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In this month's issue:
- Meet our video contest winners and explore careers in children's behavioral health with our new resource hub for aspiring professionals
- Highlights from our 18th Annual Evidence-Based Practices Conference
- Recapping CHDI's 2026 legislative efforts and outcomes from this session
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Youth lead the way at CONNECT IV participant West Rocks Middle School's Mental Health Awareness Fair
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Staff news: a new face, a farewell, and recent events
...and more! Plus, be sure to check out this month's featured Kids Mental Health Training course, the brand new: Trauma ScreenTIME Juvenile Justice Course!
| | New Trauma ScreenTIME Course Aims to Expand Trauma Screening Among Justice-Involved Youth | | | | |
Trauma is prevalent among youth in the juvenile justice system, and our new Trauma ScreenTIME Juvenile Justice Course can help.
This free, self-paced course is designed for professionals working with this population, including probation officers, detention officers, intake interviewers, caseworkers, and more (no clinical background required!).
Learners gain best practices and expert guidance on developing and choosing a screening process, conducting trauma screenings, and utilizing results.
| | | | This program has been approved for 3.25 Continuing Education Credit Hours by the National Association of Social Workers, CT , and meets the continuing education criteria for CT Social Work Licensure renewal. | | | | The Trauma ScreenTIME Juvenile Justice Course is the sixth 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, early childhood, and child welfare. | |
Congratulating Our Contest Winners & New Career Resources for Aspiring Children's Behavioral Health Professionals! | | |
Our Behavioral Health Workforce Video Contest drew incredible entries, and we're grateful to all who participated! Congratulations to our top three entrants, Dr. Alayna Freeman, MD; Katherine Babb, LCSW; and Glorimar Falcon, LMSW. Special thanks to student judges at Lyman Memorial High School in Lebanon for helping us pick our winners.
Click the thumbnails to watch each winning video:
| | Tying into the contest, our Mental Health Awareness Month campaign focused on children's behavioral health workforce development. To close out the month, we launched a new resource hub for aspiring professionals, featuring perspectives from clinicians, career paths, educational funding, training opportunities, and more! | | 2026 Legislative Session Recap: Implications for Connecticut's Kids | | |
The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) concluded its 2026 regular session on May 6, 2026—and despite the short session, lawmakers passed several significant pieces of legislation for children and families.
CHDI staff provided expert testimony throughout on issues including school mental health funding and Medicaid rates, helping shape legislation that benefits Connecticut's kids.
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The final budget allocated roughly $426 million in FY27 to children's programs, alongside measures to reform child welfare and address eating disorders.
Continue our blog for a full summary of our 2026 legislative efforts and their outcomes:
| | Publications and Resources | | Peer-Reviewed Publication: Role of an Intermediary Organization and State Government Partnership | | | | |
What does it look like when an independent organization and a state government truly work together, and what can they accomplish?
A new peer-reviewed article, co-authored by several CHDI staff members, explores this question through the lens of our long-running partnership with the State of Connecticut.
The piece highlights concrete achievements born from this collaboration, including expanded dissemination of evidence-based practices, the development of a statewide children's behavioral health plan, and the creation of a strategic workforce development plan.
CHDI co-authors include Jason Lang, PhD; Kellie Randall, PhD; Aleece Kelly, MPP; Jeana Bracey, PhD; Katie Newkirk, PhD; Jack Lu, PhD, LCSW; and Jeffrey Vanderploeg, PhD.
| | May need institutional access to read full text. | | CHDI in the CT Mirror: Raising the Bar on Medicaid Rates | | "Connecticut already has the information and the framework we need to make our behavioral health system work better for all youth and families. We know what to do. Our kids cannot wait any longer for us to do it." | |
Last month, we shared a blog post by President & CEO Jeff Vanderploeg, PhD, and Director of System Development and Policy Aleece Kelly, MPP, making the case for raising Medicaid reimbursement rates for children's behavioral health providers. We're proud to share that the piece was picked up by the CT Mirror!
