sponsorship Opportunities Available!

Are you interested in participating as a conference sponsor or exhibitor for the Northwest Regional Conference?

Click here for information about participating as an exhibitor.  Click here for information about participating as sponsor.

Continuing Education Information

Continuing education credit for NATSAP’s  2015 Northwest Conference is co-sponsored by the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs and the Institute for Continuing Education.  The program offers a total of 4.00 contact hours.  Continuing education credit is awarded on a session-by-session basis, with full attendance required for the sessions attended.  There is no additional fee to receive CE credit.  CE applications will be available on site.

Program Schedule

Thursday,  June 25, 2015

4:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Registration, Pre- Conference Activities and Welcome Reception Location: Tumalo Creek, Kayak & Canoe805 SW Industrial Way, Suite 6Bend, Oregon   97702

Friday,  June 26, 2015

Location: Hilton Inn & Suites425 SW Bluff Drive, Bend Oregon 97702

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM	Registration and Breakfast
9:00 AM – 9:20 AM	Welcome & NATSAP Update NW Regional NATSAP Co-Chairs: Sarah Casson Rush, CPC, Cascade Crest Transitions & Sabrina Marie Hadeed, LPC, NCC, ACS,  Evoke Wilderness Lucy Stanley, NATSAP
9:20 AM – 10:20 AM	Session A1 – Mindfullness: Reconnecting the Mind, Body and Soul. Presented by: Jillian Broeckert LACMHC, Red Cliff Ascent Morgan Robak, CSW, Red Cliff Ascent Session A2 – Collaboration Among Therapeutic Programs, Participants and Families, Consultants, and Referring Clinicians and Educators.   Presented by: Cynthia Cohen, MSPH, and Adam Cohen, Pathway Partners
10:20 AM – 10:30 AM	Session B1 – Hiding Behind Judgment Presented by: Peter Allen, MS, NCC, Evoke Therapy Programs at Cascades and Patrick Devlin, MSW, CSWA, CADCII, Dragonfly Transitions. Session B2 – Learning ‘How’ To Think Rather Than: ‘What’ To Think- Pathways to Effective Collaboration Presented by: PJ Swan, LPC, CACDI, New Leaf Academy and Cathryn Perkins, LPC, New Leaf Academy
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM	Session C1 – Collaboration in the name of Grief and Loss Presented by: Darlene Gertsch,Good Grief Guidance. Session C2 – Synchronicity: Passing the Baton through Therapeutic Collaboration and Transition. Presented by: Steve Sawyer, LCSW, CSAC, New Visions Wilderness and Rob Gent, MA LPC, at CALO
2:00 PM – 2:10 PM	Afternoon Break
2:10 PM – 3:10 PM	Session D1 – Navigating the Challenges in Pursuit of Resilience. Presented by: Sean Roberts, MS LPC NCC Session D2 – Zen and the Art of Recovery Presented by: Josh White Sensei, MA, LCMHC, CGP, Red Mountain Recovery
3:10 PM	Afternoon Break
3:20 PM	Closing Remarks/Conference Ends

NATSAP Shines the Spotlight on Optimum Performance Institute

For more than 10 years, parents, programs, and clinicians world-wide have turned to JCAHO-accredited Optimum Performance Institute to provide the clinically sophisticated intervention young adults often need when faced with difficulties transitioning to adulthood.

With the goal of “turning hopelessness into happiness,” OPI provides residential and intensive outpatient day treatment programs to young men and women ages 17-28 who present with a variety of mental health diagnoses ranging from Asperger’s Syndrome, bipolar disorder, PTSD  and OCD to learning disabilities.

Borderline Personality Disorder, borderline traits, and co-occurring disorders such as depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, mood disorders/anxiety and PTSD are addressed in OPI’s breakthrough Roanne Program, the only residential treatment center in the United States serving both young women and men diagnosed with BPD. It is the only program specializing in BPD named Best in Treatment by Psychology Today Magazine.

In addition to therapeutic interventions such as DBT, CBT, and individual and group therapy, GeneSight genetic testing is offered. When pharmacological treatment is recommended, this painless, cotton swab to the inner cheek test allows OPI psychiatrists to quickly and accurately identify, on a very individualized level, which medications will likely have the most benefits and least side effects.

OPI is the first transformational program of its kind to recognize and address the relationship that exists between diagnosis and a ‘failure to launch,’ when young adults are held back from progressing to the next stage of development, including difficulty transitioning to college, leaving home, or being self-sufficient.

OPI is accredited as a residential treatment center. It’s comprehensive, highly therapeutic programs have proven effective treating the most debilitating of diagnoses.  Individualized treatment plans take into account the young adult’s interests so that the goal of building a life worth living can be established and built upon long after discharge. Call (888) 558-0617. http://www.optimumperformanceinstitute.com/

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NATSAP is proud to shine the spotlight on our wonderful member programs. If you would like to participate, please e-mail megan@natsap.org with your program description.

The NATSAP Utah Regional Conference is just around the corner!

The Utah Regional Conference is Friday, June 5, 2015

at the Heritage School located in Provo, Utah and we look forward to seeing you there!

REGISTER NOW!

The early bird registration deadline is today, May 11, 2015. Click here to register

Exhibitor & Sponsorship Opportunities Available!

Are you interested in participating as a conference sponsor or exhibitor for the Utah Regional Conference?

Click here for information about participating as an exhibitor.  Click here for information about participating as sponsor.

