Amanda’s future

is ship shapeTL program supports her

goals to enlist in the Navy

page 5

AUSTIN COUNTSYouth learns coping skills and thrives in art, school page 4

CABHA

as high quality provider page 3

Family  Victories  from  Youth  Villages  North  Carolina Spring 2011

Youth Villages charts

success in North Carolina...4

YV community tips: Have a

safe summer break...7 in North Carolina...4

2

Asheville

Charlotte

Fayetteville

North Carolina

Raleigh-DurhamGreensboro

Hickory

Concord Pinehurst

Greenville

WilmingtonA  message  from

Growing, helping more children

force; noun \ fo rs\

a (1) : strength or energy exerted or brought to bear : cause of motion or change :

active power

At Youth Villages we see ourselves as the force for families. This year, Youth

Villages will serve more than 1,000 youth and families throughout North Caro-

lina. Certified by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Servic-

es as one of the state’s only Critical Access Behavioral Health Agencies,Youth

Villages continues to expand programs, including our core services of intensive

in-home, Multisystemic Therapy and transitional living, in addition to medica-

tion management and outpatient therapy.

During the process of expanding our CABHA services throughout Youth Vil-

lages’ 10 offices, we remain committed to tracking outcomes while operating

a cost-effective model. In fact, our intensive in-home program has maintained

measurable outcomes for the past 17 years, and in 2005 we re-branded our

service as a national standard for intensive in-home and named the program

Intercept. As we continue to expand our CABHA services, Youth Villages re-

mains dedicated to maintaining our average success rate of 80 percent of youth

living successfully, experiencing no involvement with the law and pursuing

an educational track even one year after discharge.Youth Villages continues

to strive to change the way each child is served throughout the state by focus-

ing on a model that features a success rate nearly twice the national average

(page four) while operating at one-third the cost, compared to traditional child

welfare services.

Thank you for taking time to read our newsletter and experience how Youth

Villages is a force for good, a force for change and the force for families.

NORTH CAROLINA LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

YOUTH VILLAGES NORTH CAROLINA OFFICES

Annie Smith

Asheville 38 Rosscraggon Road, Suite 38C

Asheville, NC 28803 phone: 828-654-7700

fax: 828-654-7701

Charlotte 2815 Coliseum Centre Dr., Suite 230

Charlotte, NC 28217 phone: 704-357-7920

fax: 704-357-7921

Concord 845 Church St. North, Suite 305

Concord, NC 28025 phone: 704-262-1320

fax: 704-262-1322

Raleigh-Durham 100 Capitola Dr., Suite 310

Durham, NC 27713 phone: 919-474-6400

fax: 919-474-6401

Fayetteville 2944 Breezewood Ave., Suite 203

Fayetteville, NC 28305 phone: 910-486-2200

fax: 910-486-2201

Greensboro 7900 Triad Center, Suite 350

Greensboro, NC 27409 phone: 336-931-1800

fax: 336-931-1801

Greenville 2428 Charles Blvd.

Greenville, NC 27858phone: 252-215-5700

fax: 252-215-5701

Hickory 101 Government Avenue SW

Hickory, NC 28602 phone: 828-315-7700

fax: 828-315-7701

Pinehurst 5228 North Carolina Highway 211

P.O. Box 1138 West End, NC 27376 phone: 910-673-8520

fax: 910-673-8521

Wilmington 5041 New Centre Drive, Suite 209

Wilmington, NC 28403 phone: 910-392-8990

fax: 910-392-8991

Lee Prevost — Cary

Elizabeth Skvarla — Pinehurst

John White — Durham

Carole Wilson — Raleigh

Leigh Young — Asheville

Annie Smith

State Director

annie.smith@youthvillages.org

910-673-8501

3

Why did you decide to work for Youth Villages?

“I decided to work at Youth Villages

because of their commitment and dedi-

cation to providing quality care to our

most needy youth. Youth Villages has adapted evidence-

based programs and is constantly looking to improve ways

to provide the best care.”

Where are you from originally?“I am originally from India. I moved to the United States

in 1993 and have lived in North Carolina since 1995.”

Where did you attend medical school?“I completed medical school at the University of Health

Sciences in India, a general psychiatry residency at Eastern

Virginia Medical School and fellowship in child and adoles-

cent psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center.”

What do you like best about your job?“The best part of my job is being able to integrate all

aspects of care such as therapy, psychiatric services and

primary care services. I was on faculty at Duke University

Medical Center for several years and had the opportunity

to participate in and conduct clinical research that led to

evidence-based guidelines for many childhood psychiatric

disorders. I am excited to be in a position to disseminate

these findings.”

What’s something most people don’t know about you?“I enjoy experimenting with different cuisines.”

What do you like to do for fun?“I like to spend time with my husband and teenage son,

as well as reading and traveling.”

