EdSERT encourages school staff to live and improve their own SEL skills, which they then model for their students, which is a far more effective teaching tool than talking about how to behave.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (PRWEB)
April 03, 2023

Aperture Education, the leading provider of research-based social and emotional learning (SEL) assessments for K-12 schools, today announced free access to Educator Social and Emotional Reflection and Training (EdSERT) for the 2023-2024 school year. This holistic approach to SEL enhances educators’ understanding and capacity to teach and model SEL to students, while providing tools to support their own well-being.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that shortcomings in social and emotional learning are having a negative and long-lasting impact on students and educators. Students continue to struggle in the post-COVID era, while educators, who often lack adequate training in SEL, are feeling burned out and leaving the profession in record numbers,” said Aperture Education CEO Jessica Adamson. “By providing a comprehensive and aligned approach to SEL for both students and educators with our Aperture System, we want to empower teachers with the tools they need to achieve success in the classroom at no extra charge.”

In a 2022 report, the National Education Association found that 55% of educators are thinking of resigning from the profession. And almost as many of K-12 educators and staff said they “always” or “very often” feel burned out at work, making it the profession with the highest burnout rate in the country, according to the 2022 Gallup Panel Workforce Study. At the same time, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that 87% of public schools reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted student socio-emotional development, increasing incidents of classroom disruptions from misconduct, disrespect toward teachers and staff, and other negative behaviors.

EdSERT can help school systems address these challenges by providing a more thorough understanding of essential social and emotional competencies through:

• Eight engaging learning modules based on CASEL™ and DESSA competencies
• Self-reflective social and emotional surveys that provide educators with an understanding of their own strengths
• SEL strategies to strengthen personal social and emotional development and teaching practices for the classroom

EdSERT is an ideal tool at a time when school districts and leaders see a great need in training teachers to deliver SEL effectively. EdWeek’s recent market brief, New Directions in Social-Emotional Learning: What’s Next for the K-12 Market, revealed that 65% of leaders believe that the biggest barrier to incorporating SEL into the school day is lack of adequate training for teachers. EdSERT enables educators to acquire a more thorough understanding of essential social and emotional competencies so they can provide better explicit SEL instruction as well as identify opportunities for integrating SEL principles and practices across the curriculum.

Aperture is in the process of accreditation with a goal to provide CEUs for EdSERT by the fall 2023.

EdSERT is available at no charge to new Aperture Education customers and existing customers that opt-in to the offering for the 2023-2024 school year. Usage of EdSERT by an unlimited number of users will save school districts tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

“The impact of adding EdSERT for our school staff has taken us to a higher level,” said Carla Truttman, director of Siskiyou County Office of Education in Yreka, Calif. “We’ve been utilizing Aperture in our schools for the past 18 months and it has been amazing to watch educators become intentional about using SEL teaching strategies. EdSERT encourages school staff to live and improve their own SEL skills, which they then model for their students, which is a far more effective teaching tool than talking about how to behave. As a bonus, school staff stress levels have decreased and their happiness increased as they’ve worked on the adult SEL in the EdSERT modules.”

For more information or to access EdSERT at no charge, please visit https://www.apertureed.com/edsert

About Aperture Education

Aperture Education has empowered nearly 8,500 schools and out-of-school time programs across North America to measure, strengthen, and support social and emotional competence in K-12 youth and educators. The Aperture System includes the DESSA suite of strength-based assessments, CASEL™-aligned intervention strategies, and robust reporting, all in one easy-to-use digital platform. This system enables education leaders to make strategic, data-based decisions about SEL within their organizations. Aperture has supported more than one million students in their social and emotional growth and continues to develop innovative solutions to bring the whole child into focus. To learn more, visit http://www.ApertureEd.com.

Share article on social media or email:

New Embark Behavioral Health Outpatient Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ

“The new Scottsdale outpatient center, along with our existing Phoenix location, will be a catalyst for healing in the Valley and a window into Embark’s spectrum of services,” said Alex Stavros, CEO of Embark Behavioral Health.

