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In this month's issue:
- Share your story to help build a sustainable children's behavioral health workforce in Connecticut (and a chance to win $500!)
- Why Connecticut must increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for behavioral health services
- How CONNECT is helping one Waterbury school transform its approach to student mental health and family engagement
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4 key restorative practices, defined and ready for implementation in the classroom
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Fresh resources, including three new tip sheets for school-based clinicians
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Exciting news from our team—including a new job posting
...and more! Plus, be sure to check out this month's featured Kids Mental Health Training course: Overview of Developmental Disabilities.
| | CHDI Leaders Urge State Lawmakers to Increase Medicaid Rates for Children's Behavioral Health | | |
CHDI President and CEO Jeff Vanderploeg, PhD, and Director of System Development and Policy Aleece Kelly, MPP, testified before the CGA Human Services Committee this month in support of bills that would increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for children's behavioral health providers and expand coverage for family and youth peer support services in Connecticut.
Watch Dr. Vanderploeg's testimony above, then head over our blog to learn more about how increasing rates and strengthening peer support services would benefit kids, families, and providers:
| | School Mental Health Spotlight: Enlightenment School, Waterbury | |
"CONNECT IV helps families gain the knowledge, confidence, and skills they need to actively participate in meetings, understand their child's needs, and ensure their voices are heard in the educational process."
- Larenzo Maldonado, Parent Liasion
| | | In our newest School Mental Health Spotlight, Principal Lauren Miele and Parent Liaison Larenzo Maldonado of Enlightenment School in Waterbury share with CHDI's Rosie Breindel how two years of participating in CONNECT IV has positively impacted their school community. | | Discover what happens when the whole school community shows up for students and their families—and learn how to bring CONNECT IV to your school: | | Your Story Can Inspire: Enter Our Video Contest! | | | | |
What drives you to work in children's behavioral health? Submit a short video answering this question to help inspire the next generation of behavioral health clinicians—and for a chance to win up to $500!
As part of CHDI's commitment to growing and strengthening the behavioral health workforce in Connecticut, we're asking CT-licensed providers to share what keeps them passionate and motivated to do this challenging but critical work.
Your story could be what inspires the next generation to choose this field. Add your voice!
| | By the Numbers: Children's Outpatient Psychiatric Care in FY 2025 | | The just-released FY2025 annual report for Connecticut's network of 22 nonprofit outpatient psychiatric clinics for children (OPCCs) reveals strong outcomes in the face of growing need and workforce challenges: | | |
26,256
children received OPCC services statewide in FY25
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66.7%
of children met treatment goals
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52%
of children showed significant symptom improvement, on average
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CHDI serves as the Quality Improvement Center for CT's OPCCs, providing data analysis and reporting, technical assistance, training, and other support.
See more FY2025 outcomes in the annual report:
| | New Blog Post: Understanding Restorative Practices in Schools | | | | |
Restorative practices offer schools a powerful alternative to punitive discipline, like suspension or expulsion, by shifting the focus to repairing harm, building relationships, and addressing underlying causes of challenging behavior. As of July 2026, Connecticut schools are required by law to incorporate these practices into their disciplinary plans.
But despite their efficacy, implementation can be a challenge due to the wide range of skills, tools, and concepts defined as "restorative practices."
| | Our latest blog post breaks down 4 key restorative practice models to help educators and school staff begin building stronger classrooms and communities through accountability, collaboration, fairness, mutual respect, and healing: | | New Provider Resources: Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) and Bounce Back Tip Sheets | | |
We're excited to share three new tip sheets designed to help providers of CBITS and Bounce Back better reach specific groups of students:
Even if you're not a CBITS or Bounce Back provider, many of these tips and strategies are applicable for any school-based behavioral health services, especially ones addressing trauma.
| | | March Featured Course: Overview of Development Disabilities | | | | |
This month's featured Kids Mental Health Training provides ready-to-use tools and interventions designed to help providers confidently support children with developmental disabilities and their families.
Instructor: Dr. Peter Tolisano, Director of Psychological Services at the CT Department of Developmental Services and Board-Certified Clinical Psychologist
🎓 Eligible licensed clinicians can earn 2 continuing education credit hours approved by NASW-CT
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Kids Mental Health Training is an online learning portal that provides convenient, evidence-based training on a variety of children’s behavioral health topics for clinicians, educators, pediatric providers, and other youth-serving professionals.
All KMHT courses are offered at NO cost and many offer continuing education credits!
| | CHDI Named a "Best Place to Work in Connecticut" for Fifth Time | | CHDI's Shannon Houston and Alana Valdez accept the award at the March 5th awards dinner. | | |
We're celebrating being named one of the "Best Places to Work in Connecticut" by the Hartford Business Journal for the fifth year in a row! This year, CHDI ranked 8th in the Small/Medium Employer category and 1st among nonprofits.
Awardees are selected based on results of anonymous workplace satisfaction surveys. Our staff's survey comments speak to our caring culture that prioritizes employee well-being:
💬 "Staff work across teams, share knowledge freely, and learn from one another in an environment that values reflection, inclusivity, and connection. Leadership genuinely listens, invests in professional growth, and encourages people to bring their full selves to work."
| | Connecting with Prospective Social Workers at Sacred Heart | | On March 12th, Senior Project Coordinator II Kate Powers, LMSW, participated in a networking and recruiting event at Sacred Heart University School of Social Work. This event provided an opportunity for students to connect with industry professionals and get a glimpse of the wide range of career possibilities in social work. Kate shared a variety of relevant resources, including Kids Mental Health Training courses. | | We're Hiring: Senior Accountant | | |
We're seeking an experienced accounting professional to process invoices, manage payments, and maintain financial records for the Functional Family Therapy-Foster Care (FFT-FC) program as well as provide general accounting support.
Visit our website to view full details and apply to join us at one of Connecticut's best places to work:
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