Antony Sheehan welcomed as President and CEO
 
Antony Sheehan
On Monday, June 5th, Antony Sheehan took the helm at SSMH after a nation-wide search to replace retiring President and CEO, Harry Shulman.

Antony joins us with more than 25 years of experience in healthcare strategy, management, and clinical and policy roles. He began his career in the United Kingdom as a clinical nurse specializing in addictive behavior and mental health. He pursued his interests in health care policy and administration, serving as a Senior Civil Servant during the Blair Administration and then as a hospital CEO. 

Antony moved to the United States after an appointment at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Most recently, he was the President of Church Health Center and a Senior Advisor in Community Health Programs at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis, Tennessee. 
 
"We are excited to have Antony on board," said South Shore Mental Health Board Chairman Tracey Phelan. "His experience in mental health policy, management, and clinical expertise will be a strong combination to lead the organization in today's dynamic and evolving environment. His approach to leadership, staff development, and strategy will allow South Shore Mental Health to continue to meet the needs of our clients, while expanding our programs and services to address unmet needs in the community."
 
"I am humbled to join South Shore Mental Health," said Antony. "The organization has an amazing history of meeting health and wellness needs in the community. My new colleagues at South Shore Mental Health have done an outstanding job building strategic partnerships and caring for so many. I look forward to joining a really strong team and building upon these efforts to ensure that even more people can benefit from the high quality programs we provide. I'm particularly keen to make a new home with my wife and daughters and to get to know my South Shore Mental Health colleagues and community partners. This is a very exciting time!"
 
Bayview Marshfield and Quincy accepting new clients to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) program

SSMH is pleased to share that our Bayview Counseling clinics in Quincy and Marshfield are currently accepting new clients into the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) program. 
The only DBT program in the area based on the Linehan Research Model , SSMH's DBT is provided by clinicians who are credentialed in this evidence-based model of care for people of all ages living with post-traumatic stress disorder and/or major personality disorders. 

Our DBT clinicians work with children (ages 9-12), teens (ages 13-18), and adults (age 18+) enrolled in treatment with the primary goal of developing skills to overcome the impulse to self-harm, and interact more positively with family, friends, and the community. South Shore Mental Health's DBT program is six months in duration for children and teens and one year for adults.  
Click image to download.
The flyer to the left outlines additional specifics about Dialectical Behavior Therapy at South Shore Mental Health. 
For more information, please contact Larry Kahn at 508-927-7189.

Rehab and Recovery team poised to meet growing need for mental health services
 
Kristen Woodbury was recently named Vice President of SSMH's Rehabilitation and Recovery Division. She previously served as the agency's Director of Community-Based Flexible Supports (CBFS), a community- and residential-based program offering therapeutic services to adults living with serious mental illness.
 
In her new role, Kristen oversees the CBFS program as well as the agency's comprehensive day treatment program, and Community Outpatient Clinic. She is also responsible for oversight of South Shore Mental Health's Peer-To-Peer program which offers support to clients on evenings, weekends, and holidays. 

"I am delighted that Kristen accepted the position of Vice President of the Rehabilitation and Recovery Division,"  said South Shore Mental Health Executive Vice President Stephen Wojcik. "She has been instrumental in the success of our community-based programs, and we look forward to her continued contributions as part of our leadership team."
 
Colleen Babson has been appointed Director of Emergency Services. Colleen joins SSMH with more than 20 years of experience developing, implementing, and monitoring emergency psychiatric programs for Lahey Health Behavioral Services' Salem, Haverhill, and North Shore emergency services teams.
 
In her new position at South Shore Mental Health, Colleen oversees the operational functioning of the agency's emergency services program, community crisis services, intensive community supports unit, and enhanced integrated care models.    

Grace Muron

Tara Delmonico
Nathalie Bailey
Leah Hallet








Also promoted within the Rehab and Recovery Division, Grace Muron has been named Program Director for Discovery Day Treatment.  Tara Delmonico is now Program Director of Community-Based Flexible Supports (CBFS).  Nathalie Bailey has become Assistant Director/MCI Director of SSMH's Emergency Services Program (ESP), and Leah Hallett has taken on the role of evening supervisor for the program.
Brockton and Southeast In-Home Therapy clinicians tapped for state-wide best practices workgroup

Early this spring, SSMH's Brockton and Southeast In-Home Therapy (IHT) teams were selected to participate in a pilot program aimed at standardizing In-Home therapy services across Massachusetts. The pilot, sponsored by t he Children's Behavioral Health Knowledge Center in collaboration with MassHealth, will test three strategies focused on the role of supervisors in supporting high quality In-Home Therapy.  Following the development of an IHT practice profile --a tool for operationalizing the program's core elements--the SSMH workgroup set out to test the first strategy by  completing staff self-assessments as defined in the practice profile.