Dr. Himabindu RaviNorth Carolina Medical Director

Meet  the  YV  family

In 2010, the North Carolina Department of Health

and Human Services implemented the most significant

change to the state’s mental health structure since major

reform legislation in 2001.

To direct more services to high-quality agencies, DHHS

approved a definition and description of a new category

of provider agency, the Critical Access Behavioral Health

Agency.

In December, Youth Villages received its DHHS CABHA

endorsement.

The 2001 legislation resulted in a dramatic increase in

the number of mental health providers in the state. Be-

cause of this increase, DHHS began implementing rules

to move patients into high-quality services delivered by

approved providers that could offer a continuum of care.

As of Jan. 1, 2011, only providers that are endorsed as

CABHAs in North Carolina can deliver a range of speci-

fied services. These services include intensive in-home,

community support services and day treatment.

During the past five years, Youth

Villages has primarily offered Multi-

systemic Therapy in North Carolina,

a program focused on youth with the

most severe behavioral problems. To

expand the number of youths it could

serve, Youth Villages also received

DHHS certification for its Intercept

intensive in-home program. The cer-

tification for this service was vital for

Youth Villages to offer the range of

services required to become a CABHA.

With its certification to provide Intercept and the DHHS

CABHA endorsement, Youth Villages is positioned to help

many more children and families in North Carolina. In

addition, Youth Villages will continue to urge DHHS and

state legislators to adopt policies that encourage not just

consolidation of services, but positive outcomes for youth

and families.

STATE CERTIFIES YV AS HIGH-QUALITY PROVIDER

4

continued on page 7

ART OPENS THE DOOR FOR AUSTINThe first time Youth Villages Multi-

systemic Therapy counselor Ulanda

Davis met Austin, he wouldn’t speak.

During her visits, Austin’s mom,

Sandra, had to prompt him to answer

questions.

“She tried to show him it was OK

to trust me,” said Ulanda. “One day,

I asked about his drawings on the

kitchen table.”

At that moment, Austin decided to

open up and began enthusiastically

explaining his artwork, often involving

sketches of video game characters.

Before long, this initially shy 12-year-

old turned out to be quite the opposite.

While opening up, Austin admit-

ted that he regularly got into trouble

at school for fighting with peers and

disrespecting teachers.

“I get grumpy,” he said.

Austin said he didn’t like to be in

trouble. Ulanda began to work with

him on techniques to overcome his

anger.

“She told me to count to 10,” Austin

said.

At first, he didn’t think it would

work. But Ulanda convinced him to

try counting that evening when he felt

upset. The next morning, Austin was

excited to admit that it had helped

calm him and he eventually began to

implement this new method at school.

Ulanda met with Austin’s teachers

and the school principal to make sure

everyone was committed to helping

with his new coping methods. Austin

began to improve his behaviors and

also learned how to avoid confronta-

tions with other students.

“They would pay attention to his

facial expressions and remind him

to count to 10,” Ulanda said. “When

kids were teasing one another, Austin

would move to an empty desk to take

himself out of the situation.”

Outside the classroom, Ulanda

joined forces with Austin’s mom to

form boundaries at home. Sandra was

responsible for setting up a system

of rewards and consequences. When

Austin broke the rules, he had punish-

ments such as 10-minute time outs or

grounding with no TV or computer.

“I’ve worked really hard on being

consistent with it,” she said. “Having

NORTH CAROLINA PROGRAM SUCCESS

Figures represent youth served at least 60 days in the Multisystemic Therapy program. Response rate is 53 percent.

Youth Villages began ser-

vices in North Carolina in

January 2006, with offices in

Concord and Hillsborough.

Office furniture consisted of

beach chairs and makeshift

desks as staff developed a

plan to begin helping youth

through the Multisystemic

Therapy program.

Five years, 10 offices and 2,200 families later, Youth Villages

North Carolina is a force within the community. While fully

furnished offices have replaced the beach chairs and the staff

has grown from nine to more than 130, the focus of helping

children and families has not changed.

“Youth Villages’ approach to helping families has spread

like wildfire in North Carolina,” said Catherine Loke, perfor-

mance improvement specialist. “When you really connect and

earn the trust of a family in need, that feeling is priceless.”

FIVE YEARS AND 2,200 FAMILIES HELPED

Greenville staff strike a pose to cel-ebrate Youth Villages North Carolina’s five-year anniversary.

As a national leader in the field of behavioral health,

Youth Villages has measured outcomes of children and

families participating in its programs since 1994.

Austin learns new coping skills.

5

AMANDA RISES ABOVE HARDSHIPAmanda is working hard to achieve

her dream of becoming a nurse in the

Navy.

