Yale University, School of Medicine

The Consultation Center

Clinical Services  |  CMHC  |  Consultation Center

Our Mission

The Consultation Center develops and implements prevention programs to individuals and families across the life span; conducts prevention and community research and evaluations of community programs; provides services to promote the mental health and adaptation of persons with prolonged psychiatric and/or substance abuse disorders and their families; and provides training, consultation, and technical assistance to professionals and organizations to enhance their effectiveness and the quality of service delivery to the community.

A multidisciplinary service, research, and training site, The Center is a cooperative endeavor of the Connecticut Mental Health Center, the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine, and the Community Consultation Board, Inc., a private, nonprofit community organization. Below are some of its CMHC-related services.

Housing & Residential Support
To develop transitional and permanent, stable and affordable housing and community-based interventions to facilitate successful transition into the community.

	Supportive Housing Program - A nine-agency, collaborative program that provides transitional housing, clinical services, social and vocational rehabilitation, community-based housing interventions and housing resource development for individuals who are homeless with co-occurring disorders of serious mental illness and substance abuse
	New Haven Shelter Plus Care Program - A permanent housing program that provides rental assistance certificates to homeless individuals with behavioral health disorders and/or HIV/AIDS, and their families. An array of support services is provided by local agencies through a “service match.”
	PILOTS Program, “Open Door Alliance” - A multi-agency, permanent supportive housing collaborative program that provides community-based support services for individuals who are homeless/at-risk of homelessness with behavioral health disorders with/without HIV/AIDS as they move into affordable housing.
	Housing Resource Development – An information dissemination and resource development initiative including a web-based “Housing Resource Information Clearinghouse.”
	Community-Based Housing Interventions - A project to promote transitions into permanent housing, including a Landlord/Service Provider Training and Consultation Program, a Tenant Organization, and related interventions.

Family Violence Prevention & Intervention Programs

	Family Violence Education Program - Psychoeducational groups for court-mandated first offenders to learn how to prevent violence in their homes.
	Evolve Program - An intensive intervention for men with a history of domestic violence offenses.
	Adolescent Violence Prevention Program - Psychoeducational groups for adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system.

Family & Community Support Programs

	Family Support Services - Helping families with a mentally ill family member through education, information and support. Services include family consultation, information sessions, and educational programs, as well as informational materials such as Family Information Packets and the Community Resource Guide, available in English and Spanish, and a newsletter for families and human service providers, Family Matters
	Grandparents Raising Grandchildren - A continuum of services including educational sessions, support groups, respite services for grandchildren and grandparents, and a newsletter, GrandNews. Program staff are also involved in collaborative program development and advocacy.
	Natural Supports Program - A community-based, support group for family caregivers of elders with functional impairments.
	Connecticut Self-Help Network - Founded at The Consultation Center, the Network is the statewide clearinghouse for self-help/mutual support groups. Information and referral services, leadership training, and self-help group development and consultation on a local and statewide basis. Publication of a biannual directory listing Connecticut self-help groups, national groups and related websites, helplines/hotlines, other self-help clearinghouse resources, and Connections, the Network newsletter.
	Community Support Services Team (CSST) at Riverside Education Academy - Riverside Education Academy of the New Haven Public Schools serves youth at risk for behavioral health disorders who also face educational challenges. The CSST provides comprehensive primary health, mental health, legal advocacy and consultation, case management, and vocational services to students and families at Riverside Education Academy. Staff from The Consultation Center provide leadership and direct services for this collaboration among the New Haven Public Schools and various community agencies.

Program Evaluation & Quality Improvement Services
Evaluating residential, social rehabilitative, and vocational services provided by the Managed Service System (MSS) affiliate agencies.

Providing technical assistance to the MSS affiliate agencies to monitor quality improvement activities and to ensure full compliance with DMHAS reporting requirements, including: reporting of client level utilization and outcome data, program performance indicators, and consumer satisfaction measures.

Scholarship and Research

	Community adaptation of persons with serious mental illness
	School and community interventions for at-risk urban youth
	Impact of work and family stress on adult adjustment and substance abuse
	Promotion of resilience among children of parents with serious mental disorders
	Antecedants and consequences of intimate partner violence
	Prevention of adolescent substance abuse
	HIV preventive interventions with individuals experiencing trauma
	Impact of mentoring on mental health and substance use outcomes of at-risk youth
	Adaptation to loss and bereavement among HIV positive adults
	Impact of caregiver support on family behavioral health outcomes
	Promotion of educational achievement and adjustment among low-income minority youth
	Statewide evaluations of child, adolescent, and adult behavioral health services

For more information:

Visit The Consultation Center Web site, and the Web site of the Division of Prevention & Community Research.

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