Join us for an ACRC Webinar!

Free to Members / $50 Non-Members
NASW CEUs Free to Members / $25 Non-Members

Serving Youth with Unmet Complex Needs in Enhanced Care Programs

Thursday, August 10, 2023
1 - 2:30 p.m. CST

Thousands of young people each year are sleeping in offices, hotels, and night-to-night foster homes, shining a glaring light on the fact that youth with unmet complex needs have not been adequately or safely supported in existing systems or programs.  

Leaders in California, including providers, public system partners, and young people with lived experience, have collaborated to fill a gap in the existing continuum of care with a new approach called Enhanced Care Programs. Enhanced Care Programs serve youth who don't need an acute inpatient level of care but who have multiple identified needs across various domains, including multiple mental health and/or substance use diagnoses; severe challenges in family, social and/or school functioning; neuropsychological difficulties; and developmental delays.

This webinar will provide an overview about the role of Enhanced Care Programs in California, how they are structured and funded, their foundational principles, and how they have been instrumental in individually serving youth with unmet complex needs.

Presenters:

Alex Volpe, LCSW 
Program Director; Catalyst Center, CA

Alex has been working with underserved youth and families for over 15 years. Upon completing her Masters in Social Work at the University of Chicago in 2005, Alex worked as a therapist at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, a residential treatment facility in Chicago. After moving to the East Bay with her family in 2008, Alex began working at Bay Area Youth Center/Sunny Hills Services (now “Side by Side”), a nonprofit serving foster and probation youth. Alex led Bay Area Youth Center as the Executive Director from 2013-2017. Under Alex’s leadership, Bay Area Youth Center significantly expanded mental health and housing services to youth in Alameda County, and earned a reputation as an agency who would provide shelter and services to the highest need youth who were often terminated from other services due to their acute mental health symptoms. Alex is committed to the principles of trauma-responsive care and providing culturally relevant services to young people and their families.

Following her tenure at Bay Area Youth Center, Alex has held a number of contract and interim positions, including serving as the interim Chief Operating Officer at Unity Care Group, as well as the Executive Director at the Ann Martin Center. Prior to becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Alex received her JD from the University of Texas in Austin and worked as a corporate and securities attorney in San Francisco and Austin. She currently lives in Oakland with her family.

Misty Berard
Senior Program Advisor; Catalyst Center, CA

Misty Berard, Senior Program Advisor, joined the Catalyst Team in 2022. She brings over 15 years of direct care and leadership experience in residential and community-based services, including work in supervisor and director-level roles in group homes, Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTPs), and Wraparound programs in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.

Misty earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Occidental College and her master’s degree in Leadership and Organizational Studies from Azusa Pacific University. Misty is a Certified Group Home Administrator and brings substantial experience in the leadership and administration of STRTPs, including program development, supervision and training, staffing and scheduling, milieu management, therapeutic recreation, and integration of direct care and clinical staff.

Misty has dedicated her career to providing trauma-responsive, relational care to youth and families and these commitments are evident in her approach to leadership and her provision of training and coaching to direct care and clinical staff in the topics of crisis intervention and de-escalation, trauma-informed care, and restorative justice.

Kelsie Tatum-Martinez, Psy.D.
Senior Clinical Advisor; Catalyst Center, CA

Dr. Kelsie Tatum Martinez is a licensed psychologist with over 15 years of experience serving youth and families with experiences of complex, intergenerational trauma and significant unmet needs. She has delivered direct care and clinical services as well as provided clinical, training, and special projects leadership to programs serving young people in California’s public systems of care. After working in residential treatment programs for over 10 years, Kelsie joined the Catalyst Center team to support and advocate for systems change and more equitable, integrated care for youth and families.