Since publication, $75 million has been designated in Connecticut's FY27 budget to increase reimbursement rates. As lawmakers determine how to allocate these funds, we strongly urge them to prioritize meaningful rate increases for behavioral health services: a critical step toward a stronger workforce and better care for kids and families.
| | Cheers to Marlene on Her Next Chapter | | | | |
CHDI bids farewell to Project Coordinator Marlene Gomez.
Marlene has been with CHDI since May 2023 and has been instrumental in enhancing youth and family engagement through Connecting to Care (CONNECT IV) and the School-Based Diversion Initiative (SBDI).
We wish her the best in her journey as she relocates out of state with her family!
| | Welcoming New Staff and Celebrating New Roles! | | |
Nicole Matheson, Senior Accountant
With 15+ years of experience in accounting and financial operations for nonprofit and educational organizations, Nicole provides accounting support to our finance team and manages finances for the Functional Family Therapy-Foster Care program. Before joining CHDI, Nicole served as Business Manager at St. Paul Catholic High School in Bristol.
| |  | Rosie Breindel, Senior Project Coordinator, is transitioning into Marlene's former role as the Lead Family Coordinator for CONNECT and will continue to work on other projects in the School Mental Health area. Rosie joined CHDI in 2022 and brings expertise in school-based counseling and experience supporting families in navigating the behavioral health system of care. | | | Dr. Jeff Vanderploeg, PhD, Moderates New England Children's Behavioral Health Network Conference Panel | | |
On May 7th, CHDI’s President & CEO Jeff Vanderploeg moderated a panel at the New England Children’s Behavioral Health Network (NECBHN)'s Spring conference, which focused on the anticipated impacts of H.R. 1 legislation ("One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act") on children and families enrolled in Medicaid.
Vanderploeg led a regional panel of experts from Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine discussing innovative Medicaid behavioral health strategies. Panelists highlighted multi-state collaboration, workforce development, and approaches to improving access and quality in Medicaid-funded behavioral health systems.
The NECBH is planning a follow-up event in September 2026 in Middletown, CT, where participants will turn their attention to innovative solutions in behavioral health workforce development. For more information, visit the NECBHN website.
| | Student Leadership and Mental Health Awareness at the Forefront at West Rocks Middle School | | |
On May 13th, West Rocks Middle School in Norwalk, CT, hosted an inspiring Mental Health Awareness Fair that highlighted the power of student connection and peer support through their ongoing participation in the CONNECT IV initiative. CHDI school mental health team member Gianna Mendes attended the event and saw West Rocks students' energy, engagement, and leadership firsthand!
The event served as both an informational resource fair—connecting students with local mental health providers and supports—and the official introduction of the school’s SEL Ambassadors, who serve as peer support leaders within the school community. Since the fair, the SEL Ambassadors program has received a 2026 Challenge to Educational Citizenship Award from the Connecticut Association of Schools for leadership and commitment to mental health.
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As part of our ongoing partnership, West Rocks is now implementing CHDI’s Students Supporting Students (Triple S) program during the 2026-2027 school year.
Learn more about the fair on News12.
| | 18th Annual Evidence-Based Practices Conference: Connect, Care, and Compassion: Inspiring Innovation Amid a Changing Landscape | | |
On May 21st, we hosted our annual EBP Conference at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, welcoming 400+ behavioral health providers, schools, state agency staff, and other child-serving professionals representing many organizations statewide.
The day kicked off with a keynote from Dr. Sunny Patel, MD, MPH, MS, of the Thrie Center for Children, Families, and Communities at Georgetown University, followed up by 3 breakouts with over 30 sessions to choose from.
Midday, we paused to honor this year's EBP Provider Award winners, who demonstrated outstanding performance in implementing EBPs. We are extremely grateful for our provider partners and their unwavering commitment to transforming children's behavioral health!
| | Our EBP Team was all smiles after wrapping up another successful conference! | | 18th Annual Evidence-Based Practices Conference: Connect, Care, and Compassion: Inspiring Innovation Amid a Changing Landscape | | | | |
On May 16th, NAMI Connecticut hosted their annual mental health fundraiser, the NAMIWalks 5K, which CHDI proudly supported.
Director of System Development and Policy Aleece Kelly, MPP, walked with over 350 participants on a beautiful day at Walnut Hill Park in New Britain.
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