Connecticut Counseling Centers Inc

Receives National Award

The crowning achievement for Connecticut Counseling Centers occurred during the AATOD Conference Awards Banquet.  Robert Lambert and Kurt Kemmling were acknowledged in front of the banquet audience of over 800 attendees for their work creating and refining the Bridge to Recovery Program.  The announcement in the Awards Banquet brochure from SAMSHA/CSAT stated:

"In order to improve retention rates and patient outcomes, the Norwalk Clinic of Connecticut Counseling Centers, Inc. developed a peer mentoring initiative designed to improve their patients’ therapeutic alliance with program staff using a peer mentor as a “bridge” to help develop the therapeutic alliance.  The program provides enhanced services for patients who are having difficulty stabilizing and developing therapeutic relationships.  Hence, the program is call “Bridge to Recovery” (BTR).  Although the concept of a peer mentor is not new,the extensive nature of the training and the specific goal of the mentoring services (to enhance the therapeutic alliance)is innovative.  Outcome studies following implementation of this innovation have beenextremely positive. The BTR Program initiative was co-created and developed by both a staff member and a patient, and reflects the patient-centered nature of the recovery movement.” 

We are attempting to establish this Peer Mentoring Program in Waterbury and Danbury as well. 

All Connecticut Counseling Centers’ staff and board members should be very proud of our fellow staff members and CCC for creating this type of national demonstration project and receiving National recognition for it.  Receiving this award is the ultimate crowning achievement in CCC’s 28-year history.

CCC Invited to Participate in SAMSHA Project

As a recognized thought leader in the Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse industry, Rob Lambert was asked by a representative for Advocates for Human Potential (AHP) to do a video interview that would subsequently be used to create a support tool to assist Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Programs in understanding many of the complex issues surrounding MAT.  Rob Lambert, along with Kurt Kemmling was interviewed during the Conference and a variety of topics were discussed including:

• What are some of the reasons people may not want to ask about treatment for opioid dependence?
• Stigma issues relating to opioid dependence.
• How people make decisions about treatment and treatment options - what factors do they weigh the most?
• The role of mentors/peers in both treatment and decisions about treatment.
• In what ways would peers be supportive in use of a decision tool for MAT?
• Understanding the concept of "recovery" from your vantage point.
• Differences between Methadone and Buprenorphine treatment, what patients need to know about the differences between the two medications, and what questions potential patients may ask when deciding between the two.
  

The Center for Social Innovation and Advocates for Human Potential (AHP), under a SAMHSA Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy contract, will be developing a Shared Decision Making (SDM) tool around Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT).