Working in the mental health field, it is normal to find ourselves taxed with some pretty serious things – situations that at times can make us ask, “Why do I do this?”  There is a new trend, however, that has started to gain traction in the workplace, and mental health operations are being touched by it just like every other place. This trend is called “quiet quitting.”  If you were to ask anyone that might have TikTok (or a friend that does), if they know what quiet quitting is, they probably would answer yes. Some may let you know that they have done this themselves within the pas ..read more

Each year the KidsPeace Foundation honors associates at the organization with the HELP Award, recognizing a commitment to providing excellent customer service in their work on behalf of KidsPeace and youth in our care. The 2023 HELP Award recipients are Lori Klein and Sharon Williams, and Healing Magazine asked them to share their thoughts on this recognition. ————- Lori Klein I clearly remember deciding at 9 years of age that I wanted to pursue a career working with children.  I have especially always had a heart for underserved kids.  I decided to pursue my Bachelor’s degree in Ele ..read more

Understanding military culture is crucial in our work with military-connected youth and families at KidsPeace. The challenges faced by military families are numerous and can be both emotional and practical in nature. With an increasing number of military youths enrolled in our residential programs at the Orchard Hills Campus in Pennsylvania, KidsPeace clinical leadership sought out training opportunities to prepare our clinical staff to better understand military culture and the stressors experienced by military-connected youth and their families. Recently, four KidsPeace clinicians took part ..read more

In July 2023 the KidsPeace organization, with the guidance of the Joint Commission, embarked on a comprehensive effort to advance the quality and safety of care through improving the health care equity for individuals served by our Joint Commission-accredited programs.   In explaining why they were enhancing the standards to include Health Care Equity as a National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG), the Joint Commission noted that almost twenty years ago, the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) published “Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in He ..read more

Imagine what feelings you might experience if you found yourself in this scenario:  Someone you don’t know has picked you up from your home without notice, and you’ve had to leave your parents, siblings, friends, most of your belongings and beloved pets behind.  This stranger has taken you to another community with the explanation that you can’t remain with your own family and so you’re going to live with a new one. Imagine your feelings as you pull into the strange driveway, and walk up to the front door of a home that you don’t recognize.  Upon entering, you’re informed that t ..read more

A disturbing trend is gaining momentum across the education landscape, affecting thousands of students nationwide – and it is showing no signs of slowing down. It can be summarized in two newspaper headlines: ‘Never Seen It This Bad’: America Faces Catastrophic Teacher Shortage1 Teacher Turnover Hits New Highs Across The U.S.2 Thousands of teaching vacancies exist across America today with many school administrators calling it a crisis. Shortages are forcing schools to adapt to a new reality:  College students in Arizona are allowed to teach on an emergency basis.  Rural school dist ..read more

Dr. J.L. Moreno is the psychiatrist who developed the role theory of personality and originated psychodrama, group psychotherapy and sociometry – the science of how people make choices in groups. Dr. Moreno described people as holding a variety of roles, and that good mental health relates to our ability to move easily from role to role, practicing appropriate behavior with each.   A role consists of a noun preceded by an adjective – for example, the dedicated teacher role, the compassionate psychotherapist role, the creative counselor role.   This description presents a lens for exp ..read more

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that we’re not going to see “back to normal” conditions again, especially not in terms of the mental health workforce. I think a lot of us were hoping that after the pandemic the staffing issues in our field would get better; sadly, nothing could have been further from the truth. Now we’re kind of swimming around in an ocean with new currents and all of us are dealing with situations that we’re hoping won’t become the “new normal.”  We continue to deal with serious staffing shortages, and the people that we are getting in ..read more

Recruitment and retention of qualified staff within the field of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) has been a consistent struggle during my time in the field. The recurring issue specifically lies in the need for recruitment of Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs); however, there are retention issues across the board with both RBTs and Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs). While the need for ABA services is extremely high, there are many reasons why RBTs and BCBAs are not interested in being recruited – low pay, heavy caseloads, long work weeks, lack of communication, lack of staff supp ..read more

For this issue’s examination of workforce issues in mental healthcare, we turned to three colleagues who manage such issues every day.   Denise Reyes, Robin Latulippe and Michael Baransky are recruiters for positions with KidsPeace’s clinical and administrative programs, and Healing Magazine asked them to share their insights with readers: Healing Magazine: In general, where and how do you find potential candidates for positions at KidsPeace? Denise Reyes: We have a variety of channels where we look for potential candidates. We attend career events throughout the state, produce hiring eve ..read more