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Janine Rowe Named EAP Service Manager
Friday, December 1, 2023
We are proud to share that Janine Rowe, MSEd, LMHC, CASAC, SAP, CEAP has been named Service Manager of our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). In this role, she will join the EAP leadership team to ensure that all employees have the support they need.
This well-deserved promotion recognizes Janine’s exceptional contributions to UR Medicine EAP and her continued commitment to excellence.
Janine first joined our UR Medicine EAP team in 2021, bringing a wealth of skills and clinical experience to her role. Over the years, she has not only demonstrated her ability to take on a new and complicated identity as an EAP Counselor and supervisor, but has also exhibited a high level of professionalism that sets her apart. Janine’s ability to navigate diverse and complex situations with skill and grace has been instrumental in enhancing the quality of our services. One of Janine’s noteworthy accomplishments has been to assume a leadership role in further developing and sustaining the YoUR Support Team. This achievement reflects her dedication to ensure that all employees have the support they need to ability to be resilient through times of crisis.
Over the past few years, Janine has become an integral part of our leadership team. Her promotion to EAP Service Manager is a natural progression and recognizes her ability to lead with vision, clinical expertise, and effectiveness.
Please join us in congratulating Janine on this well-deserved promotion. We have no doubt that she will excel in her new role and continue to elevate the standards of excellence within our EAP team.
Join Us for Our Next DICE Grand Rounds- From Drapetomania to Protest Psychosis: Brief History of Racism and Psychiatry
Tuesday, November 21, 2023
We invite you to join the Department of Psychiatry for their upcoming DICE Grand Rounds with Dr. Shawn Utsey, Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Department of African American Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, taking place on 11/29 from 12 PM to 1:15 PM. In-person attendance is highly recommended for those who wish to join.
This lecture will interrogate the history of scientific racism in psychiatry, beginning in the Christian Era and into modern history. Racialized notions of insanity emerged in the Antebellum South as an instrument of control and as a justification of chattel slavery. The idea that the act of resisting one's oppression was a symptom of mental illness began in slavery, but would again surface in the 1960s when psychiatry weaponized the DSM against urban resistance movements and other marginalized communities.
The lecture will conclude with a discussion of the need for continued efforts to rehabilitate psychiatry from its legacy of scientific racism.
Learn How You Can Donate to Children & Teens this Holiday Season
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
The Golisano Children's Hospital has many ways to donate to children and teens needing comfort this holiday season.
Gifts made to the Pediatric Mental Health Wish List bring comfort to children and teens in our Pediatric Inpatient Psychiatry unit during their hospital stay.
Read More: Learn How You Can Donate to Children & Teens this Holiday SeasonThanksgiving Food Drive - Department of Psychiatry
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
The Department of Psychiatry is partnering with the hospital & our Foodlink food cupboards to run a Thanksgiving Food Drive. Your donations will directly help our patients at Strong Ties, Chestnut Street, Strong Recovery, and discharged BH inpatients.
Non-perishable food items only: Pasta, Tomato sauce, cereal (no XL boxes), canned veggies & fruits (100% juice or water), canned meats, tuna fish, peanut butter, rice, crackers, oatmeal (low sugar), applesauce (unsweetened), soup (low sodium), jelly/jam (no HFCS), and beans.
November 11th - 25th - Bring donations to PMHN Educator Office 1-9022 pr PMHN Service Office 1-9017
Anton Porsteinsson, MD speaks to13 WHAM ABC about new Alzheimer's study
Thursday, November 2, 2023
Dr. Anton Porsteinsson, alongside Jim Gulley, a man from Penfield living with Alzheimer's Disease, spoke with 13 WHAM ABC on Lecanemab, a medication recently approved for people with the clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, and the AHEAD study aimed to help prevent Alzheimer's disease.
Read More: Anton Porsteinsson, MD speaks to13 WHAM ABC about new Alzheimer's studyUnifying Frameworks to Organize Supervision Orientations
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Janine Rowe, MsEd, Senior Counselor at our Employee Assistance Program, and Julie Achtyl, MS, LMHC, Program Director at our Strong Recovery Outpatient Clinic, presented at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision's conference in Denver.
They discussed the use of integral theory as a unifying, integrative, meta-theoretical framework to organize the multitude of supervision theoretical orientations while attending to the supervisee's developmental level and the supervisory relationship. Supervisors face multiple competing and sometimes contradicting theories, approaches, and models. An integral approach that conceptualizes supervisees from the four quadrants and employs a variety of applicable theoretical orientations while considering developmentally and state-appropriate interventions can be highly effective, yet quite challenging. It concludes with a case study demonstrating an integral approach to clinical supervision.
