SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Wednesday, November 18, 2020 from 9:00AM - 12:30PM

8:30AM - 9:00 am  Coffee Talk & Opening Remarks

9:10 am -10:50 am Opening Address Dr. Jill Levenson  “Trauma Informed and COVID”

Dr. Jill Levenson is a Professor of Social Work at Barry University in Miami, FL. She is a SAMHSA-trained trauma-informed care instructor, and Lead Coordinator for the Trauma-informed Training Initiative at Barry’s Center for Human Rights & Social Justice. She has published 5 books and over 100 articles, many about adverse childhood experiences and trauma-informed care in forensic and clinical settings.

Dr Levinson’s two-hour Presentation will describe how professional helpers can help others (and themselves) build resilience in these uncertain times. This session will offer practical skills for helping People with disabilities that agencies support to cope using principles of trauma-informed care (TIC). Participants will learn to understand and respond to anxieties related to COVID, social injustice, and uncertainty through the lens of trauma. The training will also provide information and resilience skills related to dealing with vicarious trauma and self-care.  

1. Participants will learn to understand societal anxiety and resilience through a trauma lens.
2. Participants will learn to view and apply crisis intervention skills using SAMHSA’s principles of TIC.
3. Participants will learn to apply strategies for coping with vicarious trauma and developing self-care.

10:50 am - 11:00 am  Break

11:00 am -12:30 pm  Effective and Responsible Supports for Individual’s with Complex Needs
Sarah Louer, LCSW, Director of Clinical Services, Mountain Lake Services
Amy Gaddor, Assistant Director of Clinical Services, Mountain Lake Services

Maintaining a therapeutic environment and responsible decision making are essential to ensuring individuals with complex needs live fulfilling, non-restricted lives.  At Mountain Lake Services we believe every individual deserves a good life, regardless of their past or current struggles. The Clinical Services Department works diligently to collaborate with other service providers such as parole, probation, residential and day habilitation services, and families to provide the least restrictive environments and supports. Utilizing resources such as the Human Rights Committee and Mental Hygiene Legal Services to always have the individual’s rights at the front of the conversation. This presentation will delve into the intentional staff training provided, include a brief overview of a therapeutic environment and how this is a key component to quality care, discuss best practice assessments and plans, and finally will review a case study of how these approaches helped an individual with complex needs live a more independent, happy life.

Thursday, November 19, 2020 from 9:00AM - 12:30PM

9:00 am - 10:15 am Navigating Across Silos to Support People with Complexity
Multiple psychiatric, detox and rehabilitation admissions; arrests and incarceration; homelessness and trauma require new and different competencies for OPWDD providers and CCOs supporting people struggling with these complexities while drawing on the expertise of other systems.  Providers will need to step outside their comfort zone silo to strengthen their knowledge and understanding of these systems, build and sustain relationships that will lead to effective support and improved outcomes. This panel presentation will offer information and lessons learned, strategies to consider when building competency and stronger community connections, plus resources.

Panel members:
Delores Fraser McFadden, LBA, Behavioral Momentum Applied Behavior Analysis and Moderator
Jo Ann Goswick, I/DD Regional Program Director, Access: Supports for Living
Katherine G. Alonge-Coons, LCSW-R, Commissioner, Rensselaer County Department of Mental Health & Chair, Conference of Local Mental Hygiene Directors
Sean Switzer, Performance Improvement & Education Director, ACCESS: Supports for Living

10:15 am -10:20 am Break

10:20 am - 12:00 pm  Panel Discussion - The Current Environment and Supporting People with I/DD and Complex Needs
Roger Bearden, Executive Deputy Commissioner, NYS OPWDD
Jim Lytle, Senior Advisor, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
Robert Baker, Vice President, Keystone Human Services ACAP
Robert Budd, President & CEO, FREE
Sarah Louer, LCSW, Director of Clinical Services, Mountain Lake Services
Facilitator: Ann Hardiman, Chief Innovation Officer, New York Alliance for Inclusion & Innovation

For some time, the I/DD system of supports has been grappling with the difficult questions of how best to provide supports and care to complex populations living with an intellectual and developmental disability and also a mental illness, addictions or severe medical and behavioral needs. While there are bright spots in practice for such persons in New York State and in other states, for too long we have failed to provide enough infrastructure and support to sustain a strong safety net. This panel will discuss the question of how to best address complex populations. What would a coordinated delivery system looks like for a person with a complex set of needs? What collaboration with a variety of system partners is possible? What payment structures can assist in supporting complex individuals? The panelists will bring various perspectives to this conversation.