Recovery: “You Have to Do It for Yourself”
Joey is appreciative of Goodwin House, CHD’s residential substance use treatment center in Chicopee serving boys aged 13-17. “The program has done a lot for
Reaching New Heights
At times, it was a bit of a struggle, but when 17-year-old Cenk climbed to the top of the 42-foot-high wall, his happiness and pride
A Model Among Her Peers in Recovery
Jada can’t pinpoint any particular incident that made her decide to stop drinking for good. “I was just tired,” she said. She had lost her
Adjusting to Life Outside Prison—with CHD’s Help
When Jose was released from prison after 42 years, he found it difficult to cope with freedom. He was one of the thousands of prisoners
A Clinician's Nonverbal Approach to Therapy
Clinician Rachel Gustafson, who runs art therapy groups in CHD’s STAR Psychiatric Day Treatment Program in Springfield, said she loves this activity because it helps
Breaking the Recidivism Cycle
Amanda Cove-Foster is program director of CHD’s Behavioral Health for Justice Involved Individuals (BH-JI), a program funded by MassHealth and the UMass Chan Medical School
An Inclusive and Empowering Program
David Whiteley, pictured on the left, and Jacob Allen (right) are regulars at Veteran Climbing Nights, which are run by CHD’s All In: Barrier-Free Recreation
De-escalation is Her Specialty
Heather Messer, a Crisis Services Clinician at our Gateway Community Behavioral Health Center (CBHC) in Chicopee, is part of a co-response partnership, which provides a
An Empathetic and Determined Leader
Tayna Howard, program manager for CHD’s Lotus Home in Hartford, recalled her recent team meeting’s icebreaker question to encourage participation from everyone in the group.
Helping Youths Develop Life Skills
Brendan Rios, who has been a therapeutic mentor at CHD for four years, likes working with kids—especially teenagers. While some people might think that teens
Boosting His Physical and Mental Health
Why does Air Force veteran David Lithgow love the sport of rock climbing so much? One reason: life’s stresses seem to melt away when he
Delivering Behavioral Services into the Home and Community
Amber Rogers, program director of CHD’s In-Home Therapy and Therapeutic Mentoring services, started working at our agency a decade ago as a therapeutic training &
A Wraparound Approach to Children’s Mental Health
Kaitlin Perkins is a master’s-level clinician intern in CHD’s In-Home Therapy program. Our agency’s In-Home Therapy and Therapeutic Mentoring services are part of the Massachusetts
From Homeless to College Student
Bronwyn (who uses the pronouns they/them) grew up in the Las Vegas area in dysfunctional home in which they experienced years of abuse and neglect. When
“I was doing various things to ruin my life”
Havier doesn’t mince words when he describes how his mental health took a downturn after his adoptive father died nearly five years ago. “I was
Advocating for Foster Children in Court
Stefany Schaefer is a three-year volunteer for CHD’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program of Hampden County, which works with Springfield and Holyoke Juvenile Courts—through
An Action Plan for Recovery
For Ada Landry, being a recovery coach is being “an advocate, cheerleader, and resource finder. Working with us, an individual can get around barriers in
Support for Those Who Need a Helping Hand
March is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month—an opportune time to recognize the value of inclusion for this population, along the important work that direct care
Therapy That Doesn’t Seem Like Therapy
Studies have shown that art therapy can be valuable in helping those dealing with depression, anxiety, trauma, and addictions—and even some phobias. And art therapy
Making a Difference as an ICP Registered Nurse
Kristie Lopez had wanted to be a nurse since she was five years old. Always drawn to helping people, she began working for CHD a
A Growing—and Gratifying—Profession
What, exactly, is the role of a recovery coach? “It depends on who you ask,” said Matthew Johnson with a smile. Johnson, the recovery coach
Some Help Can Go a Long Way
Paul, who uses our agency’s Adult Mental Health-Springfield services, is grateful for having CHD in his life for the past six years. He had lived
Getting Back Her Family—and Her Future
When Courtney looks at the root of her substance use disorder, she recalls making bad choices in her teenage years, when she first started using
Improving Mental Health Through Art
Barbara Thresher-Morrison, a participant in art therapy groups offered by CHD’s Psychiatric Day Treatment program in Springfield, said that the artistic activities she has been
Inspired, Motivated, and Dedicated
Jovani said that before his treatment at CHD’s Aster House, he was letting let his temper and impulsiveness run his life—into the ground. “For me,
“I Wanted Something Better”
Danielle has been a resident of CHD’s Aster House in South Hadley for only two months, and she is already impressed with her progress in
Treating Addiction—and Trauma
Crystal lives at CHD’s Grace House in Northampton with her 13-year-old son, Kayden. In a therapeutic setting, Grace House provides up to 14 families with
Helping Mothers in Recovery—and Their Children
Jennifer Kent, program director of CHD’s Grace House, one of the few residential treatment programs designed for mothers in western Massachusetts, says the favorite part
A Family's Fresh Start
Elizabeth, a recent graduate of CHD’s Grace House in Northampton, is grateful for the team at one of the few residential recovery treatment programs designed
Steps in the Right Direction
Sandy Severin-Pansecchi is the administrative manager at FIRST Steps Together in Pittsfield, which provides peer coaching and parenting support for parents that are pregnant or postpartum,
An Advocate for Vulnerable Children
