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New Jobs, New Excitement at the Residential Treatment Facility!

Mary Gray McPhailBy Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair

“When we take them out in the wilderness, I have seen them recognize their own strengths —  and see new possibilities for their life” stated Jacquie Arcand, one of four employees at Nonviolence Works with experience in Wilderness Therapy. Since the approval last week from the state Children, Youth and Families Department to move ahead with the plans to implement the Residential Treatment Center for adolescent boys — exciting planning is underway at NVW.

The new program will be housed in the building that was formerly the Juvenile Detention Facility and will present a new visionary model of treatment. Approximately half of the residents’ time will be spent indoors completing academic requirements coordinated with the Taos School District as well as group and individual counseling. A good portion of their days will also be spent outside where the power, beauty and challenge of the wilderness will be a healing partner. All four of the NVW clinicians trained in Wilderness Therapy have seen the power of this program to transform lives.  Both “hard skills” such as starting fires from scratch, cleaning up, taking care of camping equipment and “soft skills” such as communication, teamwork, leadership and expressing emotion will be taught.

Besides taking the residents out of their familiar environments for Wilderness Therapy, the staff will incorporate curriculum that has been developed by NVW — such as NAC, our Nonviolence Awareness Class.  Seven Challenges — a research validated curriculum for Substance Abuse Prevention — will be implemented as well as a stage model of growth developed by two of the interns at NVW.  The stage model is based on the Native American Medicine Wheel and uses the Four Directions to lead clients through learning and into a fresh start in life.

A further enrichment of the program will be coordination with Taos County to engage in Service Learning — participating in projects that give back to the community as well as earning academic credits.

Lieutenant Andrew Montoya of the County Detention Department and CEO Simon Torrez of NVW have been working with their staffs and county and state officials for eighteen months to realize this dream. Now the challenges of hiring, training and screening referrals will begin.

This new program will bring at least 15 new jobs to Taos, and applications are being accepted at Nonviolence Works at 575-758-4297 or www.nonviolenceworks.us. We are hiring clinicians and residential assistants (RAs) to fill out a 24-hour staffing pattern. Hiring will be done in November, training in December, and the first clients will arrive early in January.

Referred clients are expected to be in treatment for 90–120 days. Diagnoses will usually include dual-diagnoses (concurrent behavioral health and substance abuse problems). Clients referred must already be clean of active substance abuse; detox will not be provided at the center.

Transforming the Juvenile Detention Facility into a welcoming therapeutic environment will take creativity, construction, and donations from a caring community. We will be posting a list of the items needed to furnish the common space and clinicians’ offices, purchase food service and camping equipment and supplies for cleaning, first aid, etc. Donors may be interested in funding a particular need, such as linens for all rooms in the 18-bed facility. Stay tuned to our website and ads/articles in the Taos News.

The NVW staff believes that this program is creative and visionary — refining the model means that it can be shared with many other communities. We expect the clients to be challenged — to learn — but to also have fun.  We look forward to new hires and new partnerships.  Please join our excitement!

 

Nonviolence Works has the largest credential and licensed behavioral health staff in northern New Mexico. Reach us by calling 575-758-4297 or visiting the web site at www.nonviolenceworks.us

Mary McPhail Gray is the board chair of NVW and can be reached at 575-779-3126 or mcphailconsulting@gmail.com.

Three Former Tri-County Clinicians Join TBH

Mary Gray McPhailBy Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair

“We are honored that three clinicians from the Family Center, previously administered by TriCounty Community Services, have accepted our offer to join the clinical staff at Nonviolence Works” said Simon Torrez, CEO of Nonviolence Works.  “Their professionals skills and experience compliment our current staff and enable us to be more responsive to the community in these difficult times.”

In an interesting balance of life experiences and connections, the new hires include one native Taoseño — Ashley Branch — and two who are natives of Peru — Bruno Nora and Katia Torrelli-Delgado.  All three are all bilingual. [Read more…] about Three Former Tri-County Clinicians Join TBH

Nonviolence Works Welcomes Eric Mares!

