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Navigating Transitions in the Summer
By Caitlin Lennon
Chief Clinical Officer
For most children, summer break is a welcome and exciting time that they look forward to each year. Summer is often accompanied by less structure and routine with changes in many areas such as later bedtimes and wake times, being taken care of by different adults, changes to activity level, etc.
Despite the excitement, transitioning in and out of the summer can be a challenging, stressful, and chaotic time. There are some ways that caregivers can work to decrease the impacts that these transitions have.
Children thrive on consistency. Clear expectations and predictability will go a long way. Layout set guidelines on when and for how long activities such as screen time will be allowed. Stick to these same guidelines as often as possible throughout the year.
When the routine or expectation is going to change, such as staying out later, having a special treat, or engaging in a new activity, let them know ahead of time and prepare them for it. Example: "Bedtime is going to be later tonight since we will be getting home late from the party. We won’t be able to do our normal routine tonight."
Be easy on yourself when the routine has to change or if meeting a consistent routine doesn't totally work for you and your family. There is room for fun and spontaneity without throwing the whole family system off. Do your best to respond to your child's questions, behaviors, and needs in a consistent way and give them as much preparation as possible for what to expect in each new day and experience.
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West Central Celebrates Award Winners
June was a busy and celebratory month for West Central as we gave out three annual awards. We are so grateful for the support and effort of the following to help us deliver the best care to our clients:
The Lilla McLane-Bradley Award was given on Wednesday, June 3, to Anne Page for her volunteerism and service to community mental health. One nominator noted that Anne “has been a committed board member and volunteer at West Central Behavioral Health for almost 30 years. . . . Anne served on the Board of Directors from 2015 through 2024. In her first year she took on the role of the Chair of the Finance Committee and Secretary/Treasurer of the Board. Through the years Anne has been instrumental in assisting WCBH to maintain our financial integrity, providing expertise in financial systems and allowing us to tap into her 30+ years of experience in health care finance.” Upon receiving the award, Anne said, “I feel very honored as well as proud to work with everyone at West Central—you all do an amazing job.”
| Above (left to right): Bronwen Ballou (daughter of Lilla McLane-Bradley), West Central President & CEO Lori Shibinette, Anne Page, and Bob Hanson (WCBH Board President). | |
The Matthew Stephen Terr Winer Award is given to the Geisel School of Medicine Dept. of Psychiatry PGY3 resident in psychiatry who best exemplifies the qualities of empathy, humanism, and clinical excellence in the practice of community psychiatry. This award, given out at the Geisel School Psychiatry/Psychology graduation for interns, residents, and fellows that was held on Thursday, June 4, went to PGY3 resident Dr. Zaharoula Blanas. Hara shared the following after accepting the award: “Although I was at WCBH for just one year, it was an immense joy to work with my patients and the team of talented, caring people at West Central.”
Our annual staff recognition, The Fred Hesch Award, was announced at the Summer Party on Friday, June 5. This year’s winner is Char Hoage, who has been working with clients at West Central for 9 years. Char was nominated by seven fellow staff members. Among the reasons given for her nomination were these highlights:
• "Char is deeply committed to reducing stigma and to compassionately serving some of our most vulnerable clients in the community with respect and genuine humanity as a critical part of the ACT team. She consistently models positive behavior, actively contributes to culture-building efforts, and volunteers her time to support team events and celebrations."
• "Char embodies West Central’s mission in her daily work. She is deeply client-centered, approaching each interaction with compassion, respect, and a strong recovery-oriented perspective. She supports clients who are struggling with patience and understanding and demonstrates what can only be described as an incredible depth of empathy for client behaviors, even in challenging moments."
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(Above: West Central President & CEO Lori Shibinette presents Char Hoage with
The Fred Hesch Award.)
Thank you to all who nominated their peers and helped to celebrate this year’s award winners! You can read more about the awards on the WCBH website.
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Denniece K. Coyle-Ames, Care Coordinator for Adult Services, attended the 2nd Annual Dartmouth Rural Health Poster Session and Symposium this past May, themed 'Transforming Rural Healthcare: Research-Driven Solutions, Real-World Impact'. “It was an honor to represent West Central Behavioral Health and our collaboration with Dartmouth Health–Heater Road through the Levy Incubator Project focused on integrated healthcare, alongside so many passionate individuals committed to improving rural health outcomes across Northern New England,” Denniece shared. “The event created meaningful opportunities for conversation around collaboration, behavioral health integration, innovation, and reducing barriers to care in rural communities. Hearing from providers, researchers, policymakers, and community organizations was both inspiring and encouraging. The ideas, connections, and shared commitment throughout the day served as a powerful reminder of how important compassionate, integrated, and community-centered care is for the people we serve.”
Connecting individuals and families with behavioral health resources, community supports, and WCBH services is a key focus of WCBH's community outreach. This spring, Denniece represented WCBH through biweekly outreach at the Claremont Soup Kitchen and Baby Steps Family Assistance, located in the same building as Oasis Teen Shelter & Support, Sullivan County's only residential shelter for youth experiencing homelessness. “I'm really excited about the momentum we're building and the opportunity for WCBH to be more visible and engaged locally,” shared Denniece.
Lebanon Pop-Up Clinic
WCBH is collaborating with the free walk-in health services clinic offered to those in need in Lebanon to help connect individuals to mental health services. WCBH Lebanon Adult Clinician Janet Cox recently participated, supporting visitors and sharing information on our services. Reach out here to learn more about this community service.
| | Photo courtesy of Connecticut Valley Addiction Recovery, Inc. | |
Upcoming Events
YouthCAN & TLC Family Resource Center are teaming up to present a day of fun for area teens on Wednesday, August 5, from 9am-1pm.
This free event is open to Newport and Claremont teens ages 12 to 17 and includes ropes course activities, pizza, and a lot of fun at the Granite Hill School in Newport, NH.
For more information email sblewitt@wcbh.org.
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Your #NHGives Impact
Together the community raised over $3,000 to help individuals in our Supported Employment Program during New Hampshire's annual day of giving. Your care and dedication ensures clients can purchase clothes and shoes for job interviews and will also help cover transportation costs and other related support. On behalf of the IPS Supported Employment team and the rest of the staff at West Central, thank you for your support of individuals on the path to recovery.
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Welcome, Psychiatry Interns!
A warm welcome to the new group of psychiatry interns who joined
West Central in July. They gathered together for orientation at our offices in Lebanon with Dr. Diane Roston and Dr. Matt Squires.
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(Left to right) Child fellow psychiatrists
Talitha West, Ryan Braumann, and Jacob Kisiel.
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(Left to right) Adult resident psychiatrists
Austin Gillis, Rika Matsuo, Ian Taylor, Madeline Schneider, and Matthew Caldwell.
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