"Our IHT teams are very excited to be participating in this competitive pilot project," said Program Director Dan Vayda. "Since kickoff in April, we've been working with family therapy providers from across the Commonwealth and the CBHI Knowledge Center to develop best practices for providers to adopt the standards outlined in the IHT practice profile." 

Now in the process of testing the second supervisory strategy, the team is at work observing clinicians during home visits with clients and families. The final strategy to be tested will be rehearsing best practices through role playing.

"It's very rewarding  to see our staff's commitment to improving the quality of IHT service delivery," Dan said. "All involved are excited to have a direct hand in shaping the future of the IHT Family Therapy Program."

IHT is available to MassHealth clients age 20 and under who are: at risk of inpatient hospitalization, transitioning from acute treatment, or in need of support beyond the scope of outpatient services. Learn more about South Shore Mental Health IHT here.


2016-2017 Clinical interns graduate

Each year, SSMH welcomes a select group of advanced-degree students eager to expand their knowledge and put their skills into practice both in and out of the classroom. Among the best and brightest in their fields, this year's interns worked alongside our experienced psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, clinical nurse specialists, and other experts whose multi-disciplinary approach to treatment provided valuable insight for this dedicated group of students.  We're proud to serve as a training site for tomorrow's clinicians and wish them well as they go on to make a positive difference in the lives of children, teens, and adults learning to live with mental health conditions.

Congratulations to  Licensed Mental Health Counseling interns  Michelle Barry and  Sydni Camillo; Psychology interns  Jenifer Ashley Gregory,  Jillian Stefi Diamond,  Alice Connors-Kellgren,  Clara Luisa Fajardo,  Yanet Vanegas, and  Bridgett Renea Alexander; and Social Work interns  Ciara Ginley,  Gregory Greys-Thomas,  Mary Labbe,  Kevin Leonard,  William Lewis,  Jing Li,  Alice Malone,  Jennifer Ogle,  Halley Palmer,  Vanessa Pearson,  Lauren Petrilli,  Katie Russo,  Caroline Watkins, and  Michael Yu !  

For more information on South Shore Mental Health's clinical psychology doctoral internship program, contact 
Dr. Bruce Roberts. To learn more about clinical social work internships, contact Suzanne Owens
Please contact Grace Muron for information about the internship program for licensed mental health counseling.        
 
Bayview Wareham leads initiative to improve youth substance use screening   

Following participation in a learning community to help organizations better serve youth with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders, SSMH's Bayview Counseling team in Wareham is taking the lead in implementing an agency-wide screening tool to assist in identifying at-risk youth.   Bayview Wareham was one of only four outpatient providers selected to participate in the six-month-long project sponsored by the Department of Mental Health's Children's Behavioral Health Knowledge Center and the Department of Public Health's Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (BSAS). 

The initiative began with onsite consultation from a national expert from the Center for Innovative Practices (CIP) at Case Western Reserve University, who evaluated Bayview's policies, practices, staffing and training related to the treatment of co-occurring disorders. Armed with recommendations for becoming more co-occurring capable, the team participated in three learning community meetings that focused on a model of process improvement to support making organizational changes to improve outcomes.  

Team members Kathleen Bambrick and Paul Shaw
Throughout the project, the aim of the Wareham team was to improve ability to recognize, assess, and document co-occurring disorders and therefore improve the focus of treatment. To help them achieve their aim,  clinicians piloted use of the CRAFFT Screening Interviewa sensitive screening tool designed to assess whether a longer conversation about drug and alcohol use is warranted. 

"As I began to utilize CRAFFT, I was surprised at how many of my teenage clients were either using (mostly marijuana) or around peers who were," said Sarah Benson an SSMH clinician participating in the project. "This initiative helped me re-evaluate how I work with teenagers in session and how I can better assess for substance abuse." Use of the screening tool enabled the Wareham team to identify a number of at-risk youth and as a result, CRAFFT is being implemented agency-wide for assessments of all youth aged 12 or older.  

