A study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services indicated that youth young people are more likely to access mental health services in schools than anywhere else. Schools provide a natural setting in which students can receive needed supports and services and where families are comfortable and trusting in accessing these services.
Hannah Schlotterbeck, a Sweetser School-based Clinician who is based in two schools in Brunswick and Harpswell, was our guest on this past week’s Mental Health Moment on WMTW Channel 8 to discuss the importance of our school-based program.
OPTIONS is one of the state’s strategies to reduce fatal and non-fatal drug-related overdoses in Maine. Liaisons provide judgment-free support and connect people who use drugs and those who love them with resources for harm reduction, treatment, and recovery.
“Stigma is a significant factor in many chronic health issues, but substance use disorders often have a strong emotional component. It is a condition that has been subjected to blame and shame for as long as it has existed,” he said. “One of the biggest barriers to someone getting help is their fear of discussing this aspect of their lives due to their negative experiences or responses of others. SUD (substance use disorder) is simply not viewed the same as other chronic health conditions. There is lots being done to address some of this, but there is a lot more to be done. On an individual level, I try my best to help people reframe their understanding of SUD within the context of other chronic health issues.”
Sweetser sent a team to the State House this week to testify on a bill introduced by Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross: LD 2002 An Act to Provide Incentives to Schools That Contract for Certain Social Work and Family Therapy Services.
Team: President & CEO Jayne Van Bramer, Chief Growth Officer Joanne Grant, Medical Director Dr. Marc Kaplan, Senior Director of Community Services Wendy Anders, School-Based Clinician Hannah Schlotterbeck, & Senior Director of Public Relations & Advancement Justin Chenette
This would create a grant-like incentive for schools to partner with providers like Sweetser for school-based therapy services. Sweetser has clinicians in over 100 public schools across the state, but this program isn’t sustainable without additional support. Our advocacy efforts center around ensuring students and their families get the mental health support they need as part of a school community.
Jayne Van Bramer with Maine Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross
According to a recent American Psychiatric Association poll, nearly a third of Americans who set new year’s resolutions mentioned mental health as one of their top goals. Sweetser’s Senior Director of Public Relations & Advancement Justin Chenette discusses ways of making mental health a priority for us this year with WMTW Channel 8.
Sweetser’s President & CEO appeared on our weekly TV segment on WMTW Channel 8, Mental Health Moment. She discussed the importance of school-based therapy services and efforts Sweetser is doing with the legislature to create an incentive for more schools to contract with providers like Sweetser.
Sweetser’s Director of Recovery Services, Michael Tausek, appeared on our weekly TV segment to discuss the importance of the Peer Support Line and in what situations should someone call that particular line. The Peer Support Line used to be known as the Intentional Warm Line, but the name was recently changed to better define its purpose for the public.
Sweetser’s Senior Director of Public Relations & Advancement Justin Chenette appeared on our Mental Health Moment segment on WMTW Channel 8 to talk about the importance of giving to Sweetser and to mental health causes this holiday season. Friendly reminder we are in the midst in our year end appeal campaign. Help spread the word with friends and family on your social media to encourage them to give a donation to Sweetser before the end of the year. Watch segment below.
In our latest Mental Health Moment segment, the clinical director of our New England eating disorders program Lindsay Susi spoke with Meghan Torjussen at WMTW about ways to support friends and loved ones struggling this holiday season.
Many people want to know how they can spot mental health challenges in themselves and those around them. Sweetser’s Training Specialist, Steve Nesky, joined our ‘Mental Health Moment’ segment on WMTW Channel 8 to talk about what you can do.
Sweetser is one of only 100 projects nationally selected by Lowe’s to receive a hometown community impact grant and the only project awarded in Maine.
The $145,000 award was combined with other community-based resources and support to rebuild and revitalize the outdoor recreation spaces on Sweetser’s Saco campus. This included new playgrounds and a multi-purpose play court for the youth they serve between ages 5-18, K-12 engaged in Sweeter’s Child Crisis, Residential, and Educational Programs.
Caption: Sweetser’s President & CEO Jayne Van Bramer, Senior Director of PR & Advancement Justin Chenette, Lowe’s Portland Store Manager Tyler LaPlante, and representatives from Maine Community Bank, Rotary Club of Saco Bay Sunset, and the Pendleton Fund.
“This new outdoor recreation space will aid in improving the mental wellbeing and healing for the students and youth we serve on campus,” says Justin Chenette, Sweetser’s Senior Director of PR & Advancement. “Thanks to our amazing community partners and to Lowe’s, this play space will help children reduce anxiety and stress along with teaching important physical, mental, and emotional skills like cooperation, patience, and balance.”
Sweetser recently held a ribbon cutting opening up the outdoor recreation spaces to their young clients. In addition to Lowe’s, the following organizations assisted with the final project including Maine Community Bank, Sam L Cohen Foundation, Rotary Club of Saco Bay Sunset, and the Pendleton Fund.