At age 17, Amanda’s mother passed

away, and Amanda moved from

her home in Washington, D.C. to a

foster home in North Carolina. She

remained in foster care for a year

before moving in with her uncle in

High Point, N.C. Even though Amanda

found stability with a family member,

she still struggled with anger. She be-

gan to lash out physically and quickly

found herself in trouble with the law.

Soon after her legal involvement,

Amanda was referred to Youth Vil-

lages and introduced to the transition-

al living program. Because Amanda

was not working or pursuing any

education track, her transitional living

specialist, Emily Lawing, quickly began

planning a course of action.

“The first item we focused on was to

continue Amanda’s education,” Emily

said.

Their second goal was to find a job.

Emily guided Amanda through appli-

cation submission, job interviews and

follow-ups. After tirelessly applying for

jobs online, Amanda began working at

Walmart.

“If I maintain a positive outlook on

what I want to achieve, I know it can

be done,” Amanda said. “It just takes

time and patience.”

With school and a job under way,

Emily and Amanda began developing

anger management and coping skills.

Amanda learned how to positively

channel her anger, which persuaded

the local district attorney to encour-

age her progress and dismiss all of her

legal charges.

“Amanda has an exceptional and

special spirit, and has clearly dem-

onstrated a passion in reaching her

goals,” Emily said. “Through hard

work and resiliency, Amanda has

grown to become a successful young

adult.”

Amanda believes in the success of

the transitional living program.

“It’s a good decision to be in TL be-

cause it helps you get where you want

to be,” she said. “My future is bright

and promising because of my involve-

ment with Youth Villages.”

YOUTH VILLAGES PARTICIPATES IN COMMUNITY FORUM

Amanda dreams of becoming a nurse in the Navy.

Amanda has not only been able to maintain her job at Walmart, but is also on track to earn her GED from Guilford Technical Community College this summer. She plans to re-enroll at GTCC this fall to com-plete her college educa-tion. After graduating, she hopes to earn a nursing degree and en-list in the Navy.

Youth Villages joined forces with NC

Benchmarks (formerly Children and

Family Services Association) to con-

duct informal events across the state

to address key issues facing agencies

that provide services to youth and

families in North Carolina. One of

these events was held in the Asheville

community, where Youth Villages cur-

rently serves 23 youth and families, on

any given day, through the Multisys-

temic Therapy program.

“It was a great success,” said George

Edmonds, Youth Villages regional

manager. “Legislators, agencies, and

community members heard extremely

compelling stories from recipients of

services in Western North Carolina.”

In all, 17 events were held over a

two-week period.

“They helped educate legislators

and key decision makers about the

importance of mental health ser-

vices,” said Bethany Gremel, Youth

Villages assistant state director. “It re-

ally allowed us to come together and

highlight the impact of our services to

consumers and families.”

6

Charlotte staff members Jennifer Green, John Horton,

and Lauren Walter recently volunteered at the Sixth Annu-

al Holiday Gift Wrapping Event hosted by Special Olympics

Gaston County and The Arc of Gaston County, a nonprofit

that provides support and assistance to special needs

customers who are mentally challenged or developmen-

tally disabled. The volunteers wrapped mall patrons’ gifts

for free or a small donation to support the annual Special

Olympics Gaston County and Kamp Kaleidoscope.

Thanks to

generous do-

nations from

the communi-

ty, Youth Vil-

lages’ Holiday

Heroes pro-

gram raised

$3,755 and

helped create

a memorable

holiday for

147 youth

and families

throughout

North Carolina.

Lisa Wilson, a senior family counselor in Wilmington, re-

membered her families’ joyful reactions to the holiday gifts.

“The families were so grateful,” she said. “Without the

community’s help, they would not have been able to pro-

vide holiday gifts to their children.”

To find out more about Holiday Heroes or how to become

involved next year, please contact Stephanie Hoyle at

stephanie.hoyle@youthvillages.org or 704.357.7943.

HOLIDAY HEROES HITS HOME

Youth Villages helped create a memorable holiday for 147 youth and families.

Charlotte staff wrapped dozens of gifts for Holiday Heroes.

CHARLOTTE STAFF VOLUNTEER AT GIFT-WRAPPING EVENT

YOUTH VILLAGES FAMILY SHOWS ITS GIVING SPIRIT

Youth Villages recently concluded its annual employee

fundraising efforts during the Our Family Campaign. More

than 100 Youth Villages North Carolina staff raised nearly

$60,000 to help youth and families — and the best part is

every dollar raised stays local to benefit youth and families

served throughout North Carolina.

This year’s theme, 24:7 Never Missing a Minute to Help,

honored the Youth Villages staff who is always there for

families. OFC funds are used to support such programs as

the transitional living program, which helps young people

aging out of foster care get a good start toward adulthood;

special or emergency needs that arise for families; and oth-

er crucial services offered by Youth Villages. Organization

wide, the internal fundraising campaign raised $940,000.

