Turnbridge continues a mission established in 2003 to effectively assess and address the root causes of adolescent and young adult behavioral health conditions. Today, more than 500 professionals collaborate to deliver levels of clinical excellence, programming individualization, treatment innovation, and client and family alliance that make Turnbridge the referral choice for professionals nationwide. | |
Turnbridge clinicians, executives, and outreach professionals continuously work with families, colleagues, and communities to learn, connect, and share so that we may better serve and support clients, families, and recovery in all its forms. This newsletter highlights some of the people, programming, and partnerships that inspire us. | |
Turnbridge Young Adult Program Highlights
Turnbridge Young Adult Programs provide extended treatment for young men and young women experiencing mental health and dual-diagnosis conditions. Offering some of the most comprehensive care available, the Young Adult Programs are distinguished by numerous treatment innovations including, non-arbitrary lengths of stay, care models that address every aspect of client life, phased programming to promote resilience, use of behavioral metrics to objectively gauge client progress, and more.
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Young Women's Program Resident Spotlight
Kate is no stranger to treatment centers and recovery work. Over the years, she’s been to 24 treatment centers and out of all of them, Turnbridge has made the biggest impact.
Originally from Maine, Kate began struggling with her mental health when she was just 8 years old. Throughout her childhood, she cycled through therapists and treatment programs, experiencing brief periods of stability only to fall back into the depths of her mental illness.
Kate came to Turnbridge after her addiction got out of hand while away at college. Reluctant to enter yet another program and listen to the same recovery spiels she’d heard a million times, Kate waited for a staff member to pick her up from JFK to take her to Turnbridge. Little did she know, during the 2-hour trek to New Haven she would have one of most meaningful conversations of her time at Turnbridge.
While at Turnbridge, Kate has been able to get to the root of her mental illness. Other treatments Kate attended had focused on her substance abuse and eating disorder, staff at Turnbridge, however, dug deep into her trauma to gain a better understanding of the underlying reasons for her behavior.
Her therapist, Hallie, was a guiding light through her time at Turnbridge.
“Hallie is one of the most incredible human beings I've ever met,” says Kate.
With a consistent set of providers who knew her inside and out, Kate felt deeply understood and respected in a way that was different from other treatment centers.
“I have been in and out of so many places struggling with this since I was maybe eight years old. And this is the only treatment center that I've ever felt safe and that I've ever really made progress that stuck.”
Now a Phase III client, Kate is looking forward to graduating from Turnbridge and has plans to start studying for a degree in art therapy at Albertus Magnus in New Haven, right across the street from the Turnbridge facility she lived in.
“I have learned that creativity is really healing, and I want to be able to do that for people who go through things that I do, who understand what it's like to express themselves and heal through art and dance and music and the things in the world that are beautiful.”
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Sitting in the Dean’s office of her son’s college, Barbara and her husband learned their son was failing his classes. Their son, Chris had been struggling with drug and alcohol addiction since high school, so the news that he wasn’t attending classes didn’t come as a shock to the couple. During the meeting, they agreed to reduce his course load and see if he’d improve. His grades, however, didn’t get better and his conditioned worsened. Barbara knew that their son needed help and began looking into treatment centers.
When they came across Turnbridge, people kept telling Barbara it wasn’t just a place of healing for their child, but also for everybody affected by the disease.
Even with the reassurance, dropping their son off at Turnbridge was a difficult decision.
“It was really like a leap of faith that I was doing the right thing,” shares Barbara.
It was a challenge to let go and have faith in the process. In the beginning, the situation felt like a failure, and it was hard not to be preoccupied with trying to “fix” everything.
Barbara, however, eventually found a way to shift her perspective and see her family’s circumstances in a new light. As a physician, Barbara diagnosed and treated diseases within her specialty. She understands and appreciates the importance of specializations and expertise.
“If I was sending my kid to get chemo, I wouldn't dictate how their treatment should go because their doctors are the experts. I had to look at it that way.”
Once she was able to see her son as struggling with a disease, not as a string of behavioral and environmental failures, she was able to let go and have faith that the specialists at Turnbridge knew what to do to help their son. She took advantage of the parent support network, talking with other parents who understood her experience and heeded to the advice of her son’s team.
It was a gradual process, but in time, they began to see their son change.
“He was learning to launch into adulthood on his own without me. He was getting all the right tools for adulting. I think it was the turning point for me where I thought I made the right decision sending him to Turnbridge.”
