The Opportunity Alliance Agency and Program Profile for Undergraduate and Graduate
Student Intern Placement: Edgewood
Internship available for academic year 2012-2013: Yes
Summer placement available for 2012:
Yes
General Information
Name:
The Opportunity Alliance
Address:
50 Lydia Lane, South Portland, Maine 04106
Telephone:
(207) 874-1175
Website:
www.opportunityalliance.org
Contact:
Patty Mann
Human Resources Generalist
(207) 523-5019 or patty.mann@opportunityalliance.org
Agency Administration
Michael Tarpinian
Joe Everett
Tara Kosma
Kane Loukas
Louise Marsden
Pat McKenzie
Andrea Paul
President
Chief Operating Officer
Vice President, Community Initiatives
Vice President, Children and Family Services
Vice President, Child and Family Services
Vice President, Adult Mental Health Services
Vice President, Advocacy & Strategic Initiatives
Agency Description
In 2011, PROP (People’s Regional Opportunity Alliance) and Youth Alternatives Ingraham
merged to form The Opportunity Alliance. Our new organization is comprised of 50 integrated
community based and clinical programs serving more than 20,000 people annually. For more
than 40 years, The Opportunity Alliance has provided early education and child care, nutrition
programming, advocacy, information and referral, mental health and substance abuse treatment,
as well as basic needs for the people of Maine. All of our programs attempt to serve families
from a whole child/whole family approach that assures an increased use of best practices from all
disciplines. To that end, we continually seek ways of integrating our programs into a seamless
continuum of care.
The Opportunity Alliance serves children, youth, adults, and seniors; individuals, families, and
communities. We work with people to build better lives and stronger communities. We provide
advocacy, leadership, and support to identify and address individual, family, and community
needs and goals. We advocate for and with people living in poverty by helping them to access
childcare and early education, healthcare, housing, and nutrition. We support families in need of
reunification by offering parenting education and coaching, case management, and family
mediation. We offer a seamless continuum of services and supports to people living with
persistent and chronic mental illness whereby they can access our services through multiple
channels, yet need only tell their story once.
Internship Opportunity
General Information
Name and location of program:
Edgewood
50 Lydia Lane, South Portland ME 04106
Contact:
Patty Mann
Human Resources Generalist
(207) 523-5019 or patty.mann@opportunityalliance.org
Field Instructor:
Mia Yaron, LCSW
Field Instructor telephone number: (207) 883-0709
Field Instructor email address:
Mia.Yaron@opportunityalliance.org
Intern positions available:
1
Adequate space for student:
Yes
Type of placement:
MSW Concentration year only, LCPC
Summer placement available:
Yes
Evening /weekend hours allowed: Yes
Staff meeting required:
Yes
Wednesdays 11-2
Car required:
No but desired.
Mileage reimbursable:
Yes when used for agency business.
Handicapped accessible:
Yes
Agency requirements:
Background checks, Immunizations, MANDT, CPR, First
Aid and other program specific requirements in accordance
with state licensing regulations.
Program and Placement Description
Population served: Edgewood is a residential treatment program of Youth Alternatives
Ingraham licensed as a 6 bed, co-ed facility providing comprehensive integrated mental health
and substance abuse treatment services to youth ages 16-21 who, due to severe emotional and
behavioral disturbance, are in need of quality active treatment provided in a residential treatment
setting and for whom alternative, less restrictive forms of treatment have been unsuccessful or are
not medically indicated.
The Edgewood program is designed to offer intensive, focused treatment and rehabilitative
services to promote a successful return of the youth/young adult to family or community and self
sufficiency. Focus is on improvement of clients’ symptoms through the use of strength- and
evidence-based trauma informed strategies such as TF-CBT, DBT, individual therapy and group
therapy, behavior management, medication management, monitoring as needed and active family
engagement. It includes milieu therapy, family therapy, family skills development, psychoeducation, and partnerships with other service providers that offer treatment and supports in the
community.
The program encourages family participation in the treatment planning and implementation
processes, timely discharge planning and aftercare. Specific permanency outcomes of the services
include the resident returning to his/her family or to other less restrictive community living
situations, as soon as clinically possible and when this level of residential treatment is no longer
medically necessary.
SERVICES PROVIDED:
Services are delivered in a structured, therapeutic milieu community under the direction of a team
of licensed clinical social workers, certified mental health rehabilitation technicians and other
agency and community partners.
The service activities of Edgewood’s Residential Treatment include:
• Diagnostic and assessment services;
• Development of a treatment plan;
• Psychiatric services;
• Medication management;
 Nurse educator services;
• Evidenced-based treatment interventions;
• Individual therapy;
• Family therapy;
• Group therapy;
 Milieu therapy;
• Individual and group interventions that focus on integrated dual-diagnosis treatment of mental
health and addiction and harmful use/abuse issues and relapse prevention, if indicated;
• Substance abuse education; Random drug testing
• Rehabilitative services/activities that support the development of age-appropriate daily living
skills, positive behavior management/support, self sufficiency and achievement of their goals;
• Trauma informed psycho-education services and activities that support and encourages the
primary caregivers/ parents’ ability to re-integrate the child into the home or community;
• Crisis intervention
• Consultation with other professionals including licensed alcohol and drug counselors, case
managers, primary care professionals, community support workers, school staff, vocational
specialists and others;
• Educational and Vocational activities; and
• Medical and non-medical transportation services as needed to accomplish treatment objectives.
Treatment Focused
 Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (two full-time clinicians trained in this
evidence-based clinical model): ~Psychoeducation ~Affect regulation ~Cognitive
coping ~Safety & Self care ~Trauma Narrative with In Vivo Mastery Integration