Since 1998, the Youth Villages Our Family Campaign

has raised close to $6 million in support of programs and

services that benefit the communities we serve.

John Horton, manager of resource development (center), poses as Jack Bauer with the Youth Villages Hickory, N.C., staff to celebrate the Our Family Campaign.

A heartfelt thank you to our key supporters:

ASEcho, CaroTrans, CB Richard Ellis, Charlotte ZTA

Alumni Association, Darryl’s Wood Fired Grill, First Advent

Christian Church, Great American Professional Risk Insur-

ance, Greenway Public Transportation, Kirk of Kildaire

Presbyterian Church, Rapha Family Foot Care, The Church

of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Morrisville Ward) and

Wil-Mar Service Center.

7

Stay  in  touch  online

www.facebook.com/youthvillages

www.twitter.com/youthvillages

www.youthvillages.wordpress.com

www.youthvillages.org

Ulanda come into the home encouraged me to be persis-

tent, which helped a lot. It was great having someone to

talk to.”

Now, Austin makes Bs and Cs instead of Ds and Fs. Math

and science are his best subjects. At home, a daily routine

has helped because Austin knows what is expected of him.

Instead of arguing or fighting, he removes himself from the

situation and goes to his room.

“Ulanda came in the home and talked with everyone,”

Sandra said. “She was honest and explained how every-

thing would work. It’s made such a difference.”

AUSTINfrom page 4

Summer is quickly approaching, which means many

youth will experience more unsupervised time. Youth

Villages Multisystemic Therapy consultants provide the fol-

lowing tips for helping families have a safe and productive

summer break:

1. Camps and structured activities provide an excel-

lent way to have peace of mind that your children are safe,

supervised and improving their interpersonal skills. Check

out www.mysummercamps.com or your county’s local park

and recreation department for ideas.

2. Know your child’s friends. Create a peer list with

names, addresses and telephone numbers. Reach out so

other parents know if and when your child is allowed in

their home.

3. Pair up with other trusted parents to help one an-

other with supervision. Other parents might have different

schedules and can help fill in those gaps where your child

does not have supervised time.

4. Provide your children with appropriate expectations. You must know where they are and who they are with.

Build trust with your children by checking to make sure

they are doing what they said they would do. Provide rein-

forcements when they follow or break the rules.

5. Even the seemingly “uncaring” adolescent craves attention from their parent. Take advantage of the school

break and turn that attention into something positive by

creating family time and by finding opportunities to focus

on the positive aspects of your relationships! Game nights,

movie nights, or simply eating dinner together on a regular

basis are all productive ways to connect with your child.

YV COMMUNITY TIPS:HAVE A SAFE SUMMER BREAK

The Bank of America Foundation

Bartlett Construction

Capstrat

The Duke Endowment

First Advent Christian Church

Great American Professional Risk Insurance

Greenway Public Transportation

Hodges Family Foundation

Rapha Family Foot Care

Wil-Mar Service Center Inc.

Leslie Bevacqua-Coman

Marilyn and Jerry Cook

Toni Freeman

Nancy Manner and Frederick Hess

Frankie and Jim Honeycutt

Susan and Jeff Hoyle

Eddie Mabry

Clayton Owens

Ruth and Ken Samuelson

Elizabeth and John Skvarla

Carole and Brad Wilson

Leigh and David Young

A  Note  of  ThanksTo all those who have supported our work in

North Carolina through a leadership gift during

the last year, thank you. Your continued generosity

allows us to provide the most effective services to

children and families.

2815 Coliseum Centre Dr., Suite 230Charlotte, NC 28217(Address Service Requested)

Alabama: Anniston, Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, MobileArkansas: Jonesboro, Little RockFlorida: Lakeland, Miami, TampaGeorgia: Atlanta, DouglasvilleMassachusetts:

Mississippi: Biloxi, Hattiesburg, Hernando, Jackson, TupeloNew Hampshire: ManchesterNorth Carolina: Asheville, Charlotte, Concord, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Greenville, Hickory, Pinehurst, Raleigh-Durham, WilmingtonTennessee: Chattanooga, Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Dickson, Dyersburg, Jackson, Johnson City,Knoxville, Linden, Memphis, Morristown, Nashville, ParisTexas: DallasWashington, D.C.

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDYOUTH VILLAGES

Please e-mail stephanie.hoyle@youthvillages.org or call 704-357-7943

to have your name removed from our mailing list.

New Heights North Carolina is published by Youth Villages

Managing Editor: Stephanie Hoyle

Associate Editor: Chris Pennington

Founded in Memphis, Tenn., in 1986, Youth Villages has built a national reputation for offering the most effective pro-

a fully integrated continuum of services, including residential treatment, in-home services, foster care and adoption,

mentoring and a transitional living program for young adults aging out of foster care.