CHANDLER, Ariz. (PRWEB)
March 28, 2023

Embark Behavioral Health, a leading network of mental health treatment programs for preteens, teens, young adults, and their families, will soon add a Scottsdale outpatient therapy clinic to its services in the Phoenix area. The clinic is enrolling clients and will feature an intensive outpatient program (IOP) and a therapeutic day treatment program (also known as a partial hospitalization program, or PHP) as part of the company’s robust continuum of care.

“The new Scottsdale outpatient center, along with our existing Phoenix location, will be a catalyst for healing in the Valley and a window into Embark’s spectrum of services,” said Alex Stavros, CEO of Embark Behavioral Health. “Our teammates have done an exceptional job launching these programs and bringing the Embark treatment approach to families across the greater Phoenix area. And with suicide being the second-leading cause of death for ages 10-24 in Arizona, it’s more important than ever that we create access to higher quality mental health services.”

The clinic, located at 7373 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite D-120, in Scottsdale’s McCormick Ranch area, will be the second Embark location offering outpatient treatment programs in Arizona, with Uptown Phoenix being the first.

Embark ensures the highest levels of quality care and safety standards, offering programs accredited by The Joint Commission. Programs include individual, group, and family therapy, as well as therapeutic/peer mentoring, home health care services, addiction treatment, and parent coaching for issues such as:

• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 
• Anger/mood regulation 
• Anxiety 
• Bipolar disorder 
• Borderline personality disorder
• Bullying 
• Depression 
• Family conflict 
• Self-harm/cutting 
• Social isolation 
• Substance use/abuse 
• Technology addiction

The Scottsdale Clinic: A Closer Look

“The new Scottsdale clinic will help more adolescents and young adults to maintain and thrive in their lives and relationships through the support of professional mental health counseling,” said the location’s executive director, Dr. Meka Allen, who has a doctorate in social work. “I’m excited to bring our unique family-centered treatment approach to those in need in our area.”

Embark treats the family as a whole, using an evidence-based and relationship-focused approach. In addition to providing family therapy, the company also collects thousands of data points and shares feedback with each family so it can adjust treatment in real time to improve results.

The Scottsdale location’s therapists will serve a variety of locations throughout Phoenix, including:

• Scottsdale
• Tempe
• Mesa
• Chandler
• Glendale
• Phoenix
• Paradise Valley
• Fountain Hills
• Windsong
• Ahwatukee
• Guadalupe
• Gilbert
• Queen Creek
• Camelback East Village
• Desert Ridge
• Tolleson
• Goodyear
• South Mountain
• Apache Junction
• Avondale

To celebrate, Embark will host an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on March 30. Guests will enjoy refreshments, learn about the intensive outpatient and therapeutic day treatment programs, and tour the new space. To RSVP for the event, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-house-ribbon-cutting-ceremony-at-embarks-scottsdale-clinic-tickets-574957783207

In addition to increasing the number of families it serves in the Phoenix area, recent Embark milestones include:

• Expanding the company’s online mental health services with an insurance-reimbursed available to residents in various states across the country.
• Moving the Embark Behavioral Health support office to Chandler, Arizona. The vibrantly designed space celebrates the company’s culture, values, and purpose.
• Opening several insurance-reimbursed short-term residential and outpatient clinic locations across the country in states including California, Colorado, Maryland, Georgia, and Virginia.
• Launching the Embark Behavioral Health Foundation with a mission to raise awareness of the youth mental health crisis, end the stigma around mental illness, and drive more access to high-quality services. The foundation will also provide a scholarship fund to help adolescents, young adults, and their families participating in mental health services pay for private pay programs, insurance co-pays, premiums, and general fees.

For more information about Embark Behavioral Health, visit http://www.embarkbh.com.

ABOUT EMBARK BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

Embark Behavioral Health is a leading network of outpatient centers and residential programs offering premier mental health treatment for preteens, teens, and young adults. Dedicated to its big mission of reversing the trends of teen and young adult anxiety, depression, and suicide by 2028, Embark offers a robust continuum of care with different levels of service and programming; has a deep legacy of over 25 years serving youth; works with families to adjust treatment in real time to improve results; treats the entire family using an evidence-based approach; and offers the highest levels of quality care and safety standards. For more information about Embark or its treatment programs, including virtual counseling, intensive outpatient programs (IOPs), therapeutic day treatment programs, also known as partial hospitalization programs (PHPs), short-term residential treatment, wilderness therapy, and long-term residential treatment, visit http://www.embarkbh.com.

