Domains of Health

Behavioral & Mental Health

Family PEACE Trauma Treatment Center

The Family PEACE (Preventing Early Adverse Childhood Experiences) Trauma Treatment Center (FPTTC) supports the mental health of very young children and their families after traumatic experiences such as violence and abuse. The goal is to end intergenerational cycles of violence. Services are available for children up to age 5, their caregivers, and siblings ages 6-12 who may have also been impacted.

The program creates a safe, empowered community for individuals and families to feel seen, heard, and valued through self-awareness, cultural attunement, and spiritual sensitivity. Families are served through dyadic treatment, individual treatment, and group services. They are also supported through case management and free legal representation in Family Court. Finally, the program offers training in early childhood trauma and trauma-informed systems of care to professionals and community members throughout the enterprise, as well as local community-based organization partners.

Key Accomplishments & Outcomes, 2023-24

4,920

completed treatment appointments

387

unique individual patients served

748

professionals trained on early childhood trauma and trauma-informed systems of care

161+

community members trained in workshops

79%

of all families in 2024 were served for concrete needs and resources

Greatest needs were clothing, diapers, and school supplies (30% of referrals), housing (20%), food insecurity (11%), and vocational/education information (11%)

35%

of families seen at PEACE in 2024 received free legal representation.

Matters included custody (20%), visitation (16%), child support (16%), housing (13%), and orders of protection (10%)

A Family Success Story

A family completed a 15-week Somatic-Eco-Art Therapy (SEAT) group for survivors of intimate partner violence while on the waitlist at the Family PEACE Trauma Treatment Center. This prepared the family to complete child-parent psychotherapy within a year. Since treatment, the mother was accepted into a nuclear medicine program and does clinical rotations at hospitals throughout New York City. Her daughter is now in 1st grade and excelling academically.

Geriatric Community Psychiatry Program

The Geriatric Community Psychiatry Program is a community-centered initiative featuring a specialized interdisciplinary team of geriatric psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, case managers, and a program coordinator. We serve the older adults of Northern Manhattan, including the Washington Heights community, to provide culturally informed, linguistically aligned, and holistic mental health care.  

Our goal is to increase access to care for the community, partner with community organizations, and build programming for seniors to increase resilience, manage stress, and improve overall quality of life. Program members connect with the community through senior centers, community partnerships and coalitions, and primary care and other health programs. We implement evidence-based interventions that are culturally humble and adapted to a largely Latino elderly population.

Key Accomplishments & Outcomes, 2023-24

510

people served

28

community trainings and workshops

350+

people attended 10 health education presentations

15+

patients served in 2024 in a sessional care model for geriatric psychiatry that prioritizes active patient engagement in treatment to stabilize psychiatric conditions

  • Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD, Director of the Center for Medicare, visited the program In March 2023 as a part of her national tour of innovative community geriatric psychiatry programs. She was very impressed with the stories we shared and expressed her gratitude for the team's commitment.
  • Cognitive Screening and Assessment program launched in 2024 to provide specialized psychiatric assessments and cognitive screening for seniors to create comprehensive mental health treatment plans
  • Geriatric Community Psychiatry Program leadership has been providing direct consultation to internal medicine physicians at five NewYork-Presbyterian primary care practices in 2024 and led a collaborative program to provide mental health services with social workers.

A Way Out of Isolation

A 72-year-old single elderly Spanish-speaking Ecuadorian woman who lived alone in Washington Heights was referred to the program. She had hypertension, diabetes, and osteoarthritis and was also experiencing depression and anxiety triggered by the death of her eldest son by suicide. Her primary care doctor supported psychiatric treatment, but she was hesitant to start due to stigma and feeling ashamed. When she was invited to the Geriskills group, she found she was not alone and began psychiatric care and antidepressant treatment, which she continued with the encouragement of group members. She loved her Spanish-speaking psychiatrist and social worker and continued to improve, feeling less isolated. She was introduced to a senior center with a geriatric psychiatry program that provides community wellness programs. She finally had a community where she could receive psychiatric treatment in her native tongue and with cultural humility.  