Psychiatry Nursing Heads to the 37th APNA Conference
Friday, October 27, 2023
Jessica Hashim, RN-BSN, Laura Inclema, AD and Kristy Lamb, NM, recently presented at the 37th Annual American Psychiatric Nurses Association Conference in Orlando, Florida on EMR interventions to support increasing compliance with Primary Care Screens.
Speaking on the conference, Hashim says, "The conference offered an opportunity to learn what other nursing systems in both inpatient and outpatient psychiatry are learning and implementing nationwide! What an experience to hear multiple presentations, view posters and move whole health forward by embracing Inclusion, diversity, equity, access and de-stigmatization. We were able to attend presentations based on preference, personally I appreciated the in person presentations on increasing awareness of suicide amongst the nursing profession compared to the general population. A pilot study from the University of Kentucky indicated that nurses have a predisposition to elevated suicide risk due to the nature of the work they provide. Professional nursing staff didn’t feel they had adequate resources to help deal with increasing work related psychological stressors. This was eye opening to me, as a nursing profession, we spend most of our time caring for others and yet feel ineffective or inadequate in caring for our own mental health? As we continue to care for patients with mental health diagnosis’ we should consider advancing the narrative to helping one another as well. This conference was an incredible opportunity to learn and acknowledge ways in which to better serve patients, families and one another! "
Psychiatry Residency Program Holds Clothing Drive
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Our Psychiatry Residency Program is organizing a clothing drive for our Inpatient Medicine In Psychiatry Service (IMIPS) program!
Many patients on IMIPS face housing & financial insecurity, and the unit constantly needs clothing for these patients, particularly as winter approaches.
Boxes have been set up on the second floor of our Strong Hospital location (Room 2.9055), 1860 South Ave (1st floor), and 200 East River Road (3rd floor) locations!
Reel Minds film festival addresses social stigma of mental illness
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Held in partnership with the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Humanities and Bioethics, the Reel Minds Film Festival is an annual series of films, performances, and discussions addressing the social stigma of mental illness and behavioral disorders. The festival concludes on October 25 with the US premiere of Daughters and a panel discussion.
Learn more and purchase tickets
Read More: Reel Minds film festival addresses social stigma of mental illnessDungeons and Dragons: Youth Use Love of the Arts to Drive Therapeutic Outcomes
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
GCH’s Division of Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness outpatient Services has grown significantly in response to the national pediatric mental-health crisis. Its mission—to help all children reach their full potential by promoting healthy development—is evident in the program’s commitment to expanding services and launching new initiatives to address the needs of children and families in the greater Rochester area.
During the past seven years, the Creative Arts Therapies program has provided an opportunity for patients to utilize their creativity and interest in the arts in supporting their therapy goals and healing through foundational skill development.
The program is facilitated by Margaret Powell, senior staff clinician, licensed creative arts therapist, and registered drama therapist, and is supported by colleagues including Robyn Broomfield, licensed mental health counselor, and Caitlyn Camp, licensed creative arts therapist and board-certified art therapist. It features a variety of offerings available to support the needs of patients.
“Social-skills development, community, problem-solving, and role playing are at the heart of this work,” said Powell. “The challenge, however, is getting youth to use what they are learning (in therapy) in real world scenarios.”
Creative Arts Therapy groups apply the creative process to these real-world scenarios. These groups use art, music, drama, and other innovative interventions, such as the Dungeons and Dragons concept (D&D), to drive positive outcomes in children and adolescents.
D&D is a popular tabletop role-playing board game in which there is a basic storyline with a game master who serves as the story leader. The players create characters—like knights or rogue spies, wizards, and sorcerers—with different powers and areas of weakness who come together to support the accomplishment of a goal.
The use of D&D-style role playing in therapy has become more popular over the years as a method used by practitioners to treat issues associated with tough topics for children, such as self-esteem, bullying, gender identity, sexuality, addressing and recovering from trauma, and building healthy relationships. This concept ultimately drove the Creative Arts Therapies program toward a new idea: producing a play.
“The idea is that the youth feel empowered to have a voice and be who they are and express themselves in a way that they may not usually be able to.” said Powell. “We want to give kids the power to build upon for their own therapeutic well-being.”
The group, comprised of current and past patients ages 13 to 18, is planning to stage the play She Kills Monsters: Young Adventurers Edition by Qui Nguyen. The play, which has three versions, is about a high-school student named Agnes Evans who tragically loses her little sister, Tilly, in a car accident. In working through this traumatic event, Agnes begins an adventure to get to know and understand her sister better by playing a Dungeons and Dragons narrative that Tilly had written before her death. On this journey, Agnes discovers new things about her sister and herself by exploring themes of sexuality, trauma, and other issues that high-schoolers typically experience during their formative years.
