CHDI NEWSLETTER
July 2025
In this month's issue:
- Remembering Beresford Wilson, Jr.
- Read our latest Issue Brief breaking down five essential elements of infrastructure in children's behavioral health systems
- Register for a new Trauma ScreenTIME Child Welfare course
- See latest data on outcomes from dissemination of several key evidence-based treatments
- Learn about how we're working to expand integrated services for youth substance use and co-occurring disorders
- We're hiring!
And be sure to check out July's featured Kids Mental Health Training course: A Comprehensive Introduction to the Ohio Scales for Youth.
| | Remembering a Champion for Connecticut Families | | Beresford Wilson with CHDI's Jeana Bracey after a 2016 CONNECT training | | Beresford Wilson (third from left) with team involved in organizing community forums during development of the state's Behavioral Health Plan for Children in 2014 | | |
CHDI joins in tribute to longtime partner and advocate Beresford S. Wilson, Jr., who, through his impact and leadership at FAVOR, Inc. and AFCAMP, worked tirelessly to empower and uplift the voices of Connecticut families with lived experience in the children's behavioral health system. Associate VP of School and Community Initiatives Jeana Bracey, who worked closely with Mr. Wilson over many years, penned this tribute in his memory:
Beresford’s name was synonymous with the youth and family engagement movement in Connecticut for nearly three decades until his passing. He had a unique way of making his presence known, whether by his sheer physical presence and big personality, his joyful sense of humor, or through his passionate, unapologetic - and sometimes provocative - approach to using his seat at the table to demand more for families. I remember the pride with which he introduced himself in his role as Executive Director at FAVOR as the state’s “multicultural family support organization,” as it was his mission to serve all families and to fight for better access, equity, and dignity across the service system.
In 2014, following the tragedy in Newtown, Beresford facilitated input from families and youth for the development of Connecticut’s Behavioral Health Plan for Children, helping to organize public forums and listening sessions across the state. He was also an essential partner in Connecting to Care's work, countless statewide committees, and legislative initiatives to strengthen the system of care for all children with behavioral health needs. The fruits of his labor will continue to provide immeasurable benefits to children and families for generations to come.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.
| | Issue Brief 93: The Essential Role of Infrastructure in Strengthening Children’s Behavioral Health Systems of Care | | |
The importance of infrastructure in behavioral health systems is widely acknowledged, yet it is not a well-defined concept.
In our latest Issue Brief, President and CEO Jeff Vanderploeg, PhD, unpacks five essential elements of infrastructure within the context of state-level children’s behavioral health system building and offers concrete recommendations for policymakers and others working to strengthen state-level systems:
| | | New Trauma ScreenTIME Course Aims to Expand Trauma Screening Among Child Welfare-Involved Youth | | Exposure to trauma is prevalent among children and youth involved in the child welfare system. The new Trauma ScreenTIME Child Welfare course is designed for professionals working with youth involved in the child welfare system, including caseworkers, clinical staff, residential program staff, supervisors, and others (no clinical background required!). | | | This free, self-paced course covers best practices for trauma screening, developing screening criteria and processes, choosing a screening tool, what to do with the results, and more: | | This is the fifth Trauma ScreenTIME course developed to date. Other courses available include the Trauma ScreenTIME Core course (appropriate for any child-serving professional) as well as setting-specific courses for schools, pediatric primary care, and early childhood. | | |
This program is Approved by the National Association of Social Workers (Approval # 886487827-8730) for 4.5 continuing education contact hours.
Trauma ScreenTIME is a partner in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) and funded through a SAMHSA Category II NCTSI grant.
| | Helping Clinicians Support Youth with Co-Occurring Substance Use and Behavioral Health Needs | | Win Turner talks with training participants | | Win Turner and Marisa Musumeci lead the MET-CBT training | | In mid-July, CHDI hosted a two-day training on MET-CBT for providers involved in the SBIRT PATHS and CT-TREE initiatives. MET-CBT integrates two established evidence-based practices to address substance use and co-occurring mental health conditions by cultivating change in motivation, thoughts, and behaviors. It is flexible and can be delivered in brief or extended formats. | | The training was led by expert Win Turner, PhD, LADC, with Marisa Musumeci, LPC, of Community Mental Health Affiliates (CMHA). Participants from Child and Family Guidance Center, Clifford Beers Community Care Center, and Community Mental Health Affiliates - all of whom are partners in either the SBIRT-PATHS or CT-TREE initiatives - attended. | | |
Ms. Musumeci is the first provider in Connecticut to become certified to offer MET-CBT training; this training was the final step in her certification process. She is now able to offer statewide trainings in this model through CMHA in partnership with CHDI.
