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START Quarterly Newsletter: Fall 2016

A word from Director Dr. Joan Beasley

Autumn arrived and so did the much needed rain. For some, it was a bit too much of a good thing. We are glad that hurricane Matthew is now in the past. Here in New England as I write this note, the skies are blue, the air is crisp and the colors are radiant. There is much to be grateful for in this season of gratitude. In START news, we welcome Colorado to our network and look forward to working together in the months to come. Our National Advisory Council, chaired by Eileen Elias, is underway and we thank all of those who are part of this exciting forum. We are actively planning the START National Training Institute to be held on April 30 - May 2 at the Doral Arrowwood Conference Center in beautiful Rye Brook NY, not far from NYC.  Stay tuned for information about this important event.  Please remember to vote in this important and historical election on November 8th. We can all make a difference. Thank you to all of you for being part of this exciting and rewarding experience we call START.

News & Updates
START Comes to Colorado
1st National Advisory Council Meeting
NYC Launch Update
2017 START National Training Institute
Research & Publications Update

National Online Training Series Update
new START Coordinator Training Groups
Study Group Update
In Case you Missed it..
START Model Cited as Best Practice by National Academy of Sciences 
National Academy of Sciences Logo
START Spotlight
The Baking Project by Kelley Baker
START Team Kudos
Resource Center Kudos
Certification Congratulations
Editorial on Certification by Lisa Wolfe
Photo Feature: Iowa START
Photo Feature: ArkSTART CET

 
 
START Cited as Resource in SAMHSA September Newsletter
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Logo
New Agreement Will Secure Services for NC Children with Complex Behavioral Health Needs
RALEIGH, October 14, 2016—Hundreds of children in North Carolina with complex needs—a developmental or intellectual disability plus a mental illness—will soon have access to better services and supports that will keep them out of institutions and help them live at home. Read more
START Comes to Colorado
Director Dr. Joan Beasley and Associate Director Dr. Karen Weigle headed west to Colorado in September to provide two days of direct training to a group of mental health professionals. Training covered a variety of topics including; cross-systems crisis prevention, mental health aspects of IDD, genetic syndromes, conducting emergency assessments, and in-home supports.
Training and consultation will continue for the next several months using online video conferencing technology. Direct consultation around pilot implementation and data collection will occur as well as training trainers using START’s Professional Learning Community (PLC) format. The PLC emphasizes direct application of information learned, as well as developing new training to be used to build local capacity. Finally, one provider in Colorado is contracting with the Center for START Services to develop their respite services into a START-certified Resource Center and train their staff to use Cross-Systems Crisis Planning.
START Hosts 1st National Advisory Council Meeting
On September 12, 2016, START hosted its first National Advisory Council Meeting. The mission of the Advisory Council is three-fold:
  1. To help establish a working relationship between START programs and Learning Communities across the nation;
  2. To review outcomes associated with the model and associated approaches, and help transition START from evidence-informed practice to evidence-based practice; and
  3. To explore plans for long-term financial sustainability of the START model by working with Managed Care Organizations, CMS, and other federal agencies, state authorities, and important partners. 
Learn more about the START National Advisory Council, including a directory of members
New York City Launch Update
NY Launch Training
August's NYC Launch training featured a Clinical Education Teams (CET) Overview & Demonstration as well as an introduction to psychopharmacology by Dr. Sherm Fox, a National START Consultant and Trainer. The NYC Launch event series came to a close in September with Dr. Karen Weigle’s presentation on children’s mental health. But, the training isn’t over. The NYC START team continues to grow and participate in trainings with their Center for START Services Project Facilitators, Dr. Jill Hinton and Anne LaForce MA, and local START team leadership.
2017 START National Training Institute
Cultivating Hope through Strength-Based PracticesThe second annual SNTI will be held in Rye Brook, NY at the Doral Arrowwood Conference Center and Hotel from April 30-May 2nd, 2017. Content strands to include: Positive Approaches & Cultural Competency Series, Psychiatry & Primary Health, Networking & Capacity Building, Children & Families, and Health & Wellness. Please visit our website for updates and information on sponsorship opportunities.
Research & Publications Update
The Center for START Services announced new published research article in the Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. This is the first published research utilizing data from the SIRS national database.

