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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.

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!

A Year of Success!

Mary Gray McPhailBy Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair

Nonviolence Works faced challenges, opportunities and success in 2017.  We want to reach out to Taosenos and celebrate our success!  This year our CEO Simon Torrez and our Lead Clinician Sadie Quintanilla have led the staff through successful changes with enhanced clinical expertise, larger staff, stronger programs, and exciting new plans for additional services.

We welcomed three new clinicians, and all our clinicians enhanced and focused their therapeutic skills. You may not know that we have an expert in infant mental health, several clinicians who respond with skill in crisis situations, a clinician who is skilled in vocational rehabilitation, and several who regularly intervene to prevent suicides.  Our clinicians all have master’s degrees and are able to deal with grief and loss, trauma, anger management, and custody and foster child issues. [Read more…] about A Year of Success!

Hope

Mary Gray McPhailBy Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair

So we have turned into 2018—and the gatherings of family and friends were marked by reflections on the year 2017 and hopes for the New Year.

Some of us made resolutions, others made promises to each other to stay more in touch or start some new journeys—take some new risks.  Alfred Tennyson wrote, “Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come whispering ‘it will be happier.’”

And don’t we all wish it so?  Whether reflecting on relationships or finances or losses or fears and challenges, we want to feel some sense of hope that the differences will be positive.  And we often ask each other to name their hopes for the New Year—as if they then might become real. [Read more…] about Hope

You Did What We Asked—Now We Are Here for You

Mary Gray McPhailBy Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair

In the four northern New Mexico counties (Taos, Colfax, Mora and Union) 6,525 veterans have just been informed (or perhaps may not even know!) that all services for therapeutic counseling or social services through the Department of Veterans Administration are not available until further notice.

All appointments are canceled for through Nov 15, or longer, until new social worker has been licensed and credentialed and arrives in Taos.  The closest services are in Albuquerque.

This is a refutation of our promise to them—who risked their lives in service to this country when we asked.

Nonviolence Works has always listened to the community and created programs to fill needs identified by community agencies, leaders and individuals. We do not believe it is moral or ethical or compassionate to leave these veterans out in the cold.  We are here for them—and want to hear from veterans themselves or the caring people in their circle who recognize the need for support. [Read more…] about You Did What We Asked—Now We Are Here for You

Why a Residential Treatment Center?

Mary Gray McPhailBy Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair

Taos County personnel were delighted to recently receive approval from the New Mexico Children Youth and Family Agency to move forward on creating a Taos County Residential Treatment Center for Adolescents!

In all of New Mexico, there are only 90 beds for adolescents in residential treatment centers—and there are more than 300 youth on waiting lists.

It has been 10 years since there was an RTC in northern New Mexico.  It is time to reach out to our youth and families and provide needed services.  Since the 1920’s when the first youth and family residential treatment centers changed from a punitive control model to models of treatment to facilitate change, research has been slowly accumulating about what successful treatment requires. [Read more…] about Why a Residential Treatment Center?

Why Invest in our Youth?

Mary Gray McPhailBy Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair

It seems a naïve question—with a common, quick response:  “Because they are our future.”

But every elected official, every social agency professional, every teacher and parent know that we are not really committed to supporting our youth—at least not in the sense that we understand they form the foundation of our future.

If the budget of an organization’s mission statement is stated in dollars, then the vetoes and unsuccessful legislative efforts from our state government represent their priorities—and youth are not at the top of the list!

Every cut or lowered funding to health care, child care, social services, and education reflect a lack of investment in youth—and thus in our future. [Read more…] about Why Invest in our Youth?

But Where Can They Go?

Mary Gray McPhailBy Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair

“He really needs to be in a Residential Treatment Center (RTC) for intensive support,” stated the clinician.  “But where can we get him accepted?”

This conversation has happened 12 times over the past year about youth clients that Nonviolence Works is serving.   And only 2 were accepted into an RTC—with discouraging results.

One of the reasons for poor outcomes is that the youth who are referred are in need of intensive support, and this includes family therapy.  With no RTC closer than Albuquerque—and only three in the state of New Mexico—the needs are great, the waiting lists are long, and the barriers to family involvement are huge.

As heavy narcotics availability has increased in Northern New Mexico, so has their use by our youth. With the youth Drug Court Program being dissolved for lack of funding, Taos has no programming for substance abuse cases that involve our youth. A number of youth seen at NVW have Dual Diagnosis (which means that they have substance abuse mixed with another disorder). Conduct Disorders and Oppositional Defiant Disorders are also frequently seen. [Read more…] about But Where Can They Go?