Mary Gray McPhailBy Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair

“I really like to navigate journeys with my clients — we learn from each other,“ says Eric Mares, from his new seat as a Clinician/Program Director at Nonviolence Works.

Mares is a fifth generation Taoseño who knows this community well — he was educated here, and his family still lives here. He and his wife Danielle are both involved in human services and believe in giving back to help Taos come together for safety and health. [Read more…] about Nonviolence Works Welcomes Eric Mares!

TBH is here for Students and Families!

Mary Gray McPhailBy Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair

School begins — an exciting and challenging season of the year!  As August 10th arrived, students and parents were dealing with the annual change in schedules and activities from summer to an academic year.

For many students, the year-opening is stressful — new teachers, new fellow students — new expectations that are not all clear.  Nonviolence Works clinicians are stationed in schools across the district — ready to provide support through individual counseling appropriate to whatever issue a student might present and to provide group counseling around common themes.

The services of NVW are particularly critical at a time when a significant partner in behavioral health services — TriCounty Behavioral Health Services — is closing its doors on August 31 but moving to immediately transfer clients.  Family members who have relied on TriCounty services in Taos, Raton or Clayton may feel the stress of uncertainty about how their behavioral health and substance abuse treatment services will be met. [Read more…] about TBH is here for Students and Families!

Nonviolence Works: A Great Place to Work!

Mary Gray McPhailBy Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair

They come with differing experiences and skills, but all have an overriding commitment — to give back to the community.  And they bring fresh energy and ideas and questions to enhance our services at Nonviolence Works.

I want to introduce our three interns — Carolyn Wilson, Bryan Salazar and Andrew Chiaraluce.  As they complete their required clinical hours for social work or mental health counseling licenses under supervision by NVW staff, they bring us special new perspectives. [Read more…] about Nonviolence Works: A Great Place to Work!

Erasing the Miles for Counseling!

Mary Gray McPhailBy Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair

Living in the mountains of Northern New Mexico is special and beautiful, but not without its challenges.  It’s a long trip to town when something is needed.  Taos Emotional Health & Wellness (TEHW), a program of Nonviolence Works, recognized this as a barrier to mental health treatment for many folks in areas surrounding Taos.  To address this community need, TEHW has acquired the technology to provide online counseling services to our clients in Red River, Angel Fire, Costilla, Cerro, and pretty much any location in the State.

Rather than driving one to two hours each way for a one-hour therapeutic appointment, clients can meet with a counselor through their computer, tablet, or via video platform on a secure website.

Many people are familiar with tele-medicine first developed in the 1950s, which has been providing services to rural areas for many years. The video platform enables a patient/client to talk directly with a qualified professional and receive therapeutic services that are covered by their insurance carrier.

Karen House, our  clinical director, is already seeing clients with this service, and other NVW clinicians are in training.  We have appointments available immediately!  Individuals can call NVW at 575-758-4297 and speak directly with our receptionist, Alicia Romero, who can easily guide them through the intake process. Our website is also a great way to connect to our intake process: www.nonviolenceworks.us. However; Alicia is a master at making the job really customer-friendly.  Clients who are currently driving some distance for appointments can request to be transferred to the e-counseling program. [Read more…] about Erasing the Miles for Counseling!

TBH Welcomes Michael Pena

Mary Gray McPhailBy Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair

“The most inspiring event in my counseling with individuals or couples is when they start figuring things out for themselves—taking responsibility for their own actions” said Michael Pena, the newest clinician at Nonviolence Works.

Pena works with adults only and is available now for new clients presenting many different issues.

While Pena’s early years were spent in Texas, he moved to New Mexico 35 years ago. Pena was ninth in a family of ten children—an experience that may have helped him as a single dad raising three children of his own. He started a commercial cleaning business in Ruidoso and put them all through college. When Pena began to feel that he wanted to be involved in actually helping others achieve their life goals, he went to Highlands University to become a licensed social worker.  His youngest son took over the cleaning business and has expanded it dramatically.

