The Path June 08

25^thAnniversary

The Path

"Guiding People on the Path to Change"

A Publication by PA Treatment & Healing

www.pathtochange.org	*June 2008, Volume 1, Issue 10*

From the President’s Desk…

Board of Directors

Joseph Pugliese

Chairman

Timothy Gage

Vice Chairman

Jerilyn Keen

President

Fred Martin

Director

Mary Tiffin-McGarrity

Director

Chris Bingaman

Director

Dr. Chris Boyatzis

Director

Stacey Kifolo

Secretary

Gene McCarty

Treasurer

Advisory Committee

Jerilyn Keen

Scott Constantini

Stephen Gaito

Robert Vanderwall

Don Coleman

William Rossnock

Joseph Talarico

Dr. Elizabth Ciaravino

Thomas Bell

Captain William Weber

Larry Weidman

John Gigunto

Matthew Yonkin

Consultants

Dr. Vikas Passi

D&A Medical Director

Dr. Frederick Maue

Mental Health Director

Dr. Matthew Emery

Psychological Consultant

Dr. Hugh Smith & Associates

Psychological Consultants

Dr. Antoinette Hamidian

Psychological Consultant

Karen Livingood

Psychological Consultant

Roger Smothers & Twin Tier Psych. Services

Keep Growing!

School’s out for the Summer! No more books to read, tests and quizzes to take, or classes to sit through…at least that is for a few more weeks! Why is it that as soon as we started to go to school, we quickly started to look forward to summer break, and then never having to take another test again after graduation? Sadly, the #1 magazine in America is TV Guide? And 50% of people after high school will never read another entire book the rest of their lives. Yes, we all need a summer break, but when we stop learning, we stop growing. Growth is not automatic except when we are children. After that, we must make purposeful effort to keep learning and growing or we become stagnate. We should never see learning as a “period” in our life; just something necessary to graduate, get a degree, and get a job. It should be a life long process to draw out our full potential. Sometimes doors of opportunity aren’t opened by God because he may be waiting on us to develop further. He may have us right where we are because that is all we are ready for.

The Great Cellist, Pablo Casals got up every day, even at 85 years of age, and practiced 5 hours a day. He did this because he never believed that he had learned all he needed to learn to be the greatest! He believed that you should never stop learning, growing, or developing what God put on the inside. It’s a fact that if you devote 1 hour a day to a particular subject, in three years you will be an expert in that area.

We should be challenged to develop our skills and knowledge so that when we aren’t at work, we are really missed. Proverbs 22:29 tells us “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men”. Even if a supervisor is ahead of you and it seems that a promotion is not possible, out perform, out skill that person and don’t worry who is in front of you. God is in control. He decides when you are ready. When positions open up unexpectedly, you want to be working at a level that will make you the person the promotion is offered to.

We should always be developing our skills. We shouldn’t be content to be just as good as the next person. Be a cut above! Over produce, surpass expectations, be a problem solver. Don’t present problems, present solutions! This will make you invaluable to your supervisor. Don’t become the kind of person that when you are on vacation, people are relieved. Keep growing, stretching and learning. Did you know that after earning your degree, on average, the knowledge that you gained from it becomes outdated within 5 years. We need to constantly pursue ways to keep learning the newest information. We need to strive to never become complacent as individuals, and as an agency. Others are lining up waiting to take your promotion or our business if we don’t stay sharp!

Will Rogers said, “Even when you’re on the right track, if you sit down, you’ll eventually get run over!”

From My heart to yours,

Jerilyn

Jerilyn A. Keen, M.A.

President

News from our Corporate Office…

Corporate Business Manager and Secretary to the Board, Stacey Kifolo, recently tendered her resignation. We would like to wish her much success in her future endeavors and thank her for her contributions through the years!

We hit our one year mark recently since our mental health credentialing process was completed. A year ago, we submitted 8 packets to enroll clients into our Intensive Adolescent Day Treatment Program. This year we are so pleased to announce that our program has grown significantly, serving a total of 97 clients in 9 centers. Currently, we have 65 clients enrolled in the Intensive Adolescent Day Treatment Program and we look forward to another year of growth.

We also recently received our first Northumberland County SCA Outpatient Drug & Alcohol referral from our new contract which was effective on July 1^st!

This is “What’s Happening” at our Centers…

PATH - Bloomsburg: June has been a month full of fun activities! The Day Treatment clients went fishing, hiking, picked strawberries, went bowling, went to the Children’s Museum, and more! They have been learning how fun it can be to be positive and how to work together and be a better person in their home and community. The kids all enjoyed picking strawberries and making strawberry shortcake for dessert. They learned how to pick the strawberries that were just right and were at their best in taste. Congratulations to Eric E. for being discharged from PATH on a positive pledge rating!

Eric worked very hard throughout his time at PATH and admitted he was “actually sad” to be leaving. The clients spent an afternoon fishing where they learned leadership skills and ways to help each other out. They came up with their own “fishing norms” to help regulate their day. At the Children’s Museum, the positives explored many of the different activities. They learned things about outer space, how Danville came to be, the conveniences of modern technology, and ways to exercise.

