A Publication by Bethesda PA Treatment & Healing

www.pathtochange.org

February 2008, Volume 1, Issue 6

Board of Directors

Joseph Pugliese

Chairman

Jerilyn Keen

President

Timothy Gage

Director

Fred Martin

Director

Mary Tiffin

Director  

Chris Bingaman

Director  

Stacey Kifolo

Secretary

Gene McCarty

Treasurer

Advisory Committee

Jerilyn Keen

Scott Constantini

Stephen Gaito

Robert Vanderwall

Jennifer Evans

Don Coleman

William Rossnock

Joseph Talarico

Dr. Elizabth Ciaravino

Thomas Bell

Captain William Weber

Larry Weidman

John Gigunto

Matthew Yonkin

Consultants

Dr. Vikas Passi

D&A Medical Director

Dr. Frederick Maue

Mental Health Director 

Dr. Matthew Emery

Psychological Consultant

Dr. Hugh Smith & Associates

Psychological Consultants

Heartpower

People who know me well know that I love to be inspired, almost as much as I love to inspire others.  For many years I have had this insatiable thirst for novels, movies, music, and words that challenge, motivate and capture the heart.  For me there is nothing that compels me to act more than reading heartfelt words of compassion or to watch a movie that inspires me to be a better person. I love those that make me cry and laugh at the same time and those that are so empowering that they make me feel like I could win a championship of some kind! I love Rocky, Rudy, and Remember the Titans to name just a few.

I also find hopeful optimism in what the great Vince Lombardi said in his last speech before he died.  He said, “I’m going to share with you the key to success in any business.  The secret, in a word is…heartpower. Capture the heart, you’ve captured the person…Get people to fall in love with what they do”. 

Part of falling in love with what you do is realizing the potential you have to inspire and motivate others to succeed and to achieve in what may seem impossible!  For this reason I share with you one of my favorite motivational stories about the Providence St.  Mel School in Chicago. 

The leader of the school, Paul Adams has devoted his life to running this private school in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Chicago.  Under his leadership and with his belief that all students can succeed, 100% of the students attending his school go on to universities and many to some of the top schools in the country (That’s correct 100% of them).

Each day the students recite these words in unison as they start their day.

We believe in the creation of inspired lives produced by the miracle of hard work. 

We are not frightened by the challenges of reality, but believe that we can change our conception of the world and our place within it.

So we work, plan, build, and dream, in that order. 

We believe that one must earn the right to dream.

Our talent, discipline, and integrity will be our contribution to a new world.

Because we believe that we can take this place, this time, and this people, and make a better place, a better time and a better people.  

With God's help, we will either find a way or make one.

May you be inspired by this story; may you love what you do and may you capture the hearts of many!

Jerilyn

Jerilyn A. Keen, M.A.

President

News from our Corporate Office…

On January 31^st Director Tim Gage was unanimously elected by the Board of Directors to the post of Vice Chairman of the Board. Vice Chairman Gage expressed that his acceptance was based on his appreciation and admiration for the hard work and dedication of all of the staff at PA Treatment & Healing.

Bethesda PA Treatment & Healing is now registered with GoodSearch. GoodSearch is a search engine, powered by Yahoo, which donates 50% of its advertising revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users. Now you can generate funds for our organization just by searching the web. Make www.goodsearch.com your home page, select Bethesda PA Treatment & Healing as your organization to donate to, and begin searching.  It’s easy and provides high-quality search results and funding to help PATH.

We are pleased to announce that Licensed Psychologist, Roger Smothers will be working with PATH at our Honesdale, Scranton and South Montrose locations.  Dr. Smothers has been approved by Community Care Behavioral Health and is eager to serve our Agency.

We would like to welcome new Human Resources/Administrative Assistant, Bree Boyer to the Corporate Office. Bree’s first day with us will be March 18^th. We look forward to the many attributes Bree will bring to the Agency. Please join us in welcoming Bree to our PATH family!

MA Specialist & Drug & Alcohol Administrative Supervisor, Michele Barrows shares that the Halfway House is one step closer to CCBH approval. She received notice that they have discussed our program in all 3 networks are we are awaiting a response.

There will be an Advisory Committee Meeting held on March 19^th at Russell’s in Bloomsburg. Thank you to each Advisory Committee member for your dedication and willingness to serve.

This is “What’s Happening” at our Centers…

PATH - Bloomsburg: Due to the many “snow days” this month, the After School Evening Day Treatment clients were able to work at the local food bank on one of their days off from school. The clients enjoyed handing out bags of food to those less fortunate. Many people were blessed by their service that day. Anthony T. has done a great job confronting his peers for a better community. He is swiftly moving through his pledge log in order to be an Honor Club Member. He has been doing a great job and was Client of the Month for February. Great Job Anthony, we are all very proud of you! On President’s Day the Center held a “jam session” in which the clients brought in guitars and amplifiers to show their talents and common interests with each other. The clients had a great time and absolutely loved doing this activity. The Intensive Adolescent program is continuing to grow at the Bloomsburg Center with the many referrals we have been receiving from Columbia County Children and Youth.  