MET-CBT is one of several evidence-based practices CHDI is disseminating as part of initiatives to expand access to integrated substance use and co-occurring disorder care for young people in Connecticut. Learn more on our website:
| | Ensuring Access to Evidence-Based Practices for Connecticut Youth | | Summer is a busy time at CHDI, especially for our evidence-based practice (EBP) and quality improvement teams! CHDI partners with behavioral health providers in community-based organizations and schools across Connecticut to support implementation and quality improvement of key EBPs in children's behavioral health. Our team recently released Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 annual reports for three of these initiatives: | | School-Based Interventions: CBITS + Bounce Back | Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) and its elementary-age adaptation, Bounce Back (BB), are short-term, evidence-based, group interventions for children and youth who have experienced trauma. The FY 2024 CBITS and Bounce Back Annual Report demonstrates the continued success of this model across Connecticut. Nearly 800 students received CBITS or BB treatment this year, with more than two-thirds experiencing reliable PTSD symptom reduction. See other key findings below: | As Connecticut's CBITS Coordinating Center, CHDI provides training, credentialing, and certification along with ongoing data and quality improvement to a network of 33 CBITS and BB teams serving 116 schools and seven community-based organizations. Learn more in the annual report: | Evidence-Based Treatment: MATCH-ADTC | |
Modular Approach to Therapy for Children with Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Conduct problems (MATCH-ADTC) is an evidence-based treatment for four common behavioral health concerns among children: anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, and behavior problems.
The FY 2024 MATCH-ADTC Annual Report summarizes the work and outcomes of the MATCH provider network in Connecticut providers. This year, MATCH continued to produce positive results in terms of access, quality, and outcomes for Connecticut children and families. Below are a few key highlights:
| | As the state's MATCH-ADTC Coordinating Center, CHDI provides training, credentialing, implementation support, site-based consultation, data collection and reporting, and ongoing quality improvement to a network of 21 MATCH-ADTC providers throughout Connecticut. Learn more in the annual report: | | Connecticut's Outpatient Psychiatric Clinics for Children | | CHDI serves as the Quality Improvement Center for a network of 22 community-based outpatient psychiatric clinics for children (OPCCs) licensed and funded by the state of Connecticut to provide behavioral health services to youth and their families. See key highlights from the OPCC FY2024 Annual Report below: | This year, OPCC providers continued to navigate a changing landscape of increasing youth and family needs alongside workforce challenges that impact service delivery. Despite these challenges, OPCC providers demonstrated strong results in access, quality, and outcomes, serving more than 27,000 children and youth statewide. To learn more, download the FY2024 OPCC Annual Report: | | A Comprehensive Introduction to the Ohio Scales for Youth | | | | |
The Ohio Scales for Youth are evidence-based measures to assess and monitor behavioral health treatment when working with youth and their families.
This online course - taught by Ohio Scales co-developer Ben Ogles, PhD of Brigham Young University - will teach you the skills to introduce the scales to youth and families and use them to enhance and monitor treatment.
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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 available at NO cost!
Browse catalog: www.KidsMentalHealthTraining.org
| | | Highlights from the 2025 Training Institutes | | CHDI was proud to serve as a sponsor, exhibitor, and presenter at the 2025 Training Institutes, hosted by the UConn Innovations Institute in National Harbor, MD. The event brought together nearly 1,000 professionals working to improve systems for children, youth, and families. Our team—including staff and Connecticut partners from FAVOR and DCF—delivered over a dozen presentations on topics such as workforce development, trauma screening, school mental health, and evidence-based practices. We also shared free resources and connected with attendees at our exhibit booth. Thank you to everyone who joined us! | | Welcoming a New Staff Member | | | |
Wendy Hulbert
Accounts Payable Manager
A warm welcome to Wendy Hulbert, who joined the CHDI team as Accounts Payable Manager this month. Wendy brings over 20 years of experience in accounting and administrative support across the health, finance, and manufacturing sectors, most recently with AFC Industries. She holds a bachelor's degree from Lesley University.
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CHDI is hiring for several positions, including:
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Senior Associate/Director and Senior Project Coordinator/Project Coordinator to support CHDI’s new Performance Improvement Center for the State of Connecticut’s Functional Family Therapy-Foster Care (FFT-FC) program.
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Senior Project Coordinator to work on projects related to evidence-based practice dissemination and quality improvement initiatives in child and youth behavioral health.
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Project Coordinator to work on projects related to the development, implementation, and sustainability of a student peer support program.
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