Youth are participating in the play as actors as well as making contributions by providing assistance with the management of the technical aspects of the production; the development of a logo and flyer; assisting with costume, backdrop and prop development; and providing artwork for the art-show component of the event.
The play will be performed at OFC Creations Theater Center, a local organization with a focus on youth theatre education and performances, which hosts professional productions and community events.
“Resources and donations have been imperative to making this happen, and OFC Creations is an amazing partner in this work,” said Powell. “I really strongly believe in the value and importance of community and creativity—it is important to kids’ mental health to have connections that are rich and that are supported. Creativity is an important part of that. Expressing themselves, being understood, working towards a goal, being seen and witnessed and supported by a larger community are all important to their growth and development.”
“Community connection and empowerment—that’s the next step in their development,” added Broomfield. “Feeling empowered and connected and knowing that they can do it on their own.”
The production will be held at the OFC Creations Theater Center (3450 Winton Place) Oct. 27-29 and is a first-of-its-kind fundraiser, with a portion of the proceeds going to support future creative arts therapy programs. Tickets and showtimes available here.
Mark Oldham, MD speaks to Rochester First about ways to identify and treat seasonal affective disorder
Tuesday, October 3, 2023
Mark Oldham, MD, spoke to Rochester First about ways to identify and treat seasonal affective disorder, a condition that is common in the colder months when sunshine is hard to come by. “Light therapy should be a 10,000-lux device. That is a measurement of how much biologically active light the device provides,” Oldham said. “Usually within 15 minutes of awakening for at least 30 minutes each day.”
Read More: Mark Oldham, MD speaks to Rochester First about ways to identify and treat seasonal affective disorderAddiction Specialist: ‘Recovery is All About the Story’
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Drawing on His Own Past, Charles Brown is Helping Others Beat Addiction
Charles Brown, a chemical dependency counselor and group specialist with the Strong Recovery Program, is the most tenured member of the counseling team. He has helped hundreds of people through some of their toughest battles to get and stay clean and sober. We spoke with Brown, a recovering addict himself, who says he uses his own experiences to help others live better, healthier lives.
How did you come to be a member of the Strong Recovery team?
I came to the U of R in 1989. Dr. Robert Klein and his wife discovered me at Charlotte High School. I was working as a chemical dependency counselor after years of working the night shift at Kodak. I was in recovery myself after 18 years of using drugs. I've been clean now 38 years, and I've been here at the University 34 years. At the time, I was doing a presentation about addiction at a high school and after the presentation (Dr. Klein’s wife) came up to me and said, ‘my husband can use you at the University of Rochester.’ I told her I could use the University of Rochester! I didn't get the first job, but that didn't matter. I got the second one and that's how I arrived here.
What a fortuitous encounter. What was your own recovery like?
I believe in Divine Intervention. I never went to treatment myself. I went back to church. My father was a minister. My own personal experiences helped me learn more about the addiction field, not only for myself, but so I could help others by telling my story. Recovery is all about the story. I was allowed to tell my story to an audience that wanted to hear it and I knew I could help them get well. I often say that I get more out of the group process than they do; I get the opportunity to put it to work because everybody does not know that the addict is a creative genius going in the wrong direction, but nevertheless, a creative genius.
What has it been like working at the University and helping others with recovery?
(Those who use) know how to hook stuff up—good, bad or ugly. When I came here, I said, ‘This is the fertile place; stay right here.’ Here I have a purpose. We are some of the people that can help folks take their walk to the next level. We have ‘been there and done that’ and lived to tell about it, and with what's on the streets now—a lot of people are not living to tell about it. That's why I'm still here. I'm still learning, still growing. That's what it's all about. And I've come to understand here through the death of my brother last year, that discomfort and growth travel in the same vehicle.
I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your brother. How has that impacted your work?
From it I learned a lot about processing grief, and I teach the same lessons to my patients. You can learn a lot from grief. I tell my patients they’ve got enough grief in their life. Let me show you how to handle it so you can use it to grow up. They say emotional development ceases when drug use begins, and a lot of our patients have been using drugs for a long time. And that's why I'm still here.
What does it mean to you when you see the difference that you make in someone's life?
Oh, that is what I call a mountaintop experience. When someone shares a story with you, you understand you are in the right place. Before leaving my previous job, my mentor told me, ‘The marriage between knowledge and experience creates a child called wisdom.’ I understand exactly what he meant now because when I came here, I was able to consummate that marriage between my experience and knowledge and put 'em together.
