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Mountain Valley to be Featured on Channel One News

We welcomed Channel One News anchors Azia Celestino and Keith Kocinski to our Plainfield Campus last week to interview one of our therapists, Sarah Hazelton, and a current resident. The week prior, Azia and Keith traveled to UNC – Chapel Hill to interview one of our former residents. Channel One News was founded in 1989, originally piloting in just four high schools. Today, Channel One News is a Peabody and Telly award-winning program, broadcast daily to approximately five million young people in upper elementary schools, middle schools and high schools across the country – and former anchors include Anderson Cooper, Tracy Smith (The Saturday Early Show) and Maria Menounos.

Having read the October 15, 2017 New York Times Magazine article featuring Mountain Valley, Channel One News asked MVTC to be a part of an upcoming series about the importance of Failure – why we fear it, successful individuals who have failed miserably, and why we need to embrace opportunities where we may fail. Since many of their shows covers stories about teens who cope with adversity such as bullying, stress, mental health and other challenges, it made sense for them to highlight the work being done at Mountain Valley.

The series will air during the 2018-2019 school year, and will be available for viewing on the Channel One News website. Stay tuned for viewing details!

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Harvard’s Graduate School of Education Interviews NYT Magazine’s MVTC Chronicler

Casey Bayer, the senior media relations officer for Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, interviewed Benoit Denizet-Lewis who wrote the recent New York Times Magazine article (https://www.nytimes.com/…/why-are-more-american-teenagers-t…) that chronicled the daily battles MVTC residents (and others) face, the techniques they use to manage their anxiety, and the support they receive in and out of the classroom. Ms. Bayer asked Benoit about the relationships he formed with the MVTC residents, how best to help anxious teens, and what he took away from the experience.

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Mountain Valley Featured in The New York Times Magazine Article – “Why Are More American Teenagers Than Ever Suffering From Severe Anxiety?”

Mountain Valley is being featured in this week’s The New York Times Magazine – today (10/11/17) online and Sunday (10/15/17) in print.  The article, “Why Are More American Teenagers Than Ever Suffering From Severe Anxiety?”, was almost a year in the writing, and we thank the author, Benoit Denizet-Lewis, for capturing the essence of Mountain Valley, and the photographer, Sasha Rudensky, for the powerful images that accompanied the piece.

 

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Dr. Tim DiGiacomo presents at New York Junior League Luncheon

This past Thursday, Mountain Valley Treatment Center, along with the New York Presbyterian Youth Anxiety Center and Fusion Academy of Brooklyn, presented at the “Youth Anxiety Treatment Across a Continuum” Fall luncheon event at the beautiful New York Junior League on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.  The event was attended by over 50 clinicians, educators, and outreach representatives from across the City.

Dr. Shannon Bennett, Co-Clinical Director of the New York Presbyterian Youth Anxiety Center, gave a talk on the latest on the assessment and treatment of anxiety adolescents and adults.  Dr. Bennett’s presentation talked about the latest in neuro-science research, supporting the combination of medication and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), in particular the behavioral aspects of Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP).  Dr. Tim DiGiacomo, Clinical Director for Mountain Valley Treatment Center, followed Dr. Bennett’s presentation with a talk on how to make exposure work fun for teens, despite how challenging it can be.  Tim talked about how Mountain Valley uses all aspects of the 60 to 90 day residential program to provide opportunities for impromptu and prescribed exposure assignments.  Specifically, Tim discussed the “exposure olympics” the clinical team designed for one of our two weekly ERP groups.    Fusion Academy’s Randall Klein and Sarah Bernstein presented as well, addressing how to incorporate compassion and love into the classroom to support emotional and social well-being.

The two-hour event attracted private practice and organizational clinicians as well as educational consultants and advocates.  “This was an excellent event and it was great to learn more about treatment options and updated information about adolescent anxiety,” commented one mid-town Manhattan psychologist.

For more information on how Mountain Valley incorporates fun into the evidence based exposure work we do, please contact Dr. Tim DiGiacomo at tdigiacomo@mountainvalleytreatment.org.

 

 

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Bryan Randolph, MVTC’s Senior Therapist, Interviewed for Cognizant Podcast

Mountain Valley’s Senior Therapist, Bryan Randolph, was recently interviewed by Nicky Treadway, co-owner of the Adventure Therapy practice, EPIC Adventures Therapy LLC, for her podcast, Cognizant. Nicky caught up with Bryan while he was at the University of New Hampshire for the Best Practices Conference hosted by Therapeutic Adventure Professional Group as part of the Association of Experiential Education (AEE).

https://soundcloud.com/user-256951115/adventure-therapy?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=facebook

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Timothy DiGiacomo, Psy.D.