DBT – Individual and group approaches. Skill building: mindfulness, distress tolerance,
emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness

Integrated Family Therapy – Addressing ongoing issues and establishing healthy
boundaries, connections, and communication.

Integrated Individual and Milieu Therapy – Facilitating positive peer interactions
development of interpersonal skills. On-going coaching/ reminders of skills. Motivational
Interviewing strategies (rolling with resistance). Experiential therapy programming.

Groups
o DBT and Cognitive Behavioral Skills – mastering the link between thoughts,
feelings and behaviors
o Experiential therapy - Utilizing a range of models including Positive Youth
Development, Life Skills, Circle of Courage, Positive Peer Culture
o Healthy Relationships – conflict resolution skills, building trust, healthy
communication
o House Meeting - in the spirit of a Participatory Democracy – the residents work to
solve their own problems and build a sense of leadership and responsibility for
their household and relationships with each other
o Health and wellness: Nutrition, Outdoor activities/initiatives
Community integration – Preparing for a less restrictive environment – Building confidence and
competence in range of rehabilitative skills
 Self-directed life plans and Casey Life Skills Curriculum

Building or enhancing a solid natural and community support network (family,
Vocational Rehabilitation, case management, mentors, and other needed supports)

Assess needs for more self-sufficient living (apply for SSI, Section 8, ACT team and
aftercare supporters) and begin to create a solid preparation and detailed discharge plan
with necessary supports in place

Self-discipline – developing a personal practice or routine that is specific to the client that
supports emotional and daily stability.

Skills building: Observing, practicing, leading: communication skills, money
management (managing a personal budget with short term and long terms savings and
spending money), household management (chores, menu planning, grocery shopping and
preparing meals), making appointments, time-management, medication management,
planning and decision making

Building job experience through employment or volunteering and utilizing community
volunteers to work with residents to build skills such as gardening, carpentry and driving

Outdoor and community recreation (Hiking, bowling, program outings and camping)
Creative and Integrative After Care Solutions If indicated, Edgewood clinician follows the
client after discharge to support, coach and maintain
progress made through the transition to less structured
environments
Size of staff:
10
Therapeutic model or practice:
Multidisciplinary; Strengths based generalist;
Biopsychosocial
Characteristics desired in intern: Ability to recognize appropriate boundaries. Ability to keep
client information confidential. Desire to be a part of a multidisciplinary team. Interest in
running groups (engaging teenagers with enthusiasm around skill building), individual therapy,
family work, learning clinical documentation. Must be consistent with their schedule.
Would a student who needs a highly structured learning environment do well in this
placement? Perhaps..Other comments: Intern will have ample guidance, but will need to be
self-directed in implementing such guidance
What intern will learn:
 Learn suicide assessment and crisis intervention skills.
 Gain knowledge of community resources.
 Participate in treatment planning.
 Facilitate psychoeducational groups.
 Working in a multidisiplinary team setting
 Develop advocacy skills.
 Support clients with goal attainment and connection to appropriate community resources.
 Appropriate modalities and interventions for working with this population. These include
TF-CBT, DBT, Trauma First Aid, milieu intervention, voc rehab, safety-planning,
experiencial therapy.
 Develop clinical documentation skills. Formalize psychosocial assessment and treatment
plan in accordance with DHHS regulations.
 Gain first hand experience is working with individuals living with mental illness,
substance abuse, and/or childhood trauma.


Learn the role of the milieu in psychosocial rehabilitation.
Individual counseling and family work - MSW, LCPC interns only.