Wisdom enabled me to help patients make that same walk that I made. Being here has allowed me to put what I have learned from my experience into play into their lives and teach them to ask better questions. I'm teaching my patients that recovery is all about stories and questions. When I hear my patients start asking the questions, it helps me understand, okay, they got that. And I just keep doing it over and over again because repetition is the mother of skill. Once patients have the skills, we are able to teach them how to put that practical application to work in their recovery.
What do you hope patients will take away from their recovery journey here?
Recovery is not as easy as it looks, but we know it is worth it. The gifts, blessings, rewards, benefits, discoveries, surprises, opportunities, privileges and the adventure and joy of the journey and always, always, always. The cherry on top is hope for a better tomorrow.
Join the Geriatric Psychiatry and Memory Care Division for the 2023 Walk to End Alzheimer's
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Our Geriatric Psychiatry and Memory Care Division will once again be walking in this year's 2023 Walk to End Alzheimer's! This year's walk takes place on October 7th at Innovative Field and will support the work of Alzheimer's Association: Rochester, NY.
We invite you to join the team or donate to the team's fundraising efforts for the Alzheimer's Association here.
How to Prevent the Next Opioid Tragedy
Friday, September 15, 2023
Leah Hill, Senior Chemical Dependency Counselor at UR Medicine's Strong Recovery, says parents can play a key role in preventing the next tragedy—but only if they're willing to hear some difficult truths. Hill says parents need to avoid lectures and judgment. “Make it safe to share and be honest,” she says. That’s the key to having open conversations.
Read More: How to Prevent the Next Opioid TragedyGroundbreaking Ceremony Celebrates Strong Memorial Hospital Expansion Project
Friday, September 8, 2023
The Strong Memorial Hospital expansion project will add more than 200 examination/treatment and patient observation stations in phases to the ED and the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP). The combined ED and CPEP footprint will more than triple, from 32,000 square feet to 120,000 square feet.
Read More: Groundbreaking Ceremony Celebrates Strong Memorial Hospital Expansion ProjectGet Tickets Now for Pediatric Behavioral Health & Wellness's Production of She Kills Monsters
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Pediatric Behavioral Health & Wellness's Production of She Kills Monsters
Join us for Performances: Friday, October 27 at 6:30PM; Saturday, October 28 at 6:30PM; and Sunday, October 29 at 2PM.
Location: OFC Creations Theatre Center, 3450 Winton Place, Rochester, NY
Appropriate for ages 12 & up
Sponsored by UR Medicine: Golisano Children's Hospital Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness.
Directed by Maggie Powell, Registered Drama Therapist, and Licensed Creative Arts Therapist
Read More: Get Tickets Now for Pediatric Behavioral Health & Wellness's Production of She Kills MonstersSeptember is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
Friday, September 1, 2023
During Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, help @NIMHgov raise awareness about suicide prevention by sharing informational materials based on the latest research.
Everyone can help save lives. Share science. Share hope. Learn more by visiting nimh.nih.gov/shareNIMH/suicideprevention. #SPM23 #shareNIMH #suicideprevention
Collaborative Care & Wellness Division Administration Changes
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Our Collaborative Care & Wellness Division (CCW) has expanded significantly over the past few years with more plans for expansion in the future. In order to meet the needs of the two branches of the CCW division, we would like to announce changes in the administrative leadership of the division. Toni Sexton is now the lead administrator for the integrated care branch of the division which includes hospital consultation services, all outpatient hospital services, as well as all the integrated care programs at St. James, Jones, Noyes, FF Thompson Hospital, and Finger Lakes Health. Vanessa Mace is now the lead administrator for the University of Rochester Medical Faculty Group branch of the division which includes our Employer Based Services as well as the growing UMH Practice.
The Art of Being a Morning Person (Even if You’re Actually Not One)
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
NY Times: Leisha Cuddihy, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and of medicine, discusses ways night owls can adjust to waking up early. “A lot of people, no matter what time they wake up, just need a minute,” says Dr. Cuddihy. Simply acknowledging that reality can help bring a feeling of peace and acceptance to the morning, she says.
Read More: The Art of Being a Morning Person (Even if You’re Actually Not One)Construction Notice - Medical Center Ground Level
Friday, August 25, 2023
Construction Impacts to the Mental Health & Wellness Building - 300 Crittenden Blvd, Rochester, NY.
We are excited to kick off construction for the region's FIRST pediatric Mental Health Urgent Care Clinic, made possible through a donation from the Brighter Days Foundation! Some disruption to our patient and visitor areas out of the UR Medicine Mental Health and Wellness building will occur as part of this first set of renovations.
