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FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES (FSS)
(845) 336-4747 Ext. 128
Our Family Support Services Program is dedicated to providing services, assistance and guidance to families with children who experience ongoing emotional difficulties or disturbances. In our efforts to address a range of needs identified by family members, we have created a multifaceted program.
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ASD Support Group:. Sponsored by Hudson Valley Autism Society and The Mental Health Association in Ulster County. Please join us if you have a child, sibling or other relative with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Call Sis Gonyea at 338-0719 or Patrice Baez at Ext. 132
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Better Days: is a workshop series to support family members of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder to be more effective advocates for improved services. Workshops will include guest speakers representing area agencies and opportunities to learn communications and relaxation skills. Call Patrice Baez at Ext. 132
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Building Family Skills: is a clinician-led educational support group that is designed to enhance the coping skills of natural or foster parent's of elementary school to teenage children with behavioral or psychiatric disabilities. Call (845) 339-9090 Ext 115.
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C.A.R.E (Coping, Awareness and Regulating our Emotions): CARE is a parent education and support group. The topics explored during the series include awareness (mindfulness), interpersonal relationships, emotion regulation and distress tolerance. The goals of the skill-building series are to increase self-awareness and coping skills, to improve the ability to regulate emotions, and to enhance the quality of interpersonal relationships within the family. Call Patrice Baez, Ext. 132.
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Common Sense Parenting: is a six week course that offers parents the opportunity to learn and practice new skills that build upon strengths they and their children have based on a model out of Boys Town. Call Michele Sachse, Ext. 131
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Express Yourself: The Express Yourself program is a creative arts group for youth. The goals of the group include building self esteem, expressing feelings in a safe environment, improving communication skills both verbally and nonverbally, enhancing body image and improving listening skills. The group facilitator uses a variety of creative activities to enhance self-expression and build cooperation among the participants. Art projects, movement activities, noncompetitive games and relaxation techniques were some of the methods utilized. No experience is needed, just a willingness to be open to learning more about themselves and others with a spirit of adventure. Call Tara O’Connor-Alisse, Ext. 121
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F.O.C.U.S.: Families Organized to Cope, Understand & Succeed: FOCUS is a parent support group that began in March 1995. The group meets to provide support and education to parents who have psychiatric disabilities or mental health challenges. When needed, transportation is provided to members. Individual support is provided to those unable to attend meetings; this has included job development, emotional support, and information and referral services. The group addresses immediate parenting concerns raised by group members and takes part in structured, educational activities. Ongoing topics of concern are custody and visitation, stress and anger management, problem solving with children, coping with symptoms, medication, and identifying available community resources. Member feedback is strongly encouraged and serves to shape group discussions and activities. Call Michele Sachse, Ext. 131.
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Community Corrections Program (CCP): The Community Corrections Program is an alternative sentencing program for alcohol and drug offenders. MHA provides a two-hour program each week for approximately 20 individuals (both male and female participants). Each member participates in the program for the entire length of his/her stay. The program emphasizes awareness of internal and external stresses, current reactions to them, and the channeling of emotions in a healthy way. Coping skills are taught to support continued success in recovery.
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Parent R&R (Respite Services): This program is offered to families in Ulster County caring for a child with social, emotional, or behavior difficulties. Temporary and specialized care is offered to a child for the purpose of providing a period of “rest and relaxation” to families. Services are provided by trained Respite Care Workers, so a parent has the opportunity to leave the home or focus on another child. Families requesting services apply through the Mental Health Association. Call Tara O’Connor-Alisse, Ext. 121.
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Kids Together: This program was created and is maintained as a collaborative effort between our Family Support Services program, the Ulster County Mental Health Department and the YMCA. Kids Together is a therapeutic activity program for children and young adolescents with Attention Deficit Disorder and/or those experiencing other social, emotional and behavioral difficulties. The activities include opportunities for children to form friendships, build self-esteem and develop social and problem solving skills. The goal of the program is to educate children on how ADHD and other disorders affect their lives with a particular focus on behavioral disorders.
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Kidology is a ten-week course offering parents informaiton on child development from birth through eighteen years of age. You will learn appropriate child behavior, throughout different stages of development and will feel more at ease when setting expectations. Call Patrice Baez, Ext. 132.
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H.O.P.E. (Helping Others Through Personal Experience): HOPE is a regional support and education program that offers childcare, youth peer support groups, respite services and some transportation to the meetings. This comprehensive program is a collaborative effort between the MHA offices in Northern Dutchess (offering the adult support groups and childcare), Northern Ulster (offering the parent education and skill building as well youth peer support groups), and Southern Columbia/Greene (offering respite services) Counties. This is a multifaceted program that offers a series of educational workshops in the spring and fall for families. Children ages 6-11 will be involved in workshops that offer related activities and discussions. Programs include communication in the family, building self-esteem, stress management, using humor to lighten up everyday life, positive discipline, and other interesting topics. Call Meagan Brown, Ext. 143 or Tara O’Connor-Alisse, Ext. 121
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Postive Discipline for Parents of Preschoolers:: A six week parenting class to learn practical solutions for winning children over, gaining cooperation, encouraging positive behavior at home and school, and avoiding power struggles that come with routines. Call Kristine Olen, Ext. 128.