Psychiatric hospitalisation among individuals with intellectual disability referred to the START crisis intervention and prevention program
L. G. Kalb, J. Beasley, A. Klein, J. Hinton and L. Charlot
Version of Record online: 26 AUG 2016 | DOI: 10.1111/jir.12330

Continued participation in the collection of data related to START services plays a vital role in contributing to impactful research, and all service outcomes improved as a result. Visit our website to learn more about START Research & Publications.
National Online Training Series Update
UNH CEUs are now free! The Center for START Services is happy to announce that we are now offering UNH CEU credit for the National Online Training Series at no cost to you. Learn more

Coming Up on November 18, 2016
"Supporting Individuals at Risk of Aberrant Sexual Expression" with Marc Goldman, MS, LPA
new Center for START Services Launches START Coordinator Training Groups
START Coordinator Training Groups are a learning community for newly hired START Coordinator trainees. These groups provide a weekly forum for trainees in a similar stage of training to discuss and process the information learned as they work through the Coordinator Certification Curriculum.


Feedback from Fall Session participants is in! Participation in the Training Group...
  • Reinforces core concepts and learning objectives of the Coordinator Certification Course Curriculum
  • Helps make the material more memorable and applicable
Stay tuned! Registration for winter session will be announced soon.

Training Group Details:
  • Group meets once a week for 16 weeks
  • Each session is 90 minutes long
  • Held via Zoom videoconferencing
Study Group Update
START has debuted a new kind of study group that is topic-specific and short-term. Topic-specific study groups are designed to take a closer look at a particular area of interest that requires further analysis, exploration, and dialogue. As we move forward in our ever expanding network we have discovered that study group forums foster collaboration across the National START Network, but also help us to learn more about how to improve our services.  
  • Current Topic-Specific Study Group: Networking and Linkages Study Group led by Susan Morris, MSW, RSW, NADD-DS
  • Next Up: Trauma-Informed Care Study Group led by Karyn Harvey, PhD
 Highlights:
  • Closer examination of linkage agreement process through case examples and collaborative dialogue
  • Improved understanding of the steps leading up to the establishment of a linkage agreement
  • Identifying and defining types of linkage agreements and when they might be used
  • Outcomes of this study group will help to inform updates to the 2017 Clinical Team Manual
START’s year-round, monthly study group offerings include:
  • Clinical Directors Study Group
  • Medical Directors Study Group
  • Children’s Study Group
  • Resource Center Directors Study Group
  • Program Directors Study Group
START program members can learn more about these study groups in the Moodlerooms Online Resource Area

 
Muffins BakingThe Baking Project
Submitted by Kelley Baker, VA Region 2 REACH
Learn how the Virginia REACH 2 Resource Center guests are helping families living at a local community homeless shelter through baking.

Every Thursday morning in our START Center, the air is filled with wonderful aromas of home baked goods- cookies, muffins, and cakes.  The smells that remind us of visiting a relative or a friend who has taken the time to prepare something special just for our arrival- smells that invoke a sense of comfort and warmth.  The reason for these wonderful aromas is because our guests are busy baking for families that are living in our local homeless shelter. When we decided how best to volunteer within our community, we wanted to create an opportunity that would be beneficial for everyone- our guests and the people being served.  The baking project is something that everyone can take part in and enjoy.  Even if you don’t like the actual preparing and baking, there are opportunities to package the baked goods, pick a positive quote to attach to the package, and hand deliver them to the shelter.  In addition to it all, everyone at the center receives the benefits of aroma therapy!  Through this volunteer project, there are so many different ways to be a part of the giving process and ultimately gain a sense of altruism.  It is a true illustration that we all have the capacity to give of ourselves and that is why our baking project is simply successful! 

The feedback that we receive from the community is that the children staying at the homeless shelter get to come home from school and enjoy a home baked snack and this is something that they look forward to.  It is a small gesture of love, caring, and predictability in their fragmented world.  The Shelter Director also shared that the staff look forward to seeing and interacting with our guests each week and have formed a nice connection with us.  This has created an opportunity for our guests to establish new roles and relationships within their community which allow them to demonstrate their strengths.
START Team Kudos
Kudos to Deanna Baker and Xianting (Steven) Ye from NY START Richmond Kings. Deanna Baker joined the NY START Richmond Kings team just about two months ago and continues to make valuable contributions. Her signature strengths are Humor, Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, and Love of Learning. Every day her warm disposition and sense of humor makes our office an enjoyable place to spend the day. Her bubbly personality is a breath of fresh air, and she is extremely pleasant to everyone she interacts with. Deanna’s Love of Learning is evident in her quickly diving into START training, mastering new skills and sharing the START Model with accuracy and understanding of the components. Deanna continues to build on her clinical skills as evidenced through her asking questions and applying the knowledge She demonstrates an inquisitive mind and goes above and beyond what is asked of her. Deanna’s outreach to the community resulted in linkage partnerships with many mental health professionals who are excited to learn how to support people with IDD.