Following is the tentative Conference Agenda

Friday, June 5, 2015

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM	Breakfast & Registration
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM	Welcome & NATSAP Update Brent Hall, Discovery Academy Melissa Lawson and Megan Stokes, NATSAP
9:30 AM – 10:45 AM	Keynote Presentation Using Mindfulness to Thrive in a Hectic World Presented by: Donald Altman, MA, LPC, Portland State University Description: Learn about the 4 core mindfulness practices for overcoming the negative effects of stress on mood and the body’s immune system. This workshop will examine key research on how mindfulness has been proven to be helpful for learning in the school setting, as well as beneficial for teachers and staff. Explore how in minutes a day it is possible to cultivate a greater sense of brain balance, peace, calm, clarity,and constructive distance from emotional reactivity.
10:45 AM – 11:00 AM	Break
11:00 AM – 12:15 PM	Breakout Sessions A Session 1 – Situational Leadership for Residential Departments Presented by: Matt Quackenbush and Adam Broud, Telos RTC Session 2 – Teaching DBT Through Media Presented by: Melissa Hartman, LCSW, MSW & Chris Taggart, MSW, CSW, Sunrise RTC Session 3 – Part 1: Wars Are Won in the General’s Tent: Creating Residential Friendly Treatment Plans Presented by: Nathan Sellers, LCSW and Cameron Armstrong, LCSW, Telos RTC
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM	Lunch & Excellence in Service Awards
1:15 PM- 4:15 AM	Academic Track 1:15 PM – 2:30 PM Providing for the Needs of Diverse Learners in the RTC Setting Presented by: Megan McCormick, Ph.D., N.C.S.P., Psychological Solutions 3:00 PM – 4:15 PM Enabling vs. Accommodating: Helping All Students Reach Their Potential Presented by: Erin Smith, M.Ed., Spring Ridge Academy The Blended Classroom: Effective Strategies and Tools for Technology in Residential Treatment Presented by: Alicia Walters, New Haven RTC
1:15 PM – 2:30 PM	Breakout Sessions B Session 1 – Digital Immigrants & Digital Natives: A Multicultural Approach to Teens and Technology in Therapy Presented by: Malissa Morrell, LMFT, ATR-BC, La Europa Academy Session 2 – Dangers of the Good Hair Therapist Presented by: Greg Burnham, MS, LMFT, WinGate Wilderness Therapy and Tony Mosier, MS, LMFT, Telos RTC Session 3 – What’s New in Licensing? Presented by: Diane Moore, DHS Office of Licensing Session 4 – Part 2: The Mid-Treatment Doldrums: Putting the Wind Back in the Sails Presented by: Nathan Sellers, LCSW and Cameron Armstrong, LCSW, Telos RTC
2:15 PM – 3:00 PM	Afternoon Break
3:00 PM – 4:15 PM	Breakout Sessions C Session 1 – Do You “Like” Me: Social Media Use, Body Image and Eating Disorders Presented by: Nicole Hawkins, Ph.D., CEDS, Center For Change Session 2 – Sensory Interventions in Adolescent Residential Treatment Presented by: George Ballew, LCSW, Heritage School and Stormy Hill, M.D., MOTR/L, Busy Bee Therapy Services Session 3 – Driving Enthusiasm Through the Ranks: How to Avoid or Recover from Institutional Drift Presented by: John Stewart, LCSW, New Haven RTC Session 4 – Viewing Addiction Through the Lens of Attachment Presented by: Nikki Preece, LCSW, Fulshear Treatment to Transition
4:15 PM	Conference ends

Exhibitors & Sponsors

Special thanks to our conferences exhibitors and sponsors. 

Adoptive Families Coalition (Exhibitor)

BestNotes (Exhibitor)

Evoke Therapy Programs (Exhibitor)

GroupRx (Exhibitor)

WayPoint Academy (Sponsor)

Conference Location

The Heritage School

5600 N. Heritage School Drive

Provo, UT 84604

Conference Hotel

Courtyard Provo

1600 N Freedom (200 W) Boulevard

Provo, UT 84604

Phone: 801-373-2222

NATSAP is Shining the Spotlight on Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch

Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) is a fully accredited, comprehensive therapeutic residential treatment center providing around-the-clock, trauma informed care for youth with emotional and behavioral challenges since 1957.

YBGR is located in Billings, Montana on a 400 acre campus.  We serve boys ages 10-18 and girls ages 12-18 from across the nation who are struggling with serious emotional and behavioral challenges that may include anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, limited social skills, and self-harm tendencies.  There is a specialty, high functioning Autism Spectrum lodge on campus that serves boys ages 10-15.  Therapeutic and psychological services are provided under the direction of board certified psychiatrists, licensed mental health providers, and clinical psychologists.

During their time at Yellowstone, clients receive individual, family, group, recreation, and animal assisted therapies.  Also available are chemical dependency services and spiritual care.  Other campus highlights include: Community Service Opportunities, an Equestrian Center, Vocational Programs, and Life Skills Training.

Our academic services are provided on campus at our accredited K-12 school (Yellowstone Academy) that offers IEP (Individualized Education Plan) supported placements throughout the country.  Yellowstone Academy provides regular education, special education, vocational programming, Title programs, and Section 504 services.

Yellowstone is a preferred Blue Cross Blue Shield provider and accepts private insurance, mental health and educational placements, private pay, and Medicaid.  Please contact us and we can determine if you have psychiatric inpatient/residential insurance benefits.

Since 1957, Yellowstone has been committed to providing the highest quality of therapeutic and educational care to families and children.  You will have a hard time finding more dedicated and loving professionals anywhere else in the industry.  Call us today to discover life, hope, and opportunity for your child at 1-800-726-6755.

http://www.ybgr.org/