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Program Development and Professional Training: Family and Youth Department has an ongoing commitment to help create, implement and enhance community programs and services that meet the needs of families and children. This department shares the enormous amount of information which it gathers by providing trainings and consultation to community groups. This included over twenty trainings and presentations to various schools, local agencies and parent groups.
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Parent Assistance: Managing Defiant Behavior: A skill-building course that increases parental knowledge of the causes of childhood misbehavior and improves parental management skills and competence in dealing with child behavior problems. The series is based on Dr. Barkely's parent training program, which provides concrete strategies to specifically address children's defiant behaviors. Call Tara O’Connor-Alisse, Ext. 121 or Meagan Brown, Ext. 143.
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Family Fun Night: is designed for caregivers who have completed the Parent Assistance skill-building course and offers on-going support and education. Call Meagan Brown, Ext. 143 or Tara O’Connor Alisse, Ext.121
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Cooperative Parenting & Divorce: Shielding Children from Conflict is offered three times a year and is a five-hour seminar providing parents with the opportunity to understand how divorce and separation affect children. Call Meagan Brown, Ext. 143 or Tara O’Connor Alisse, Ext.121
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Learning: Disabilities to Abilities A follow-up meeting for the informational workshop series on learning disabilities. It is dedicated to all individuals who have been labeled lazy or slow because they have problems learning. Information is presented at each session, and there is also an opportunity for group discussion and support. The series presents successful teaching techniques, both traditional and recent, that can be incorporated into other approaches already being used in schools. Follow-up meetings will be offered to accommodate participants expressed needs. This program is offered to families and school agency personnel. The program is the joint presentation of Mental Health Association in Ulster County, Inc. and Resource Center for Accessible Living. Call Patrice Baez, Ext. 132
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FA.M.I.L.I.E.S:. Families Meeting for Information to Learn, Inspire, Empower and Support - is the monthly family education and support group which serves families with a member having a developmental disability. Information about developmental disabilities, educational strategies, coping techniques and conference/training opportunities are presented. Call Patrice Baez, Ext. 132.
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Resource Library: MHA offers parents and professionals the use of our lending and reference library. A variety of resources, including videos, pamphlets, audiotapes, books, curriculums. manuals, and reports which specifically address the concerns of families are available.
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Parent Information & Referral Services: Each year the Family and Youth Department provides ongoing assistance to hundreds of families in search of information and support each year. This service is provided by telephone and individual meetings. Information packets specially created to meet the needs of each family requesting information are often provided.
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Family Support Services (DD):This program serves families with a developmentally disabled member by providing support, information, education, referrals and advocacy. Information and referral is available to families and to the professionals who serve them, and advocacy is provided on an individual basis or at large in the community. Call Patrice Baez, Ext. 132.
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Pierre the Pelican: A child development newsletter with a history of over twenty years continues to be provided to all first time parents in Ulster County. This newsletter covers child development and mental health issues from birth to five and a half years of age. This low cost service has allowed us to reach a significant portion of the general parenting population of Ulster County.
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Ongoing Committee Participation
In order to effectively advocate for and create children's services in our community, we continue to attend and participate in local mental health committees including:
Community Services Board: Mental Health & Substance Abuse Subcommittees
Children' s Planning Committee
School & Agency Collaboration Committee
Kids Together Collaboration
Integrated Early Intervention Child Network
Coordinated Children' s Initiative, Tier II
Community Agencies Concerned With Parenting
AIDS Consortium
Integrated Planning Committee
Intergenerational Planning Committee
Wawarsing Council of Community Agencies
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, Planning Committee
Family Task Force
Family Support Resource Group Meeting
Regional Religious Council Committee
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Family Task Force: This task force focuses on the needs of families, and ways parents and providers can work together more effectively to enhance understanding of these needs. We are also developing more efficient means of communication and accessibility.back to Services Table
Program Development and Professional Training: The family and Youth Department has an ongoing commitment to help create, implement and enhance community programs and services that meet the needs of families and children. This department shared and enormous amount of information, which it gathered by providing training and consultation to community groups. This included almost a dozen trainings and presentations to various schools, local agencies and parent groups.
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S.A.F.E. (Schools, Agencies, Families, & Educators): The SAFE Coalition is a action oriented coalition of schools, community agencies and prevention advocates serving the needs of Ulster County youth and families. SAFE is looking for people who have a commitment to the children and families we serve. If you are interested in joining SAFE, please call (845) 336-4747, Kristine Olen Ext. 128 or Michele Sachse Ext. 131 for more information.
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