NOTE: To change the image on this slide, select the picture and delete it. Then click the Pictures icon in the placeholder to insert your own image. Riverdale Mental Health Association Healing individuals. Strengthening communities.

WHO WE ARE RMHA is an award-winning non-profit agency founded in 1959, providing mental health, substance abuse treatment, housing, and vocational services to approximately 2,000 individuals each year. RMHA was developed to serve a local need for mental health care services, and has continued to serve that need as well as that in surrounding neighborhoods in the Bronx, Lower Westchester, and Northern Manhattan. Our multidisciplinary staff provides low-cost care of the highest quality to clients who would otherwise lack access to essential mental health care. RMHA is uniquely positioned as a mid-sized community mental health center; our programs respond to mental health needs over the lifespan from infants to senior citizens. The population served by the agency today is diverse and reflective of the surrounding communities.

MISSION STATEMENT Our mission for more than half a century has been to serve families and individuals from all walks of life, to improve the lives of those with mental health difficulties, substance dependency, and other isolating conditions and to improve the quality of life in all communities that we serve.

SERVICES WE PROVIDE  Clinic Treatment Program  Early Childhood Program  Chances for Children  Family Support Center  School-Based Programs  Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS)  Vocational Services  Parachute NYC Crisis Respite  ReSolve Center for Recovery  Residential Services  Innovative Services for Seniors

CLINICAL TREATMENT PROGRAM PROGRAM:  An outpatient clinic for treatment of the full range of emotional and psychiatric programs. Serves all age groups SERVICES:  Comprehensive evaluation; adult and child treatment; parent counseling; individual, group, and family therapy; psychiatry services and medication therapy. Licensed by the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH).

EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM PROGRAM:  Early intervention with young children (0 – 5 years) and their families. SERVICES:  Specialized services for children and parents:  Early intervention program: for children from birth through two years of age who have or are at risk for developmental disabilities or delay.  At daycare centers and nursery schools: outreach and early intervention, including parent and teacher consultations.  At the Early Childhood Center: parent groups; preliminary problem assessment; consultation sessions.  Evaluation and treatment: play therapy, parent/child and group therapy.

CHANCES FOR RMHA PROGRAM:  A training and direct service program for caregivers and very young children (birth to age 3). Early intervention in the lives of at- risk families can prevent costly cycles of violence, abuse and neglect from destroying lives. Increasingly, research indicates that babies’ brains are literally shaped by their surroundings. In Chances for Children we have an extraordinary opportunity to make a difference. SERVICES:  Playgroups, video-recorded parent-child interactions, all aimed at strengthening and solidifying bonds of attachment between at- risk parents and children.

FAMILY SUPPORT RMHA PROGRAM:  Every Tuesday evening, parents and children participate in groups that help them with communication, with responding to emotionally charged interactions, and with children’s needs for attachment, positive reinforcement, unconditional love and support. SERVICES:  Adults work with clinicians on parenting skills, while children work on age-appropriate projects and skills, all designed to facilitate communication in families struggling with mental illness, poverty, and lack of other external supports.

SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES PROGRAM:  Licensed clinicians on-site in public schools targeted for these services by the NYC Department of Education. SERVICES:  Licensed RMHA clinicians provide counseling to students and their families, helping improve academic performance and social skills. Students receive evaluations, individual, group and/or family therapy as needed.

RIVERDALE PROS: PERSONALIZED RECOVERY ORIENTED SERVICES PROGRAM:  Outpatient day program for adults who live with mental illness, with an emphasis on recovery. SERVICES:  A full range of treatment and rehabilitation services, including evaluation, psychotherapy, psychiatry, medication therapy, groups which focus on activities of daily living, social and prevocational rehabilitation, and work readiness. Licensed by the NYS OMH.

VOCATIONAL SERVICES PROGRAM:  Reflecting the knowledge that successful employment is a critical component of good mental health, Vocational Services focus on job placement and retention for adults with serious and persistent mental illness. SERVICES:  Supported employment provides job placement and coaching for adults who live with mental illness. Direct job placement provides job placement for adults whose moderate mental health and/or substance abuse histories have interfered with employment success. Our Diagnostic Vocational Evaluation helps clients identify goals and appropriate training.

PARACHUTE NYC PROGRAM:  A new and innovative citywide approach to providing community-based crisis service to adults, ages SERVICES:  RMHA has been designated by the NYC DOHMH as the Bronx Parachute provider. Services include the Bronx Crisis Respite Center (CRC), a safe, home-like setting where people can stay up to two weeks as an alternative to hospitalization. The CRC provides a warm, friendly, and supportive environment where guests are taught to use recovery and relapse prevention skills.  Parachute staff, peer specialists who have lived the experience of mental illness, are further equipped by training to provide a sense of support and hope to guests. Parachute is funded entirely by NYC DOHMH, so guests stay completely free of charge!

RESOLVE CENTER FOR RECOVERY PROGRAM:  A confidential outpatient service to help adults whose problems relate to chemical dependence. SERVICES:  Evaluations, individual, and group counseling, as well as information and referral. Licensed by the NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS).

RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS PROGRAM:  Two programs that provide stable and supervised housing for adults who live with mental illness:  Apartment Treatment Program is licensed by the NYS OMH and utilizes a recovery model. This program offers closely supervised apartment living opportunities for adults in the community.  Supported apartment program offers housing in the community to individuals who are able to live more independently, but still would benefit from regular contact with a case manager. SERVICES:  NYS licensed and supported on-site rehabilitative and restorative services; linkage to community resources, behavioral health, physical health and social service programs.

INNOVATIVE SERVICES FOR SENIORS (ISS) PROGRAM:  A multi-tiered program serving the needs of the fast-growing senior population in the Bronx, which a focus on those of Hispanic background. SERVICES:  Outreach, evidence-based assessments to identify seniors at risk for mental health difficulties, and groups which provide psychoeducation and support. We also provide psychiatric home visits – unique to our programs – and consultations to families as well as bilingual and bicultural psychotherapy and case management.

Maribel’s Story:

Q & A 5676 Riverdale Ave Bronx, NY (718)