Share article on social media or email:

“Fentanyl was present in more than 80% of overdose deaths in Ohio in 2020 and is now the leading cause of drug overdose in Cuyahoga County… We are committed to providing accessible, effective and affordable care to the communities that need it most.”

PARMA HEIGHTS, Ohio (PRWEB)
March 21, 2023

BayMark Health Services announced the opening of their newest MedMark Treatment Centers clinic in Parma Heights, Ohio, conveniently located approximately 10 miles southwest of Cleveland. MedMark Parma Heights provides evidence-based treatment, including medication, counseling and supportive recovery services, for adults living with an opioid use disorder. The new location at 6700 Pearl Road in Parma Heights is now accepting new and transferring patients.

“The opioid epidemic has been a critical issue in Ohio for more than a decade, but in recent years has been exacerbated by the appearance and widespread use of the deadly drug fentanyl,” shared David K. White, Ph.D., CEO of BayMark Health Services. “Fentanyl was present in more than 80% of overdose deaths in Ohio in 2020 and is now the leading cause of drug overdose in Cuyahoga County. That made it very clear where our services were most needed as we continue our expansion across Ohio. We are committed to providing accessible, effective and affordable care to the communities that need it most.”

MedMark Treatment Centers are known across the country as providers of comprehensive, individualized treatment for opioid use disorder. Through medication management and counseling, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) reduces the symptoms of withdrawal and cravings, paving the way for patients to focus on addressing the causes and consequences of their addiction and developing new tools and resources to regain stability in their lives. Additionally, MedMark Parma Heights will provide addiction education, relapse prevention, lab testing, coordinated care for pregnant patients and linkages to community resources in a brand-new facility following all current CDC guidelines for health and safety. For more information on MedMark and our services visit: http://www.MedMark.com.

To inquire about admission or make a referral, contact Adriann Winn, Treatment Center Director, at 440-941-1933.

About BayMark Health Services:

BayMark Health Services provides Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment over 70,000 patients in recovery across more than 400 treatment facilities in 37 states and 3 Canadian provinces. The largest provider of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) services in North America and the leader in evidence-based treatment options for SUD’s, BayMark’s continuum of care includes medication-assisted treatment (MAT), withdrawal management, PHP, IOP, counseling and other innovative support therapies in outpatient, inpatient and residential settings.

Share article on social media or email:

Clay is an early identification platform that provides a comprehensive suite of behavioral and developmental tools for school communities that serve children ages 0-5.

“In order to better support children and set them up for success, early education centers need tools to identify potential risk factors such as behavioral and developmental delays,” said Lee Rotenberg, Co-founder and CEO, Clay.

NEW YORK (PRWEB)
March 16, 2023

Clay, the behavioral health solution for early childhood education centers, today released new data from its early screening and identification platform, indicating that 40% of children ages 3-5 who were flagged with behavioral issues also showed signs of anxiety.

Clay is an early identification platform that provides a comprehensive suite of behavioral and developmental tools for school communities that serve children ages 0-5. For this particular data effort, Clay considered more than 250,000 anonymized data points on 2,726 children ages 3-5, collected via well-validated standardized screening tools recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Of this sample of participants, nearly one third (778 children, or 30.8%) showed some indication of a behavioral concern. Within this subset, 40% showed an indicator for anxiety. Clay’s data also indicates that there may be a strong correlation between parental anxiety and child anxiety, with up to 65% of the children flagged for behavioral issues displaying signs of anxiety when a parent also showed signs of anxiety. It also signals a strong correlation between behavioral issues and developmental issues, with 51% of the children who were flagged for behavioral issues showing indications of developmental delays.

“Early education centers are increasingly on the front lines of the mental health crisis,” said Lee Rotenberg, Co-founder and CEO, Clay. “In order to better support children and set them up for success, early education centers need tools to identify potential risk factors such as behavioral and developmental delays. As this data indicates, behavioral issues often correlate with other types of mental health concerns that can and should be addressed as early as possible.”