Michael Pena

“I am proud of my kids—they are all doing well,” said Pena.  He also enjoys his seven grandchildren.

Pena became a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor  (LADAC) in 2003 and in 2006 completed his master’s.  He has worked in a variety of mental health settings and reports that one of the gifts he received has been supervision from outstanding clinicians.  Prior to coming to NVW, Pena worked for a year at TriCounty Mental Health Center.

[Read more…] about TBH Welcomes Michael Pena

We’ve Moved! New Location—New Programs

Mary Gray McPhailBy Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair

Nonviolence Works has just completed a move to a new location at 105 Bertha Suite B — across from the US Postal Center and behind Toribio’s restaurant.  We find the new space very uplifting — great colors and art — plenty of places for people to visit and work together. Our phone number is still the same (575-758-4297), and our website (www.nonviolenceworks.us) and Facebook page give you all the current programs news.

We are excited to begin our annual summer Therapeutic Camp (Familia y Mundo) with 45 enrollees and a great program of art, crafts, physical skill building, swimming, individual and group therapy, and community service activities. We offer this program to the community through the ongoing partnership with Ranchos Elementary School.

Our search continues to locate an appropriate environment for a residential treatment center for adolescent males — we will keep the community informed about those plans and our needs.

We have initiated a new Gabler Battle Back Program for veterans with unique strengths in our staff, board and our commitments to this population. The title refers to our belief that we must in good conscience help those who have sacrificed for our freedom — to be supported in their battle back to get all the way home.

There are 6,000 veterans in northern New Mexico and approximately 40% of them are in need of some form of mental health support.  In addition, far too many of the homeless in our country are from the ranks of veterans.  We see them at the roadside in our village — struggling. [Read more…] about We’ve Moved! New Location—New Programs

Nonviolence Works Welcomes Linda Sanders

Mary Gray McPhailBy Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair

When Linda Sanders walked into her therapy room at Nonviolence Works, she felt as if she was coming home—again and again!  Sanders was raised in Texas, and for her entire childhood her family spent most of their vacations in New Mexico—and Taos was the favorite place.  She loved the environment and the rich cultural traditions, and at a critical point she and her husband were determined to live here.

Sanders has had an outstanding career as a licensed clinical social worker in Texas—including ten years working with veterans and fifteen years working with adults in other critical decision-making processes.  She served for five years as a mitigation specialist completing comprehensive biopsychosocial investigations of clients referred in capital murder cases. For ten years she was the clinical director of a 100-year-old private adoption agency and for eight years was the clinical director in a family social service agency.

Linda Sanders

Linda Sanders

Sanders has often been an administrator.  The VA Medical Center in Dallas is the second largest in the country and as the Assistant Associate Chief Social Worker Sanders supervised a staff of 170.  In her first VA position she was the Suicide Prevention Coordinator at a time when Veteran’s Affairs was just beginning to recognize the need for identification, assessment and treatment of veterans at high risk for suicide.  She developed community partnerships to coordinate services and was part of a national team that developed an award-winning process to manage suicidal calls coming into all VA call centers. [Read more…] about Nonviolence Works Welcomes Linda Sanders

The Loud Voices of our Youth!

Mary Gray McPhailBy Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair

“School should not be a place where we are discussing where we should duck and cover!” stated a youth speaker at the “Never Again” youth-led demonstration on the Plaza on Friday April 20th.

Another speaker declared, “We need to reconnect in our community and look hard at the narrative we are repeating.  Nineteen years ago the Columbine murders occurred, and we are still just talking about it!”

During the two months of the Art of Nonviolence Exhibit at the TCA, visitors were asked to respond in writing to the question “What is the path to nonviolence?”  Out of the 173 responses, the most passionate involved gun regulations and bullying.  On both of these topics, they asked for adult partnerships to change some things. [Read more…] about The Loud Voices of our Youth!