Emily Sheridan, one of the seven new volunteers in CHD’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program of Hampden County, is used to working with children—and
Dedicated to the Youth We Serve
James Samuel has always enjoyed working with kids and teens. Although he has a financial services background—at present he is a quality assurance consultant for
Helping Recovering Parents Thrive
For Jennifer Hinton, a family recovery support specialist at CHD’s FIRST Steps Together in Pittsfield, helping moms become better parents is her way of making
All the Right (Dance) Moves
Cammie, a 17-year-old athlete in CHD’s All In: Barrier Free Recreation’s adaptive dance program, likes to dance to country music in her wheelchair—but she also
Volunteer Extraordinaire
Deb Napier, a volunteer for CHD’s Not Bread Alone (NBA) community meal program at the First Congregational Church of Amherst, is a weekly fixture in
Fighting Food Insecurity
Brenna Jorgensen, a junior at UMass Amherst majoring in Education and Social Change, is a volunteer at CHD’s Not Bread Alone community meal program in
Racing Toward His Goals
To call Troy Cronin “driven” and “tenacious” would be understating his willpower. He simply refuses to let anything stop him from reaching his goals—even though
A True Champion for a Trauma Victim
Nilsa Fernandez, who has been with CHD’s Adult Mental Health (AMH) team in Springfield for eight years, was recently recognized by the Springfield Police Department
Recovery as a Saving Grace
In the summer of 2020, Casey knew she had to drastically change her life when she overdosed twice. This happened after her children, who were
Service delivery, redefined
For more than 16 years, Donald has been working with individuals who are in the grips of addiction to help them access community-based supports to
Giving kids a loving place to call home
When Sabrina first became a foster parent, she was inspired by the opportunity to provide kids in the community a safe and loving home, while
Commitment to the community and kids in need
For John Dowd, becoming a volunteer with CHD’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Hampden County was the sum of many experiences, all of which
A mom’s recovery journey
When she first referred herself for CHD’s FIRST Steps Together program in Pittsfield, MA, Ivy was only the second participant to join the new, evidence-based
Progress and proven results
When Laura’s son Raymond was seven years old, he began exhibiting signs of intense anger when his parents divorced. After being connected to an outpatient
The impact and joys of fostering
Josefina has been a foster parent for nearly 20 years. She took her first case—twin girls—when a mother she’d known for years had a case
Taking strides toward stability and self-sufficiency
For over two years, Jonatan was a resident of CHD’s Crossover program in Hartford, CT, one of CHD’s Residential Rehabilitation Services (RRS) serving individuals with
Working to reverse the cycle
Mary Andrewes has been a volunteer for CHD’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Hampden County for over six years, and she’s been a dedicated advocate for children in need for even longer. A retired educator
Helping kids hone their problem-solving skills
Deveron McCummings has been a Therapeutic Mentor (TM) with CHD’s Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI) services for over three years, working with a range of
A journey 15 years in the making
When Corey Smith was about 15, she ran into some behavioral trouble that led her through a series of residential treatment programs in her journey
Compassion from someone who understands
After Jan lost both her husband and mother to cancer, she wanted to do something to help others through this difficult diagnosis. She chose to
Meet Aaron Morrison
Aaron has been a volunteer for CHD All In: Barrier-Free Recreation Sled Hockey program for nine years. With the program, Aaron has helped coach the
A legacy of change-making
The Barnharts have been with CHD from the beginning. Their work to enhance the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities has set the
Filling the gap with love
Founder and CEO of Pride Stores Bob Bolduc and his wife Roberta support the community in a variety of ways, their main focus being children,
A survivor gives back
As lead help desk technician at CHD, the very nature of Joe’s role is to lend a helping hand. During business hours, Joe solves IT
After tragedy, a heartfelt donation
In 2015, Johnathan and Jillian were struggling to make ends meet. They had full-time jobs and aspirations of making it in the music business. They
Making progress against the odds
Shannon has loved horses since she was little, even working on horse farms as an adult. “I want to work with animals again,” she says.
A full-circle success story
In 2017, Julio’s home in Puerto Rico was destroyed by Hurricane Maria. His family lived on an outdoor basketball court for nearly a week before
Youth, revisited
At 17, Omar never thought he’d be chasing sobriety. In high school, he began smoking weed and drinking beer. It felt manageable — almost like
Treating participants like family
There are many factors that go into the outreach, intake, shelter, and housing of those at risk of instability. From readying apartments to ensuring that
The power of nature to heal
It’s a sunny day in late November. Skies are blue, but the wind whipping off Quabbin Reservoir is unforgiving. Bob is in his element. Years
"We've walked in their shoes."
Jerome was living a satisfying young life. He had a supportive family and friends, earned good grades, loved music, and had a well-paying job. That
Born to Find Solutions
For Francine, problem solving has always come naturally. Since adolescence, friends and family have been seeking her advice. “I’ve always loved to brainstorm and figure