With a comprehensive suite of best-in-class tools, Clay empowers early education centers to create a better classroom environment by identifying potential behavioral and developmental health concerns, and provides training and strategic support to help teachers address them more effectively. Clay also provides personalized information for families, with the goal of aligning parents and educators on how best to support the child and ensure they are on the same page.

The Clay platform includes:

• Ongoing developmental and behavioral screening and monitoring tools to support children and educators in the classroom
• AI-powered assistant for teachers to get instant answers and support for behavioral health
• Peer support chat groups for educators on behavioral topics and knowledge exchange
• Interactive professional development and support for teachers around behavioral and developmental health
• Evidenced-based, personalized interventions and strategies for parents and educators
• Psychoeducational content for families and educators

According to a recent study published by The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory (2021), one in three high school students and more than half of female students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, an overall increase of 40% from 2009. “The typical delay between the first onset of a mental health issue or disorder and the first treatment contact is 11 years,” said Robin Maddox, LMFT and Director of Behavioral Health, Clay. “For children, this means that issues such as anxiety aren’t being addressed until their teenage years, even though they may have first surfaced in early childhood as behavioral concerns. This highlights the critical need for early identification and intervention, and reinforces the role of tools like Clay in supporting educators and parents.”

What Early Education Centers are Saying About Clay

• “In our current climate we have seen more children struggling with mental health and anxiety than before,” said Sasha Vinson, Chief Operating Officer, Kids ‘R’ Kids Corporate. “As early educators we are constantly looking for innovative ways of connecting with our children and helping families cope with challenging behaviors. This is why we are so excited to be partnering with Clay. Early intervention in the preschool setting is key to helping families and teachers form a support system to help children build confidence, curb challenging behaviors, and develop a lifelong love of learning. ”
• “Our partnership with CLAY is particularly advantageous for our parents and teachers – however, the winners in this efficient yet thorough process are the children,” said Kate Sherrard, Creative Director, O2B Kids. “CLAY offers us a window into the world of each student from the perspective of both the teacher and the parent. Early identification of areas where a student excels or may need help will benefit that child dramatically in their future success. We feel that CLAY will give each student and family a leg up on their academic and developmental success.”
• “We’ve seen firsthand the impact that early identification can have on our classrooms,” said Spencer Kushner, Founder of Otter Learning, a multi-state leading early childhood operator “Clay’s platform has been an invaluable tool in helping us to identify and address behavioral and emotional issues early on, and we view this new data as a validation of the importance of this work.”
• “At The Malvern School, we are committed to developing the whole child during their crucial early childhood years– from infancy to pre-kindergarten and beyond,” said Kristen Waterfield, Founder & CEO, The Malvern School. “Our Program focuses on the physical, cognitive and emotional growth of the child and that is why partnering with CLAY is perfect for our school communities. We are excited to offer our parents resources outside of the classroom that will be customized to their child’s own developmental needs and provide all caregivers with the tools to navigate the early childhood years.”

For more information about Clay, or how to participate in Clay’s early education pilot program, please contact us at hello@carebyclay.com.

About Clay

Clay is a behavioral and developmental health platform for early education centers. With a comprehensive suite of best-in-class tools, Clay empowers teachers to create a better classroom environment by identifying potential behavioral and developmental health concerns, and provides training and strategic support to help teachers address them more effectively. With a seasoned executive team and a list of premiere customers and partners in early education including O2B Kids, The Malvern School, Kids ‘R’ Kids, and Otter Learning, and many others, Clay supports children, families and educators at hundreds of early education centers across the country, in order to produce better health outcomes.

For more information, please visit https://carebyclay.com/.

# # #

Share article on social media or email:

“Becoming a nonprofit organization allows us to expand our free Certified Peer Recovery Specialist training to those who need it; we’ve already trained over 500 people in the last 12 months and look forward to seeing that number grow.”

MINNEAPOLIS (PRWEB)
March 16, 2023

Refocus Recovery, a grassroots organization that believes in the power of peer-to-peer relationships to break down barriers to sustained recovery from Substance Use Disorder, today announced that it has become a 501(c)3 nonprofit. The new status allows Refocus Recovery to continue removing barriers to accessing peer services by expanding their free Certified Peer Recovery Specialist training and building upon their already extensive network of compassionate community resources.

