The Baker Center for Children and Families

I've finally caught my breath after a really exciting and enriching Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) conference! As a manager, I've really struggled with finding my professional identity as it relates to my contributions on my team's many projects. I'm no longer as directly involved in the day-to-day as I used to be, but this past weekend was a great reminder of why I do what I do, especially how important it is to me to support our team on the ground. I am so so proud of every single person on the Quality Care Initiative Team at The Baker Center for Children and Families! Michaela Harris, MPH gave an engaging and innovative slam and Michelle Alto presented a poster about a parent and caregiver support group program and training we co-developed with members of faith-based community in Boston (Thank you, Shaleah Tersilas, Meri Viano, and Gillian Thomas!) Noémie Bechu, MPH, MSW, LCSW presented a poster that highlighted the specific actions of a program champion, Chelimer Miro Rivera LMHC, QS, NCC, building an integrated behavioral health consultation using our MATCH therapy model. Jessie Fitts presented a poster on the important contributions of bachelor's level providers on clinical teams using MATCH to address youth mental health challenges. Angelina Ruiz and Yukihiro Kitagawa discussed our amazing research-practice partnership between our applied implementation team (QCI), Baker's Implementation Research Division (Kelsie Okamura, Tessa Palafu, Zoe Primack, Summer Pascual, Callum Chertavian), and the ADDRESS Mental Health Lab at the University of Oregon (Alayna Park, Anna Bartuska). Angelina even won the award for Best Practitioner-Focused Presentation! I can't forget the support from many other QCI team members, Sean Snyder, Kaitlin (Katie) Haupt, MPH, Julia Kennedy, Katherine Corteselli, Lucy Khaner, Vanessa Liang, Heather Mohler, Akash Ray, Sarah Tannenbaum, PsyD, ABPP, Devyn Lovett, Catherine Waye, and Daniel Cheron, who've provided guidance, feedback, support through all the details. Our team makes an impact nationally and I'm so proud of everything everyone has accomplished!

Registration for October's FREE webinar is now open! Join us on October 31 as we provide psychoeducation about OCD, diagnosis, and effective treatments.?Register at bakercenter.org/ocd #webinar #ocdawareness #ocd

October is #ADHDAwarenessMonth! Over the next few weeks, keep an eye out for ADHD resources, stories from our community, and more.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of connecting with colleagues and presenting at the 2024 Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) Conference in Denver, CO! At the conference, I was able to showcase a Community-Academic Partnership that I have supported as a Graduate Student Intern for The Baker Center for Children and Families. This presentation highlighted a multi-collaborative effort to bridge the research to practice gap by using data to inform support for behavioral health agencies implementing evidence-based practices. A fantastic team of colleagues supported this work, including those from The Baker Center for Children and Families (Dr. Daniel Cheron, Dr. Rachel E. Kim, Dr. Katherine Corteselli, Catherine Waye, Dr. Kelsie Okamura, Tessa Palafu, Zoe Primack), the University of Oregon (Dr. Alayna Park, Anna Bartuska, Yukihiro Kitagawa), and the University of Iowa (Dr. Yanchen Zhang). At the conference’s concluding ceremony, I was honored to receive the “Outstanding Practice-Focused Oral Presentation Award” for this presentation! Given that this was my first solo oral presentation at a conference ever, this award felt particularly special. I am very grateful to all of those who help me prepare for this presentation and deliver it with success. I left the conference feeling inspired to continue to leverage implementation science and quality improvement strategies to improve children’s behavioral health outcomes.

This past week, I had the pleasure of representing The Baker Center for Children and Families at the Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) Conference in Denver, CO! As an Implementation Specialist, one of my key responsibilities is to take complex implementation theories, models, and frameworks and translate them into practical, accessible strategies that can be easily understood and applied by everyday people. I had the opportunity to showcase this skill during the inaugural “Slam” presentation format (a mini-Ted Talk), where I shared the impact of our “Caregiver Conversations” Project, led by my colleagues Dr. Michelle Alto and Dr. Jessica Fitts. This initiative was developed in partnership with Morning Star Baptist Church and Parent/ Professional Advocacy League of Greater Boston. Special thank you to my co-authors and collaborators - Shaleah M., Meri Viano, Gillian Ezedi, and Julia Kennedy and for the guidance of Rachel E. Kim and Sean Snyder. ? Grateful for opportunities like this to highlight our work, build community partnership, share best practice, and ultimately improve the mental health outcomes of children and families! #sirc24 #sirc2024

We never want to have to think about coming up with a safety plan for a child, teen, or young adult who is at risk of self-harm or suicide. But being prepared ahead of time hopefully means you can avoid a crisis. In our latest blog post, we break down how to make a safety plan and why it's so vital for saving lives: https://lnkd.in/erikxsmf #suicidepreventionmonth

Proud of Emma Donnelly and Akash Ray and honorary mention to Catherine Waye, some of the stellar Program Assistants at The Baker Center for Children and Families. Today they presented some of their research on measurement based care, representing METRIC our National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) service delivery grant at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) conference! Great work, team! Thanks to all our clinicians for doing the work that supported this research and for doing such important and necessary trauma work every day. You are the heart of the Baker Center and represent our mission so well!

Join us on October 2nd for the return of the Child Mental Health Forum! Parenting Interventions for Autistic Youth with Challenging Behaviors: Adaptations and Innovations to Enhance Community Access to Care will explore how we can support youth on the spectrum. Learn more and register at bakercenter.org/cmhf-oct24

Self-harm and suicidal ideation are never easy topics to think about. It can be terrifying to think kids, teens, and young adults may be grappling with these intense feelings. However, being aware of the signs of suicidal ideation can help caregivers literally save a life. Learn more by reading our latest blog post: bakercenter.org/self-harm #suicidepreventionmonth #depression #mentalhealth

Depression is a huge issue among teens. Many factors such as bullying, social media, and peer pressure can lead to intense feelings of sadness and hopelessness. In September's edition of Parent Talk, we review some of these factors and provide ways that caregivers can support teens in need: bakercntr.org/pt-sep24 #suicidepreventionmonth #depression #mentalhealth #newsletter