I am pleased to announce a partnership between Art with Heart, Casey Family Programs and Sound Mental Health (SMH)  to benefit foster care youth, ages 13-18 through the Chill & Spill program.

Sandra Lippincott, LMFT, manager of the Counseling Services in the Auburn office is excited about the partnership and wrote,

“Chill & Spill’s therapeutic goals of reducing symptoms of trauma, building resilience and coping skills, and promoting good-decision making techniques are right on target for these youth who have often experienced trauma leading up to their out-of-home placement. Reducing their symptoms of trauma will help them heal from the circumstances that led them to out-of-home placement…

“For teens, which may be reluctant to engage in typical ‘talk therapy,’ we see Chill & Spill being a more effective way to work with them therapeutically. We are particularly excited about the value of using this curriculum in a group setting [because] it fosters a sense of belonging and community and fosters skills of interaction and communication that come from being part of a group… And serving this population through groups will allow SMH to reach more youth, more quickly.”

Casey Family Programs is underwriting this collaboration in order to help address the gap between the ever-growing number of foster care youth and age-appropriate mental health services and available practitioners.

Once the training is complete, SMS staff will offer the “Chill & Spill” program in 8-week sessions on an ongoing basis, up to 6 times a year, helping up to 60 youth per year through the Auburn office.

Tags: Chill & Spill