PPW Project ECHO Updates:
What are Participants Saying?
"Participating in the PPW Project ECHO is a unique and intellectually, clinically stimulating opportunity to dialogue with subject matter experts. We were able to present one of our challenging PPW cases in ECHO forum and walk away with comprehensive recommendations to inform our work. PPW Project ECHO invited us and enabled us to think of creative, outside of the box ideas and interventions. Project ECHO is an incredible experience to discuss, brainstorm, and implement assessment, intervention, and outcomes measures to impact your PPW work at direct practice and macro practice levels."
- Erin Wilkinson, MSW, LCSW, Director of Clinical Services, Native American Connections, Phoenix, AZ
"We just wanted to thank you for the opportunity to participate in PPW Project ECHO. Our fellow grantees have such a wide array of education and experiences, it was an excellent opportunity to capitalize on the wisdom and successes of others. Providing services that are father friendly in a women centered treatment facility has a unique set of challenges. The simple thoughts, tips, and assessments shared by our peers were very helpful and easily implemented."
- Kelly Isbister-Clements, MSW, PAR Village Program Director, Largo, FL
ECHO Didactic Presentations Available for Viewing
Each PPW Project ECHO clinic contains a brief didactic presentation delivered by nationally recognized experts on topics ranging from younger children's services to parenting. Recordings of the didactic presentations will be made available for viewing on our website shortly after they are delivered live. Visit the ECHO Didactics page to watch available recordings and download slides, and check back frequently as new presentations are posted. The full didactic schedule is provided below.
Spotlight on Akeela, Inc. (Anchorage, AK): Stepping Stones Treatment Center Uses Therapeutic Community Approach for Mothers and Children
Stepping Stones Treatment Center, part of Akeela, Inc., provides family-centered, 9-12 month residential treatment for mothers with substance use disorders and their children. Located in Anchorage, AK, the program provides apartment-style residences for mothers to live in with their children while receiving a minimum of 20 hours per week of substance use disorder treatment. A range of services are provided: counseling for substance use disorders, children’s services, case management, parenting education, employment/vocational assistance, and mental health services within a modified therapeutic community. The overarching goal of the program is to reestablish pro-social living, as well as the mental and physical health of the family unit. The inclusion of children and children’s services is a vital component to breaking the intergenerational cycle of addiction. The Stepping Stones philosophy is “to witness self-revealing change in understanding personal emotion, self-discipline, and self-control in their recovery.” This philosophy is used as an articulation of the program’s core beliefs in efforts to help the women maintain focus when things are going well or hard and challenging. Within the community, women strive to be a “sister’s keeper” as both the milieu and the treatment team work collaboratively to promote accountability, empathy, and constructive confrontation. The use of the peer community serves as a major treatment component. For more information on the program's therapeutic community model, read the full Community Story and find other innovative programs across the country on the Community Stories map. If you would like your program featured on the Community Stories page, contact Senior Project Manager, Sarah Knopf-Amelung, at knopfsm@umkc.edu.