HRSA-NYP CARES

HRSA-NYP CARES (Cross Sector Alliance for Resident Education in Social-emotional and Mental Health) trains primary care residents in the prevention, identification, diagnosis, treatment, and referral of services for mental and behavioral health conditions for children, teens, and young adults. These groups include populations who are at risk for or have experienced abuse, trauma, mental health and/or substance use disorders, and community violence, including gun violence.

Program Goals

Increase the number of pediatric residents and faculty trained in the promotion of mental health and well-being and the prevention, identification, diagnosis, treatment, and referral of services for mental and behavioral health conditions in the outpatient setting

Develop or expand partnerships with integrated mental health partners in primary care settings and community-based organizations to provide service-learning opportunities with primary care residents

Create or enhance mental health content in didactic and clinical training for primary care residents in suicide prevention, trauma-informed care, gun violence, and substance use

Key Accomplishments & Outcomes, 2023-24

15

mental health trainings and learning experiences were implemented in 2024 for residents

11

residents were trained to assess and manage suicidal ideation through clinical simulations at the Columbia University Vagelos simulation center in 2024

  • Co-developed curriculum for mental health training in the continuity clinic with mental health experts in 2023, including didactics on depression and suicidality
  • Created a mental health pocket guide for use during clinical encounters in the ambulatory setting in 2023
  • Four new community and academic partnerships established: Harlem Crossroads and the NYU Prevention Education Partnership in 2023, and Northern Manhattan Perinatal Partnership and OnPoint NYC (for resident learning in the community) in 2024
  • Partnered with School-Based Mental Health Center to co-develop and co-lead mental health workshops at public high schools in 2023
  • 38 pediatric residents, faculty, and other trainees were trained to address pediatric mental health needs in 2024 through The REACH Institute’s Patient-Centered Mental Health in Pediatric Primary Care training

Program Testimonial

A Resident Gives Feedback

We all deal with this situation or similar ones in our clinic. Learning the language to use and how to establish rapport to keep patients safe are critical to our ability to care for them. No matter what sub-specialty we choose to practice, we will encounter patients at risk for suicidality, and it always helps to practice.

One resident's feedback after suicide simulation training

Turn 2 Us

Turn 2 Us (T2U) is dedicated to promoting mental health and academic success among at-risk children. We hope to empower the entire school community (including students, parents and caregivers, and staff) to engage in healthy lifestyle practices that boost well-being.

Our team aims to raise awareness of the importance of mental health, even in the absence of mental health conditions, and to decrease the stigma surrounding it. T2U recognizes Upper Manhattan and Central Brooklyn as resilient communities, and in support of this resilience, we provide an array of services to benefit youth in these areas.

Key Accomplishments & Outcomes, 2023-24

4,889

students reached

409

staff

75

patients/caregivers

813

individuals served through SYDL sports intervention

6,186

total number of people reached

  • Presented data at the Advancing School Mental Health Conference on sports league interventions in December 2023 and on implementation science, in collaboration with School-Based Mental Health Program, in 2024
  • Expanded services to Crown Heights, Brooklyn in 2024, partnering with Directed Energy to provide a soccer/social-emotional development program and Girls Rule the Court to provide a tennis/social-emotional development program
  • Launched a parent mental health literacy cohort for summer 2024, reaching parents for five consecutive weeks

Program Testimonial

A Speech Pathologist Attests to T2U's Benefits

T2U benefits students, staff, and our school by promoting mental health and academic success in at-risk children. By enhancing mental health literacy among school personnel and parents/caregivers, T2U ensures that our youths' emotional, social, and academic progress are effectively supported. Being part of the intermural sports program has benefited students, staff, and my school by promoting physical and mental health, fostering social connections, developing skills, strengthening school spirit, and enhancing academic performance.

One resident's feedback after suicide simulation training

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