PATH - East Stroudsburg: Congratulations to all of the AEP staff on the very successful end of the school year! We held our Awards/Graduation Ceremony on June 11^th with 8 seniors graduating and various others receiving achievement awards. There were over 50 people in attendance, including representatives from our district, probation, and parents! We also recently held our first round of evaluations with our local psychologist, Karen Livingood. We really appreciate her willingness to be flexible and accommodating and we look forward to working with her again in the future! We have also been continuing to introduce our IA/DT clients to the new Relationship-Based CBT model. Hillary and Shaun recently conducted a Feelings Triangle group with them which is currently on display at the center.

PATH - Honesdale: On June 6th, our school year ended and we are happy to share that three of our students met the requirements to graduate from their home school districts! This is the first time our center has had more than one graduate. We would especially like to congratulate our foster care client who graduated and is working towards getting her own apartment! Great job! We had our "End of the Year BBQ" on June 5th and everyone enjoyed themselves! The After School Evening Program began it's summer hours on June 12th and our staff worked diligently to prepare the students for the transition in treatment time. On June 23rd, we welcomed a member of the county's Victims Program to present to our clients. Also, Program Manager, Steve Rizzo, attended Wayne County's Needs Based Budget Meeting on June 19th and was happy that the county indicated it would be utilizing the agency's services in the next fiscal year. Our clients have been participating in the cleaning up of local parks and also recently helped with a yard sale for the Habitat for Humanity by helping them to set up, sell items, and carry patron's purchases to their vehicles.

PATH - Lehighton: Our center would like to welcome back Beth P., who has recently returned to us from the Milton Center as an Honor Club member and has hopes of being successfully discharged soon! We would also like to thank the Milton Center for all of their hard work with Beth! Our community service program ended on July 8^th with several clients referred by Children & Youth successfully completing the program. The clients helped to clean up at the Lehighton Area Middle School. Renee has also been looking into the “Adopt a Highway” Program for our clients to begin participating in as community service in the future. We would like to welcome back Marisa Riolo as our new Clinical Supervisor! Marisa was previously employed by PATH as our center’s D & A Counselor.

PATH - Middleburg: We are halfway through the summer and excited about where the house has come as a community, a treatment center, and a family! We passed and received our full BDAP license and are currently working on combining our DPW and our BDAP folders into one folder. We are also excited about finishing up the updates to the house like furnishing our clients bedrooms and the living areas with new furniture and decorations! We would like to take the time to honor one of our staff members, Mr. Kyle Fromille, who was honored on the front page of the Daily Item for being a two time Purple Heart. Kyle served two tours in Iraq with the Marines. If you want to see the video that aired on TV, go to DailyItem.com and then to local video and it is titled IRAQ VET. We are going to be busy as we are looking forward to filing and organizing all of the paperwork in our lower garage starting next week, as well as cutting our grass soon. We want to welcome Mr. Rob from Williamsport and Mrs. Carrie from Milton. Both of them have helped tremendously in filling in with our summer hours and bring great insight and wisdom from their Day Treatment experience. Thank you both!

PATH - Milton: The Milton center would like to thank the Alternative Education Staff for all of their hard work this year! The success of the AEP throughout the 2007-08 academic year is a tribute to their teamwork and adaptability. The Milton center would also like to congratulate those students who were able to complete their course requirements and graduate with their classes! The After School Evening and Intensive Adolescent Programs have been extremely busy during the last month; both programs have seen an increase in referrals and clients attending the programs each day. The staff have been working hard to provide quality services to our clients and have been doing a wonderful job facilitating group sessions. The staff have created an atmosphere that allows clients to disclose and discuss difficult issues with each other. The supervisors at the Milton center would like to thank the staff for all of their hard work! Their teamwork and resiliency is the heartbeat that keeps the Milton center pumping on all cylinders! The clients at the Milton Center continue to volunteer at St. Andrews Church and help the Milton Area Chamber of Commerce with mailing their monthly newsletter. The Milton Center was also proud to participate in the Annual Williamsport Clean Up which was organized by Stacey Losell of Lycoming County Juvenile Probation. The clients were able to clear trash from parks in the Lycoming County area and were treated to a picnic with food and supplies donated by local agencies and vendors. We would also like to congratulate Stephanie Rice, Foster Care Coordinator, and her family on the birth of her daughter, Keturah Savilla!

PATH - Scranton: In an effort to foster independence and leadership skills, the Scranton Center has instituted a program called “Head Chef”! The Head Chef is the lead cook for the week and is responsible for assigning duties to others and solving any problems that are brought to him/her by the assistants. The staff only participate by offering advice and suggestions on how to resolve problems that occur in the kitchen. This program is intended to help the kids get used to giving and taking direction from others, to allow them to experience a sense of completion, and most importantly, an investment in their program. We are also planning on hosting an Open House on Monday, August 18^th.