PATH - East Stroudsburg: We would like to welcome new Teacher, Joan Rielly and Day Treatment Supervisor, James O’Brien to the East Stroudsburg Center . Both Joan and James come to us full of experience and are very motivated in their new positions. The Center recently hosted the guidance counselors from the East Stroudsburg School District during one of their In-Service days. This was a great opportunity to market and answer questions regarding the Alternative Education program and Intensive Adolescent program. We have been working with our landlord to develop a job skills program to help teach some of our youth skills such as welding. One of the Intensive Adolescent clients was recently hired by Mr. Deinarowicz and is being trained in a valuable job skill for his future. The Alternative Education program is excited to welcome back the East Stroudsburg University mentoring program for the new semester. The interaction, teambuilding and positive atmosphere continues to be a wonderful experience for both the East Stroudsburg University and our Alternative Education Program students!

PATH - Lehighton: The staff would like to welcome our new Drug and Alcohol Counselor, Chad Rodgers to the team. Program Manager, Kevin Loch will be running an 8 week Competency Class Program a for 5 clients referred by Juvenile Probation. The program will be starting in March and ending in May. The clients have been actively participating in Anger Management Groups, Leadership Groups and Team Building exercises with Program Manager, Kevin Loch and Social Worker, Michelle Finney. The Alternative Education Program now has 2 clients in the Community Work Program which students over the age of 16, who have been on positive for 3 weeks, are able to spend up to 5 days of the week in a work setting with a job coach. They are able to choose a profession they would like to learn job skills in, then after completing a resume, job application and a job interview they will attend a job site that best fits their various likes. One student is working at Country Inn and Suites and the other is working at the Dollar King.

PATH - Middleburg: The Halfway House residents continue to make significant progress on their treatment issues. Program Manager/D&A Counselor, Jon Gamble has been doing an excellent job of motivating the residents to take personal responsibility for their recovery. The residents have been working hard on learning more about jobs and possible career opportunities for their futures. Teacher, Amy Cotner-Klingler has been doing a tremendous job supporting the residents' academic progrss and development. Two residents have already increased their grades in several classes by more that 20%. Great job guys! The residents are anxiously awaiting spring so they can get involved in recycling and other outdoor community service projects. The Middleburg Center would like to welcome Case Manager, Michael Burns to the team. We would also like to extend a special thank you to Clinincal D&A Supervisor, Michele Barrows for her flexibility and support as the Halfway House continues to grow. 

PATH - Milton: Regional Manager, Bob Vanderwall; Program Manager, Jon Sharpe; and Foster Care Coordinator Stephanie Rice have been meeting with referring agencies in order to promote the Intensive Adolescent Program. The IA Program continues to grow at the Milton Center and Clinical Supervisor, Denise Scott and the rest of the Day Treatment staff have been working diligently at getting the clients evaluated and approved for treatment. Thank you to everyone for your dedication. Teacher Karen Heyler took her students to students to the local library to research the past and current Presidents; the students then gave presentations to their peers and staff. They did an excellent job with this project. We would like to welcome Teacher's Aide, Michele Dougherty to the Milton Center. We are looking forward to all the help that she will provide to the Alternative Education Program.

PATH - Scranton: Regional Manager, Scott Constantini and Program Manager, Jeremy Wohlken recently met with Lackawanna County Judge, Tom Munley. Judge Munley stated that he was impressed with the variety of programs PATH has to offer. The Intensive Adolescent and After School Evening clients continue to work on their new group room with enthusiasm. The clients have taken an active role in generating ideas of how they want it to look, and with the help of the staff they have begun painting. Program Manager, Jeremy Wohlken and Day Treatment Supervisor, Michael DiMattia attended a meeting of Lackawanna County Juvenile Probation, and the District Attorney’s Office Juvenile Division, to discuss plans for having clients take part in a community play about violence.

PATH - South Montrose: The South Montrose Center welcomes new Drug and Alcohol Counselor Judy Harrison to the staff. We would like to thank Regional Manager, Scott Constantini for all his help in the D&A program during the time of transition. Alternative Education Program Teacher Doreen Armitage organized and implemented several classroom projects for Black History Month including individual "I Have a Dream" speeches that each student completed and reflected on during Leadership Group. The upper level English class completed their 3rd novel of the year, To Kill a Mockingbird and is preparing to view the film as a reward. The Center would like to say a special thank you to Registered Nurse, Wendy Robinson for visiting with the students during their Health classes throughout the month to discuss many issues affecting teen life.  Wendy's knowledge, experience and personal assistance to the students was greatly appreciated. The Day Treatment clients have been learning how to express their thoughts, feelings and self through the utilization of Artistic Expression. The students really enjoyed this activity. They have also enjoyed participating in cooking projects for life skills groups, once a week and are learning to cooperate with each other to achieve a common goal. Social Worker, Dan Beesley plans on bringing in raw maple sap to show clients the process involved in making pure maple syrup, maple butter and maple candy. The clients are really looking forward to "enjoying the fruits of their labor" with a pancake dinner. 

