Taos Behavioral Health

Counseling for Adults, Children and Families

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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!

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?

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?