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Mountain Valley Receives Major Gift – Largest in Center’s History

We are pleased to announce that Mountain Valley has received an extremely generous donation – the largest gift in MVTC’s history!!!  This unrestricted support, made possible by an anonymous donor using Foundation Source (www.foundationsource.com), will go far to enhance the Mountain Valley experience for both our residents and the staff.  We are ecstatic that our incredibly thoughtful donor shares our passion for helping kids – and can’t thank our donor enough for thinking of us!!!

Considering making your own end of the year gift to Mountain Valley?  As a registered 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, your support of MVTC is deductible for income tax purposes.  Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact MVTC’s Director of External Affairs, Carl Lovejoy, at clovejoy@mountainvalleytreatment.org, visit the Giving Page on this website, or confer with your financial advisor.

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Connecticut High School Basketball Star Returns to School after MVTC

 Click on the link below to read about Mountain Valley graduate, Kelsey Santagata, and her return to Stamford High School  – and the basketball team, after successfully completing her treatment goals at MVTC!

http://www.therudenreport.com/a-more-relaxed-santagata-ready-to-lead-stamford-girls-basketball-team/

 

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David Prescott, LICSW, Visits MVTC for Staff Training

David Prescott, LICSW, Director of Professional Development & Clinical Assurance for the Becket Family of Services, visited MVTC on December 3rd for a two-hour training session with MVTC’s Clinical and Residential staff members.  David is a recognized expert in Motivational Interviewing, and visits MVTC regularly to offer professional development opportunities to our staff.

David has nearly thirty years of experience in the clinical field.  His professional interests focus on motivational enhancement, developing and maintaining therapeutic relationships, and assessing treatment progress.  David has published articles on risk assessment, interviewing, and providing residential treatment to youth, and has presented on these topics around North America and in Europe.  David is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT), an international organization devoted to a client-centered, directive method for enhancing intrinsic motivation to change by exploring and resolving ambivalence.

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MVTC Therapists to Present at National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs Conference

Congratulations to two of our talented therapists, Sarah Groff and Tracy Thompson, who have been invited to present to fellow professionals at the upcoming NATSAP Northeast Regional Conference, to be held in Kennebunkport, ME on October 3 & 4. Their presentation will deepen professionals’ awareness and understanding of anxiety principles and use of exposure therapy.
Sarah and Tracy will describe the basics of anxiety disorders and how anxiety manifests itself across various domains of adolescent life. The bulk of the presentation will describe the exposure therapy process including implementation techniques for various fears, how to secure “buy in” from the client, and how to collaborate with parents. Case examples will be shared along with interactive activities in order to display how the exposure therapy process evolves.

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Mountain Valley to Welcome Returning Graduates and Families for Reunion 2013

Mountain Valley to Welcome Returning Graduates and Families for Reunion 2013

Given the success of our very first Reunion last November, Mountain Valley has decided to make this year’s gathering a two day event – Saturday, September 21 & Sunday, September 22!   All graduates and their families are invited to be part of the fun!

RSVPs to clovejoy@mountainvalleytreatment.orgMVTC - Alumni Family photo

Saturday, September 21

4:00 p.m. – Welcome and Registration – Eve Outdoor Center (Ropes Course)
6:00 p.m. – Cookout – Eve Outdoor Center
7:00 p.m. – Outdoor Activity for Alumni – Eve Outdoor Center
– Parent Meeting  – Therapy Center Living room
 8:30 p.m. –  Bonfire & Drum Circle
10:00 p.m. –  Outdoor Camping Circle

 

Sunday, September 22

7:30 a.m. – Breakfast – The Creamery- Welcome and Registration for   Sunday attendees at The Creamery
9:00 a.m. – Depart for Black Mt. hike or Oliverian Cliffs rock climb
2:00 p.m. – Return from hike and climb – lunch at The Therapy Center
3:00 p.m. – Farewells

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MVTC Introduces New Daily Wellness and Enrichment Module Schedule

Mountain Valley has introduced a new daily module schedule, effective May 22. This remodeled schedule allows each resident the opportunity to participate in the following purposeful wellness and enrichment modules: Farm to Table, Fitness and Recreation, Equine, Academic, Environmental/Social Awareness, Art/Music, Adventure, Culinary, and Community Service. Each of these modules was a part of previous scheduling, but now the curriculum for each is more defined, and every resident will have the opportunity to participate in each module each week. For this to occur, each resident is assigned to a particular Team, and will participate in programming with their Team. We also know that it is important for Mountain Valley residents to interact as a unified community, so within the new module schedule there will be ample opportunities (e.g. group, meals, afternoon community meetings, evening activities, weekend activities) where residents will engage in activities with their larger peer group.