PATH - State College: The State College staff and students visited the Penn State University ’s Astronomy and Physics Department and were provided with a tour of the planetarium. While there they also received a detailed presentation on the solar system. The center continues to be involved with PSU students in order to implement tutoring for our youth. They have been focusing in the areas of creative writing, math and languages. The center is excited about the continual growth of both our Alternative Education & Intensive Adolescent programs.

PATH - Williamsport: The Williamsport Center would like to welcome the following staff to our team: Community Service Coordinator, Jake Turner; Teacher, Steve Eutsler; and Teacher's Aide, Robert Wallace. We look forward to the many attributes each one brings to our Center. The Williamsport Sun Gazette is sponsoring a "Pay It Forward" Campaign in which they will award a cash prize to the person who comes up with the most innovative plan to carry out a good good deed with the winnings. The Day Treatment and Alternative Education Programs are challenging their students to develop plans for the campaign and submit them. We would like to give a special thank you to Foster Care Coordinator, Stephanie Rice for her commitment to PATH and the Foster Care Program. Stephanie has been very active in meeting with referring agents to promote our programs. Thanks, Steph!

Each month we feature a member of our Management Team as a way to honor their dedication and commitment to making our Agency the very best it can be!  This month we highlight Kevin Loch, Program Manager of our Lehighton Center.

Kevin and his wife Andrea have been married for 3 ½ years and are the proud parents of two sons, Nathan (2) and Jacob (4 months).  Kevin attended East Stroudsburg University where he received his Bachelors Degree in Sociology/Criminal Justice.  Prior to his employment with PA Treatment & Healing, Kevin was employed as a Day Program Supervisor at Shawnee Academy , which is a Residential Facility.

The majority of Kevin’s free time is spent with his two young sons; he also enjoys playing in Texas Hold ‘Em Tournaments.  Kevin is looking forward to the summer for vacations and taking the boys to some Yankee Games – Dad is a HUGE Yankee’s fan and hopes to pass on the tradition.

Kevin shares his thoughts on PATH ’s mission, “Any type of change in a young person’s life is really priceless. Working at PATH the last year and a half, I have seen many people that strive for this on a daily basis.  It is very rewarding for me to work with so many people that feel the same way about making a special difference in an adolescent life.”

Our Therapeutic Touch!

This month we focus our “therapeutic touch” on the outstanding treatment approaches being implemented at the Lehighton Center .

The Lehighton Center ’s Therapeutic focus has been identifying and developing our youth into strong leaders. The staff at the Center have been working to instill in the youth, the important character traits necessary to become successful leaders. The staff firmly believe in the importance of trying to accomplish this by identifying and building youth into the leaders they know they have to potential to become. The staff develop relationships with each client and meet with them both individually and as a group to help them recognize their leadership potential and assist them with the areas that each needs to improve upon. Clients that continue to demonstrate leadership and role-modeling behavior are given added responsibility and encouragement to continue their efforts.  In return, they are rewarded by gaining special privileges and responsibilities.

During leadership groups, most clients actively participate, which has been translating into success. The staff continue to stress the importance of being positive leaders instead of being either negative leaders or followers. The youth have come to understand that being negative or following the wrong leader can and has lead them down the wrong path. Keep up the great work and remember successful leaders have the courage to take action while others hesitate.

We would like to congratulate Program Manager, Jon Sharpe and Clinical Supervisor, Dwight Evans on completing the practicum requirements to become Sexual Offender Specialists. Jon and Dwight have done a lot of hard work to complete the requirements and we are so proud of them! We appreciate the dedication and commitment that they both give to the Agency. Jon and Dwight will be conducting a Sex Offender Training for our staff in March. We are fortunate to be learning from such valuable employees.

Congratulations to Bob Schaeffer on his recent promotion to Clinical Supervisor at the Lehighton Center. Bob has moved into his new position with a large amount of knowledge. We wish him well and know that he will be fantastic in this capacity! Great job Bob! 

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH….

The following staff were also nominated for Employees of the Month for February:

• Maria Farnell, Social Worker, Bloomsburg

• Denise Scott, Clinical Supervisor, Milton

• Curt Kiehl, Dean of Students, South Montrose

• State College Staff, State College

We thank these staff for their dedication to our Agency!  

Welcome to our family…

William Pucci, Teacher, Honesdale

Chad Rodgers, D&A Counselor, Lehighton

Steve Eutsler, Teacher, Williamsport

Robert Wallace, Teacher's Aide, Williamsport

Jake Turner, Community Service Coordinator, Williamsport