14 months after graduating from Turnbridge, Chris is working full-time and plans to start taking college classes part-time during the fall. He lives with two other Turnbridge graduates and continues to be dedicated to his recovery. Barbara continues to attend parent support groups, finding solace in the community and purpose in being able to tell parents that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
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Adolescent Residential Treatment
(14-17)
Employee Spotlight
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Clara Chasse, Care Team Director | |
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Care Team Director, Clara Chasse has been with our Killingworth location since its official launch in 2022. As the primary point of contact for parents, she acts as the “hub” in our hub-and-spoke model of care, relaying information from the “spokes” of their child’s clinical care team and academic advisors to keep parents fully informed on their child’s progress.
Clara doesn’t just keep parents up-to-date on their child’s progress, she’s also a major source of emotional support for Turnbridge parents. Often struggling with feelings of guilt, anxiety, and a general discomfort around entrusting a team of people they are just getting to know to take care of their child, parents find Clara invaluable in supporting them through the entire process.
“It's honestly a privilege to be able to meet parents where they're at in that moment. I can challenge them. I can support them. I can guide them. It’s a time of learning for them, so that when they do connect with their child, whether that be on a visit, a session, a phone call, that that interaction can look differently.”
Seeing parents grow in parallel to their children has proven to be a deeply rewarding experience for Clara.
“I believe in what we do, and I see how it works and the real-life impact that we're making on these clients and their families, and for me, that just makes it all worth it.”
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Adolescent Extended Care
(15-17)
Employee Spotlight
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David Parisi, Program Director and Senior Case Manager | |
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Program Director and Senior Case Manager David Parisi knows Turnbridge from the inside out. Having started as support staff during the COVID era, David has worked his way through roles as resident liaison, case manager, and now as senior case manager and associate program director.
David’s level of insight when it comes to the recovery process extends far beyond the many positions he’s held at Turnbridge. Like many of our clients, David faced personal struggles with addiction and underwent rehab programs in his teenage years. This firsthand experience gives David a unique perspective into the challenges clients face. He connects with them on a personal level, offering empathy and understanding. His intimate knowledge of the addict mind also means he’s able to challenge clients when he senses they aren’t being honest with themselves or with the staff.
In addition to his rapport with clients, David’s role extends to bridging the gap between parents and their children. As a father himself, he navigates both perspectives adeptly, acting as a translator of emotions and experiences.
“I have a lot of knowledge that isn't just in treatment, that I can impart on both ends and hopefully bring them all together. I find myself in a spot where I can relate to the kids, but also relate to the parents, and I find that it's easier for me to explain how each one is feeling, to get through to both of them, to bring them together.”
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Recreational Spotlight
Bridgeport Fishing Trip
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This month, all clients and staff in our Men’s Program boarded a boat for a thrilling day of Porgy Fishing in Bridgeport. Despite some challenging weather conditions at the outset, our clients embraced the chance to learn all about the art of Porgy fishing.
With the instruction and guidance of seasoned crew members, our clients learned the intricacies of Porgy fishing, from baiting hooks to reeling in their catches. Enduring the choppy waters, some clients got their sea legs the hard way.
What truly made the outing memorable was the shared excitement as each person, including our dedicated staff members, successfully landed their own Porgy.
Beyond the thrill of the catch, the day provided a valuable opportunity for bonding and relaxation, fostering stronger connections among clients and staff alike. These moments of shared experience are invaluable to the men and their journey towards personal growth and recovery.
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Daily Family Support Groups & Special Family Education Events
Supporting Turnbridge families (and any family experiencing behavioral health disorders) is core to the Turnbridge mission. Turnbridge Director of Family Services Lauren Springer, LMSW, leads daily online parent support groups and hosts special educational sessions and events that help families better understand how to support their well-being and their loved one's recovery. Turnbridge Family Support Meetings have been attended more than 45,000 times.
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Lauren Springer, LMSW
Director of Family Relations
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Linder Conference
Senior Director of Admissions Beth Legacki and New York Director of Outreach, Lisa Frankel attended The National Resource Fair at Lindner Center of HOPE in Ohio.
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The Adolescent and Young Adult Collective
Turnbridge was pleased to sponsor and attend the ADOLESCENT + YOUNG ADULT COLLECTIVE, an event unifying passionate professionals dedicated to helping adolescents and emerging young adults.
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NJ Integrated Mental Health Conference
Matthew Rubin, Director of Outreach attended & was proud to support The 2nd NJ Integrated Mental Health Conference. Matthew had a chance to address & interact with experienced practitioners and trusted clinicians who are well-known experts in their fields.
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ABOUT TURNBRIDGE
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Turnbridge is the nation’s preeminent mental health and dual diagnosis treatment provider for young adults and adolescents. Distinguished by a fully integrated care model that addresses every aspect of client life, phased programming, gradual exposure to real-world triggers, extensive parent support and education, and the collection and use of behavioral metrics to verify self-reported progress, Turnbridge is designed to help young people Build a Life Worth Protecting.
In-network
Turnbridge is in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Optum, and out-of-network with all other commercial insurance.
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