We have also enhanced our academic program by contracting with Knower Tutoring to provide academic support (e.g. executive functioning skills, study skills) to each resident, at no additional charge. If through the initial assessment process additional, individualized services are needed, those are still available, for a fee, from Knower Tutoring for up to four hours per week.
The other change that is occurring within the Module Schedule is that Mountain Valley will no longer allow residents free time each evening to use their cell phones, lap tops, and other electronic devices. Mountain Valley has become increasingly aware that residents’ use of technology has been counterproductive to the achievement of their treatment goals, and continues the cycle of avoidance that many residents were struggling with prior to Mountain Valley. Residents may now use lap tops for academic and/or journaling assignments only. Residents will be encouraged to communicate with their families by calling them on the landline phone in evenings from 8:30 until 10:00 p.m.

Being an anxiety treatment center, Mountain Valley is mindful that a change in scheduling and programming may be challenging for our residents and we are assisting them with the change. Often, the anticipation of the event is the most difficult aspect, and we will work closely with residents, and their parents, during this period of transition.

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Mountain Valley Partners with McLean Hospital and Others to Form Family Support Collaborative

Mountain Valley is pleased to announce that it is partnering with Penikese, Ocean Classroom Foundation, and the legendary McLean Hospital, to become charter members of the newly formed Family Support Collaborative.  Founded by MVTC’s Will White and Carl Lovejoy, as well as Penikese’s Executive Director, Jay Wolter, the Family Support Collaborative was initiated by this team of experienced professionals as a vehicle to assist not only families with children facing challenges, but non-profit schools and programs as well.  Family Support Collaborative (FSC) shares the collective resources of independent non-profit entities in a way that better and more efficiently supports parents and their children in achieving positive outcomes.  FSC strengthens “partnering” non-profits by offering the opportunity to share resources and support one another in a non-competitive, flexible, and collegial way that offers individual “pathways” to members depending on their respective needs.  Part of FSC’s mission is to ensure that each member program has the clinical expertise, organizational management, human capital, and other resources needed to provide the highest quality care to every client through specialized evidence based practices, education and research.

Interested in learning more about the Family Support Collaborative?  Contact MVTC’s Director of External Affairs, Carl Lovejoy, at clovejoy@mountainvalleytreatment.org.

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MVTC Adds Equine Assisted Therapy to Weekly Programming

Mountain Valley is engaged in a new program through the Upper Valley Stewardship Center.  The UVSC is expanding their Equestrian Services Program and enhancing their approach to a more intentionally therapeutic model.  Karuna Rockwell has been hired to develop the program in this new direction. Karuna has an extensive background in Equine Experience Therapy and is an innovator in this field of therapy, which is also known as Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.  Karuna has a masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and is a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor through PATH Intl.  She aims to facilitate relationships with the Mountain Valley residents and horses that assist the students in their therapeutic goals.  She will be working closely with the therapists.  Each therapist will have a weekly session to bring his or her residents for an Equine Experience Therapy session.  Horses, as prey who live in herds, are very sensitive to the emotional states of those around them, so they can act as mirrors for the emotional process of the humans with whom they interact. The role of the Equine Assisted Therapist is to highlight these instances of mirroring in the moment to aid in self awareness. Working with the horses also offers many opportunities to create metaphors for other issues in a person’s life.  Overall, horses are nonjudgemental, relational creatures with a strong grounding presence who physically are large and majestic. Building relationships with these animals can be a very empowering experience.

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Mountain Valley Opens Blake House

Blake House

Mountain Valley is pleased to announce the opening of a second residential building on campus – Blake House. In response to the steady population growth at MVTC over the past year, renovation of the historic Blake House began in August. With MVTC’s original twelve bed residence, Farm House, no longer able to accommodate our population growth, it became clear this summer that we would soon have to find additional space. Thanks to the support of the Becket Family of Services, Blake House underwent a major renovation, giving MVTC eight additional beds. With two residential houses, Mountain Valley can now offer our residents gender specific housing.

With Blake House located just a few hundred yards from the “main” campus, our residents have breakfast in their own houses, then convene at the Farm House for their daily Community Meeting, as well as the therapeutic treatment experiences that follow for the remainder of the very full day. After dinner in The Creamery, the boys and girls may remain together, involved with the residential staff for assigned purposeful programming, or return to their respective houses for well-crafted therapeutic related activities.

Blake House affords MVTC the opportunity to now treat up to twenty residents suffering from anxiety and related disorders without sacrificing the familial atmosphere that has become the hallmark of the Mountain Valley experience. Please call us at 603-989-3500, ext. 7107 for a tour of our beautiful “new” house!

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The Sun Shines Brightly on Mountain Valley’s First Reunion!

People attending a reunion and talkingOur first Reunion was an incredible success, with more than 50 friends of Mountain Valley in attendance. Alumni and their parents traveled from as far away as New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island – and one even Skyped in from Utah! Mother Nature couldn’t have been kinder, allowing our returnees – both alumni and their parents, to participate enthusiastically on our new high ropes course. For many, the highlight of the day was a delicious “thanksgiving” dinner, served in our newly renovated function room in the Therapy Building, which gave us the opportunity to connect with friends, both new and old. MVTC has much for which to be grateful – and we look forward to our next Reunion in 2013 to celebrate once again!