As a follow up to the project, the Wareham crew is also taking the lead in developing a co-occurring disorder team where SSMH clinicians can gather to exchange ideas, feedback, and expertise pertaining to substance use disorder among youth and teens.
 
Team members Courtney Lee Pilotte, Sarah Benson, and Art Bence

Also in this Issue


Join us on Tuesday, July 18th at Cagney's in Quincy for a Family Feud Style evening of fun, food, and Questionnairy with host Jamie Goldberg! Enter for a chance to win passes to Launch Trampoline Park when you bring a new backpack or other school-related item to benefit the children of our In-Home Therapy Program.   Details here.
Bon Voyage Party for Harry Shulman raises $100,000 for  
Basic Needs Fund
 
Harry Shulman

On Thursday, March 23, friends, family, colleagues and business partners of retiring President and CEO Harry Shulman gathered at Lombardo's in Randolph to celebrate his career, wish him well, and raise funds to assist SSMH's financially disadvantaged clients.
 
The vacation-themed dinner event, sponsored by Eastern Bank, Marsh McLennan Agency-New England, and other long-time agency partners, featured a look back at Harry's 35 years at South Shore Mental Health as well as his life-long contributions to mental health causes and advocacy.
 
On hand to celebrate with Harry and introduce a special video tribute to the retiring CEO was Massachusetts State Senator John Keenan, Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders, Association for Behavioral Healthcare President Vic DiGravio, and Mix 104.1 Morning Show Host Kennedy Elsey, who reminded guests that without sufficient resources, commitment to treatment can often be overwhelming for clients.

The event raised $100,000 for the creation of a  Basic Needs Fund, in Harry's honor, to help clients whose lack of food, clothing, shelter, and other essentials impedes their path to recovery.

If you'd like to make a contribution to this fund, please click below or call 617-774-1017.
Many thanks t o all who joined us in June for our Wine Tasting Fundraiser hosted by Port 305 Restaurant and Mix 104.1's Kennedy Elsey. With your help, we raised $10,000 to go toward the construction of a therapeutic playground for children born with developmental disabilities enrolled in our Step One Early Intervention Program. Special thanks to the Pittman family for sharing Tedi's story! View event photos here!
SSMH in the Community

 .... AWARD WINNERS....
SSMH Program Director Courtney Bell was recently honored by South Shore Stars for making a difference in the world as a mentor and leader in her field. 

 .... EXPERTS....
Martha Ryan, SSMH's Meaningful Use Manager shared her expertise  on navigating the shift to the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) with the National Council for Behavioral Health's membership of 2,800 mental health and addiction services providers across the country. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' MIPS aims to improve behavioral healthcare outcomes by rewarding providers for quality and value of service rather than volume.
 
....COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS....
Sheila Walsh, Victoria Shea, Anne Marie Cullimore, Jonata Ferreira
South Shore Mental Health Program Director Anne Marie Cullimore led the SSMH team during the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Walk-Boston on Saturday, May 13th at Artesani Park In Brighton.   
 
....EDUCATORS....
SSMH's  Mental Health First Aid USA instructors provided training in both the adult and youth programs to parents, teachers, emergency service personnel and others interested in learning to recognize and address a mental health emergency.  

....LIFE-LONG LEARNERS....
 
Program Director Dan Vayda was accepted into the Boston University Questrom School of Business Nonprofit Management and Leadership Program where he says, "his non-clinical training has already proved valuable in his roles at SSMH!" 

 

Join our Team! 
We're always on the lookout for compassionate and dedicated people to join our teams in Quincy, Marshfield, Plymouth, Wareham, and throughout our service area. Click here to view career opportunities.
Client Portal Update
New functionality on the SSMH Client Portal now enables users to provide feedback on the service via secure link to a short series of customer satisfaction-related questions.  Since its introduction in 2016, SSMH's client portal has allowed clients to connect with clinical staff via email, set up text or email appointment notifications, and view and print portions of their medical records .
Our Mission 
South Shore Mental Health is committed to building hope and changing lives to improve the quality of life for children, families and adults. We assist individuals in reaching their full potential through integrated services that are innovative, evidence-based, and culturally competent.