9/19/2023 UPDATE: Access to the Blue Elevators on the ground level is reopened.
11/20/2023 UPDATE: The Crittenden Road Behavioral Health parking lot has been reopened for patients who have appointments in the Psychiatry clinics.
Golisano Pediatric Behavioral Health breaks ground on region's first-ever walk-in mental health urgent care for youth
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Golisano Pediatric Behavioral Health has officially broken ground on the region's FIRST pediatric Mental Health Urgent Care Clinic.
The development of our area’s first-ever walk-in mental health urgent care clinic for teens and children was made possible by $1 million in support from the Brighter Days Foundation. Located at Strong Memorial Hospital, it is estimated that the clinic will aid as many as 3,000 children and teens in crisis annually.
Read More: Golisano Pediatric Behavioral Health breaks ground on region's first-ever walk-in mental health urgent care for youthNo One Left Behind: U.S. Air Force Rolls Out Suicide-Prevention Technique to Every Base in the World
Monday, August 14, 2023
The suicide rate among active-duty military personnel has increased over the past few decades, with suicides now accounting for 25% of all active-duty military deaths. The Air Force has been hit particularly hard, losing more members to suicide than to combat since 2015.
Peter A. Wyman, PhD, co-director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide (CSPS) at URMC and founder and director of the Wingman-Connect program, is taking a different approach to address the problem. The Wingman-Connect research trial ran for nearly a decade at an Air Force base in Wichita Falls, Texas. The results were so impressive that the Air Force is now putting $5 million behind expanding the program to all of its 68 bases worldwide.
Read More: No One Left Behind: U.S. Air Force Rolls Out Suicide-Prevention Technique to Every Base in the WorldRadical Prevention: Their Ideas for Stopping Suicide Are the New Frontier- And Rolling Out Nationwide
Friday, August 4, 2023
Peter Wyman, PhD, and Arielle Sheftall, PhD were highlighted in Rochester Medicine for their work in suicide prevention in the Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide (CSPS).
Dr. Wyman, alongside Ian Cero, PhD and Bryan Yates, discussed suicide prevention among the military and the Wingman Connect Program, a program aimed at harnessing the power of social connections to prevent thoughts of suicide before they occur. READ MORE>>>
Dr. Sheftall, alongside Yeates Conwell, MD, Eric Caine, MD, Kimberly van Orden, PhD, Caroline Silva, PhD, Anthony Pisani, PhD, Elizabeth Handley, PhD, Wilfred Pigeon, PhD, Kenneth Connor, PsyD, and Aileen Aldalur, PhD, spoke on CSPS's work in researching the prevention of suicide among youth, middle-aged adults, older adults, the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community and the Spanish-speaking community, among others. The article also highlighted Dr. Sheftall's work in suicide prevention among Black youth as well as a recent study testing to see if nerve-stimulating earbuds alongside a peer support app can help reduce risk factors in teens. READ MORE>>>
Michael Scharf, MD appointed the Mark and Maureen Davitt Distinguished Professor in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Monday, July 31, 2023
Michael Scharf, a professor of psychiatry, has been jointly appointed as the Mark and Maureen Davitt Distinguished Professor in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
He is psychiatrist-in-chief at Golisano Children’s Hospital, chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and director of the psychiatry graduate medical education program. Scharf is involved in several local programs dedicated to ensuring access to quality mental health care for all children and adolescents in the Rochester region.
Mark and Maureen Davitt, whom the professorship honors, are longtime philanthropists to the Medical Center.
Read More: Michael Scharf, MD appointed the Mark and Maureen Davitt Distinguished Professor in Child and Adolescent PsychiatryPaul Geha, MD receives $8.3 million to study chronic pain and the brain
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Paul Geha, MD, associate professor of Psychiatry has been studying the correlation between brain structure and chronic pain and was recently awarded $8.3 million from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) to continue this work in understanding the link between pain and the brain.
Read More: Paul Geha, MD receives $8.3 million to study chronic pain and the brainPloy (Mongkae) Siripornsawan Named Medical Director of CPEP
Monday, July 10, 2023
We are also proud to share that Ploy (Mongkae) Siripornsawan, MD has been named the Medical Director of our Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP). She completed her general psychiatry residency at Michigan State University, then a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship here at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Dr. Siripornsawan has been an integral member of our CPEP team for several years as a clinician and leader, including as Associate Medical Director of CPEP Education prior to the interim medical director role last year. In her new role, she will continue to work with our dedicated multidisciplinary CPEP leadership and team members in meeting the needs of our patients, health system, and community.