“Minnesotans are in crisis and the demand for Substance Use Disorder treatment continues to rise,” said Refocus Recovery Executive Director, Tim Sanders. “Becoming a nonprofit organization allows us to expand our free Certified Peer Recovery Specialist training to those who need it; we’ve already trained over 500 people in the last 12 months and look forward to seeing that number grow.”

Unlike many other Substance Use Disorder recovery organizations, Refocus Recovery does not only focus on how they alone can deliver recovery services. Instead, they believe in the power of building networks and collaboration by partnering with countless organizations to create a flexible workforce that is capable of providing services to as many individuals as possible. While Refocus Recovery seeks to remove all barriers to sustained recovery, they are especially focused on:

• Developing job skills and financial orientation
• Securing housing opportunities
• Support with legal issues
• Providing family and community advocacy
• Securing basic transportation

“This new status gives us the opportunity to reach more people than ever before and provide them with essential resources that will help them get back on track,” said Refocus Recovery Managing Director, Matt McLane. “We are dedicated to helping individuals find sustainable paths towards recovery so they can lead healthier lives.”

As an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Refocus Recovery will continue empowering individuals seeking recovery from Substance Use Disorder through their unique approach of leveraging networks and collaboration within communities across Minnesota. This status also allows Refocus Recovery to offer fiscal sponsorship for other Recovery Community Organizations who wish to start or expand their own peer recovery services.

About Refocus Recovery

Refocus Recovery is a grassroots organization that fosters peer to peer relationships within the multiple pathways to recovery. Refocus Recovery’s program focuses on developing and supporting a pathway to recovery for those affected by substance use, offering Peer Recovery Specialists who serve as mentors, advocates, and community networkers. The organization’s mission is to support, empower, and guide people in the recovery community toward reaching their recovery goals through personal connection and shared experiences. For more information, visit https://www.refocusrecovery.org/.

Share article on social media or email:

Making Friends with Monsters

“I knew I had to break this stranglehold of silence around mental illness,” Rostirolla says. “That’s when the idea of the book was born.”

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB)
March 09, 2023

Award-winning author Sandra L Rostirolla will celebrate the release of Making Friends With Monsters on April 4, 2023. Readers can pre-order the book at any bookstore and available upon request at local libraries.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide has become the second leading cause of death among children 10 to 14. Sandra L Rostirolla decided to change this terrifying statistic, fueled by stigma and silence.

Based on the author’s experiences with suicide in her family, Making Friends With Monsters offers a language for young adults to talk about the dark emotions they often face but bury, before it’s too late. Publishers Weekly Booklife called the book an “urgent, unflinching YA novel about the ‘monsters’ of depression and family dysfunction” (Editor’s Pick).

Rostirolla’s father died by suicide when she was thirteen. Since then, two of her brothers also died by suicide. The family dealt with their loss in silence. When she met a friend who told her that the hardest thing about her ex-partner’s suicide was how to explain it to her three young daughters (ages 11, 14 and 20), the recurring theme of silence around suicide hit hard.

“I knew I had to break this stranglehold of silence around mental illness,” Rostirolla says. “That’s when the idea of the book was born.”

Her novel, Making Friends With Monsters, uses “monsters” as a metaphor for the dark forces inside of us, bringing to life what drives them and how we can talk about them and confront them.

Set on a struggling farm in Australia, Making Friends With Monsters follows 12-year-old Sam on a quest to find out about the monsters plaguing his older brother Ben and his parents. Through Sam’s eyes, readers discover just how sneaky one’s monster can be and how hard it is to get rid of––especially because most people don’t know they even have a monster!

Rostirolla navigates Sam’s journey with compassion and grit, not shying away from stark realities and raw emotion while also exploring the deep well of resilience that will arise in coming to know our monsters and finding a way back to the light.

Born in Sydney, Australia, Sandra Rostirolla graduated from the University of Sydney with a BAppSc (Physiotherapy). She now lives in Los Angeles, where she presently works as a development executive in the film industry.

Share article on social media or email: