PRESENTATION
Michal Klau-Stevens
Community Health Resources'
Multidimensional Family Therapy Program
Natasha Hams introduced Michal Klau-Stevens. She has a background as a volunteer leader of a national grassroots advocacy organization focused on maternity care improvement. To advance her ability to create social change, she returned to graduate school, attending a dual degree program at UCONN. She completed a Masters in Social Work in 2018 and a Masters in Public Health in 2019. She is currently working towards her clinical social license, and is an Outreach Therapist at Community Health Resources providing in-home/telehealth services to adolescents with substance use and mental health disorders and their families through the Multidimensional Family Therapy program.
After observing that 7:30 in the morning was way to early for her most days, Michal gave an interesting talk about CHR - Community Health Resources.
CHR has many locations. It is mainly focused on the eastern part of the state. It offers a wide array of evidence based programs to deal with mental health, addiction, and trauma. It employs approximately 800 professionals, including therapists, psychiatrists, and case managers who work with approximately 27,000 people each year. Referrals come from many sources, including doctors, parents, the Department of Children and Families, and emergency room personnel. CHR accepts virtually all forms of insurance for full or partial payment for services. Grants help fill the gap between insurance and costs.
MDFT is the main treatment method at CHR. It focuses on youth from nine to eighteen years of age and works to improve the family system. Generally CHR works with a famil for four to six months. They are make presentations in schools teaching skills to teens. MDFT is a protocol which has been used for 30 years and has been studied extensively. It focuses on the present situation without trying to determine past causes. It has been found to reduce behavioral problems with teens and with other members of the family.
A therapist works with the young person and possibly a parent one hour per week. CHR tries to be in touch with every area of a kid's life. The intent is to work with a situation that may feel hopeless and give hope by showing how to solve problesms, both for the youth and his or her parents. This can reduce stress in the family and improve performance in school.
There are a number of ways to support CHR and its work. A significant need is for men of color to act as mentors to young people growing up in single parent homes. Michal also described other needs. The Manchester office of CHR is the best place to make donations of various sorts.
An important need for all programs which try to work with the mental health of clients is for society to reduce the stigma or acknowledging mental health and addiction issues. Then families and individuals would be more likely to seek and accept the help they need to address these issues.