Dr. Timothy DiGiacomo, Mountain Valley’s Clinical Director, is a licensed clinical psychologist with comprehensive experience treating children, adolescents and adults with individual, group and family therapy, including utilizing CBT-based modalities for anxiety, depression and trauma. Tim has treated individuals with anxiety, depressed mood, motivational difficulties, stress-related problems, learning difficulties, and trauma.  Tim is trained in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Child Parent Psychotherapy, and other evidence-based treatments.  He has a particular interest in family therapy.  Tim enjoys meeting clients where they are at and helping them to learn the tools that they need to resolve their difficulties.  Tim takes a strengths-based and supportive approach to empower families to make positive changes that work for their family’s needs.

Dr. DiGiacomo provides clinical and administrative supervision, training, and leadership to the clinical team at Mountain Valley.  Dr. DiGiacomo is also engaged in clinical program development and seeks to ensure the highest levels of care for residents of Mountain Valley.

During his time at West Central Behavioral Health in Lebanon, NH, Dr. DiGiacomo worked as a clinician, psychological assessment coordinator, Team Leader, and Acting Director of the Child Team.  He served as a Clinical/Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry for the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, providing therapy and assessment supervision, and teaching seminars for psychology interns and post-doctoral fellows.  He has taught courses on co-parenting and alternative dispute resolution for the State of New Hampshire for families going through divorce.  He has also served as adjunct faculty for New England College and Franklin Pierce University, teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.  He served as a psychologist and consultant for the Plainfield, NH and Lebanon, NH school districts.  Tim has worked in research at Yale University, in clinical roles at VA Medical Centers, and in various mental health facilities.

Dr. DiGiacomo graduated from the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology and completed his internship and post-doctoral fellowship at Dartmouth Medical School.  He earned his Master of Arts in Community and Clinical Psychology at Norfolk State University.  He completed his B.A. in psychology at Fairfield University.

Tim enjoys spending time with his wife and family, going on hikes, and playing guitar.

Dr. DiGiacomo can be reached at tdigiacomo@mountainvalleytreatment.org

 

 

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Carl J. Lovejoy, B.A.

Carl J. Lovejoy

Appointed Associate Executive Director, Communications and Development, in 2014, Carl had previously served MVTC as Director of Operations and Director of External Affairs.  As a member of Mountain Valley’s original leadership team, Carl’s passion for the MV mission is palpable.  When not on the campus interacting with residents and staff, Carl manages relationships with referral sources and other stakeholders.  Carl directs the external marketing, communications, functions, and strategic development initiatives for Mountain Valley. Involved in independent school education for more than three decades, Carl joined the Mountain Valley staff in 2011 from the Oliverian School, an alternative boarding school for students who have struggled in traditional academic environments, where he served as Director of External Affairs and until recently served as a member of the School’s Board of Trustees.

Prior to Oliverian, Carl worked as a teacher, coach, dormitory parent and administrator at Kimball Union Academy, Cardigan Mountain School, Tabor Academy and St. Paul’s School.  A graduate of St. Paul’s School and Colby College, Carl and his wife, Cari, live in a 200 year-old farmhouse in nearby Orford, NH. The Lovejoys have three sons (and two granddaughters!): Ben is a Dartmouth College graduate now playing professional hockey for the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, Matt is a graduate of both the University of Virginia and the Curry School of Education at UVA and works in Los Angeles for Betterment, an automated investing service, and Nick, a Dartmouth graduate working for Barclays and living in New York City.

Carl was named to the Board of the IECA Foundation in 2014 and is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, serving on their Education Committee.  He also continues to do volunteer work for St. Paul’s, currently as a Form Director.                                                         

Carl can be reached at clovejoy@mountainvalleytreatment.org

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MVTC Featured on Nick News with Linda Ellerbee – Worried Sick: Living with Anxiety

In the Fall of 2013, Mountain Valley was featured prominently in a powerful episode of Nick News with Linda Ellerbee.  Featuring Dr. Dan Villiers, MVTC’s Associate Executive Director, Clinical Outreach and Program Development, as well as one of our graduates, the episode is entitled Worried Sick: Living with Anxiety.

While the episode premiered on September 24th on Nickelodeon, you can still view it by clicking on the link below.

http://www.nick.com/videos/clip/nick-news-141-full-episode.html

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Dr. Villiers Featured on Television Talk Show to Discuss MVTC, Anxiety, and New Program.

Dr. Dan Villiers made his return to Spirit of the Valley, an Upper Valley based television talk show, to speak on a number of topics – Mountain Valley, anxiety disorders, and a new program, Penikese – a small, non-profit, residential treatment program for boys, ages 14 to 17, with substance abuse issues coupled with “internalizing” mental health conditions (i.e., disorders of anxiety, mood, attachment and trauma). View the interview at https://vimeo.com/71505130

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