PATH - South Montrose: Our AEP staff would like to congratulate all nine of our graduating seniors and wish good luck to all of the clients who will be returning to their home districts in the fall! With the school year ending, the Day Treatment clients are adjusting to their new schedule and enjoying weekly projects in meal preparation, art therapy, self-esteem development, anger management, and other recreational activities. Our AEP clients took part in sporting events and a Backyard BBQ lunch on June 10^th for our annual Field Day. After the activities of the day were completed, we wrapped up with a slideshow presentation that recapped the year’s different events which was prepared by Dean of Students, Curt Kiehl- Thanks Curt! Our ce nter is also planning several summer community service projects; including a cooperative litter clean up effort with the Scranton center, a local car wash/wax for county probation, and maintenance for cooperating school districts.

PATH - State College: The State College Center is currently in the process of arranging several field trips for Day Treatment and IA clients. Some of the places we are planning on visiting are the Penn State Sports Museum, the PSU football complex, the Boalsburg Military Museum, the PSU Planetarium, Whipple Dam, and Penn’s Cave. We are also working on planning Community Service Projects for the summer with local parks and charitable agencies. On July 9^th, we are looking forward to having parents of our Day Treatment and IA clients visiting the center to meet with our new clinical supervisor, Jessica Montrella, and social worker, Chris Miller. We would also like to congratulate Chris for recently earning his M.S. in Rehabilitative Sciences from Clarion University.

PATH - Williamsport: Our center is happy to be seeing an increase in referrals for the Intensive Adolescent Program! The majority of them are coming from Lycoming and Clinton County Mental Health. The AEP Program saw a successful end to the school year and had five students graduate! Dean, Dave Dimoff, is already busy working on updating the curriculum for next year. He is also painting the AEP and working on getting donations from Loyalsock High School for AV Carts and possible TV & VCR/DVD combos. Community Service Coordinator, Jake Turner, has moved into the position of Social Worker. The Day Treatment clients recently participated in Lycoming County’s Annual Parks Clean-Up Day, as well as picked up trash at South Williamsport’s football stadium after the District 4 All Star football game. We would also like to congratulate Todd Puderbach and his wife, Sara, on the birth of their daughter!

OUr Management Team

Each month we feature a member of our Management Team as a way to honor their dedication and commitment to making our Agency the very best it can be! This month we highlight

Jamie Yonkin, Program Manager

Williamsport Treatment Center.

Jamie graduated from Lycoming College with a degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology. He started working for PATH as a caseworker and was then promoted to Day Treatment Supervisor a year later. Jamie was a Day Treatmemt Supervisor for two years and then began working for Lycoming County Children & Youth as a Shelter Care Supervisor for a year and then a county caseworker for two more years. He then returned to PATH in 2006.

Jamie enjoys spending time with his wife, Erin, and their two daughters, Mahlon and Mattison. He also likes to hunt and particpate in any other outdoor activities. Jamie has been a wrestling coach at Montoursville High School for the past three years as well.

Jamie’s thoughts on PATH’s mission are: “PATH’s combination of relational counseling and normative systems provide a well balanced, tough love approach. The normative approach provides the discipline and accountability the clients need, while the PATH staff help them make true life changing steps through the relational counseling. This difficult process could not take place without the dedicated teams that PATH has developed at each of their centers.”

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The Corporate office would like to Jamie Yonkin. Michael Burns, and the Halfway House residents for moving droves and droves of files from the storage units to their new home at the lower building at the Middleburg Halfway House. This was a huge job on a hot day and we really appreciate their hard work!

We would also like to thank the Williamsport Community Service Program, the Day Treatment clients from the Milton Center, and Mr. Bob for their gardening, landscaping, and the outdoor maintenance at the Corporate Office! It was in desperate need of attention and their hard work made an incredible difference- it looks great! Thanks guys!

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH….

Denise Scott, Clinical Supervisor for the Milton Center, has been recognized as the Employee of the Month for June. Denise is an incredible member of the team at the Milton Center! She is always willing to help others in any way that she can and has taken control of the work that needs to be completed for the IA Program. Her treatment plans are extremely well written and detailed and she has developed very positive relationships with the doctors and referring agents. The high number of clients that she has approved into the IA Program is evidence of her hard work and successful effort! She works tirelessly to assist the IA staff; helping them provide exceptional services to the clients they work with, while maintaining a positive attitude! She great initiative and is extremely dependable! We are thankful for all that she does to make a difference!

The following staff were also nominated for Employees of the Month for May:

Dolores Frick, Teacher’s Aide/Community Monitor, Honesdale
Cindy Wohlken, Clinical Supervisor, South Montrosee

We thank these staff for their dedication to our Agency!

Welcome to our family…

Veronica "Bonnie" Stoltz, Office Assistant, Turbotville

Jessica Hansen, D&A Counselor, Lehighton

Haley Hungerford, D&A Counselor, South Montrose

Marisa Anderson-Riolo, Clinical Supervisor, Lehighton

Danielle Housner, Community Monitor, Milton

Brian Edwards, Social Worker, Honesdale