Xianting (Steven) Ye joined our team one month ago and hit the ground running. His signature strengths are Fairness, Leadership, and Social Intelligence. Steven's leadership abilities are evident in his work every day. His initiative and meaningful contributions since his very first day are valued by the entire team. Requiring little guidance, he utilized his connections in the IDD and MH fields and added to the START program resources immediately. Steven’s social intelligence allows him to gain an audience with senior management of many organizations and he continues to open doors to potential linkage partners. His ability to take charge of any task assigned to him, and work well both independently and on a team, are leadership skills desired by most. 

START Resource Center Kudos: New Hampshire
NH START Resource Center
I wanted to take a moment to thank the staff at the NH START Resource Center for the positive support they provided during an individual’s first planned stay.  This was his first time at the Resource Center as well as his first time staying overnight away from home.

The Resource Center staff should be commended for their excellent person-centered, strength-based support. He tried new foods and exceeded all self-care goals. His family expressed their deep gratitude, describing his experience as “extraordinary” and “the single biggest experience in his life”. 

Submitted by Cecile Bonvouloir, NH START Coordinator
Certification Congratulations!
Congratulations to all newly certified START Coordinators! 

July
Barbara Drotos - NH START
Natashia Shelley - NC START East
Tierra Leach - NC START East
Stephanie McWilliams - Tarrant County Texas

August
Elyana Martinez - El Paso Texas
Kylee Hansen - ArkSTART
Liv Salvador - VA Region 2 REACH

September
Kelly Land - Tarrant County Texas
Mfrie Emem-Imoh - VA Region 2 REACH

October
Jeanmarie O'Sullivan - VA Region 2 REACH
Tyler Bond - NY START Region 1
Michelle Medina - NY START Region 1
Certification Renewals
START certification requires that Coordinators submit for renewal every two years. A new process was recently rolled out that outlines a user-friendly process. 

Is your 2-year certification date coming up? You can check your status anytime by visiting the Certification Renewal section of Moodlerooms’ Online Resource Area under QA Tools & Manuals.

DID YOU KNOW?
You don’t need to be a current member of a START team to apply for START certification renewal. Contact Beth Grosso if you are not currently on a START team and wish to apply for renewal.
Editorial on Certification
by Lisa Wolfe, MSW, LCSWA, Director NC START East
Certification. The word can bring fear to the newest members of a START team, coordinators, clinical directors, and team leaders; even program directors are not immune.  I think back to some of the first certifications for our program and remember emphasizing the importance of the presentation, what to say, how to say it, what not to say, what it should look like.  All of which are very important but I learned the process leading up to the certification is just as, if not more important.  

For instance, we learn how to listen.  We listen to families, listen to the individuals we support, listen to trainings. Listen to Joni. We learn how to read.  How to read records, how to read medication regimens. How to read people. How to read a room.  We learn how to articulate challenges in a way that doesn’t place blame on our individuals or the programs that support them.  We learn the importance of feedback, as well as how to give and accept it.  We learn how to research, develop, and present information.  We learn how to celebrate successes (big and small).  We learn how to join with families and groups that have proven impenetrable to others.  We learn how to point out successes and learn from failures.   We learn how to tell someone’s story so that others will listen.  We learn how to support those doing the work (in this case the coordinator).  We recognize the challenges of the process.  We support each other through an emotionally charged stressful situation.  We learn how to continue to come back to the table to accomplish the task at hand.  We learn all of this along the way to certification day.  So remember, if you can’t immediately recall the name of a medication or the reason for one of fifteen placements, remember what you have learned. Most importantly remember that after certification, the real work begins. 
Featured Photo: Iowa START
Iowa START Team
Left to Right: Felicia Bates, Tiffany Liska, Lynn Phillips, Jessi Kettenacker, Ashley Gruver, Dr. Joan Beasley. Front: Dave O’Neal and Jim Aberg
Featured Photo: ArkSTART CET
ArkSTART CET
Photo courtesy of ArkSTART's Facebook page
Center for START Services
Some of the Center for START Services staff attended the UNH Institute on Disability Staff Meeting last month in beautiful Lincoln, NH.
Center for START Services

Left to Right: Shannon Wedge, Lindsay Allsop, Bob Scholz, Dr. Joan Beasley, Beth Grosso, Mary Ann Allsop, Diann Kashulines, and Linda Bimbo
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