Under Sharon’s able leadership, Children’s plays a pivotal role in both the local mental health system and in training the next generation of child and pediatric psychologists helping to create a number of community links for Children’s and for its interns. Many of the program’s graduates have remained in Minnesota where they continue to provide expert services for children, teens, and their families.

This year, Sharon completed her term as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) where she continues an active role. APPIC is an international organization facilitating the development of new psychology internship programs and optimizing the operations and functionality of existing programs in North America. During her tenure APPIC launched an online application making the process more cost-effective and efficient for the nearly 4,000 graduate students who apply for internships, including those seeking to specialize in their work with children and adolescents.

Sharon provides exemplary advocacy for the field of Psychology and related mental health disciplines at both state and national levels. She serves as the Advocacy Coordinator for APA and APPIC, and as the Midwest regional coordinator she developed a grassroots network of psychologists who petition Congress throughout the year on the issues of addressing mental health needs. She also advocates for federal monies to support the education and training of psychologists. She goes to the U.S. Capitol annually to lobby on mental health issues; visiting the offices of several members of Minnesota’s U.S. House and Senate delegation to lobby for funding for mental health services. In recognition of her tireless energies in these areas, she was the first recipient of the APA’s Education Advocacy Distinguished Service Award in 2003.

Sharon remains highly accessible and responsive while supervising other psychologists and trainees and also maintains a busy clinical practice. Sharon serves as a mentor to countless students and early career professionals across the country interested in child mental health issues. She developed a mentoring project for undergraduates from diverse and multicultural backgrounds in order to build an infrastructure for nurturing diversity in Psychology and setting the stage for increasing the diversity of students participating in the Minnesota internships accredited by the APA. Her work also includes, creating and continuing to coordinate a national mentoring program that connects students and postdoctoral fellows as well as early career professionals with more senior mentors across the nation. The program is designed to encourage students’ interest in children’s mental health and to help students prepare to become pediatric psychologists.

A colleague reported that, “I am exceedingly pleased to work with Sharon. I personally value her collegiality, creativity, dedication, selflessness, as well as her boundless energy and passion for her work. When we discuss issues of education, her insights are penetrating and her determination to promote excellence in all aspects of education is extraordinary. I am one of many professionals who look to her for wise counsel and for timely updates on an array of issues and challenges related to children’s mental health and psychology training. Despite her many accomplishments, she approaches her work humbly and with great respect for others.”

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Peg tirelessly champions new efforts to serve low income and vulnerable children who need mental health services. Her colleagues report that she is the first to understand the challenges presented in serving low income and vulnerable communities.  “While on triage for the Child Guidance Clinic she works with parents and children in distress; she listens and hears the concerns at the core of their story; and actively works to reduce barriers. A long time colleague of Peg’s, confirms ‘she never leaves families feeling that she has not truly heard their story.’  This deeper understanding of the needs of children and their families ensures the Clinic’s practices and policies are welcoming, respectful and client-friendly.  She reminds us all that children can’t be fully present if they are hungry, feel unsafe, and don’t have their basic needs met.”

Together with other Wilder clinicians Peg has spearheaded and supported Wilder’s children’s mental health programs becoming more focused on trauma interventions, as well as expanding their repertoire of treatment modalities to include more holistic treatments. Peg has played a leading role in addressing issues that impact all families dealing with children’s mental health issues. She has served at the local level as a part of the Ramsey County Children’s Mental Health Collaborative. Peg is very involved in collaborating with other community mental health providers, insurance providers and DHS to educate them about children’s mental health.

During her time as the Interim Children & Family Services Division Director in 2010, she pioneered the efforts to increase access and decrease barriers for children in need of psychiatric services in Ramsey County. Together with the medical team and the care coordinator, Peg continues to work on the challenges of: establishing referral networks with Primary Care Physicians and Clinics; identifying and joining statewide efforts to increase primary care physicians’ knowledge of children’s mental health needs and treatment; and refining the Direct Access model to allow for increasing volume of new patients.

The most recent example of leadership and support Peg provided through her oversight of the staff that developed and implemented the Hlub Zoo program (pronounced “Loo Zhong”), which means “grow well, love well”. Peg often speaks about the culturally responsive and honoring elements of Hlub Zoo and she distinguishes how the model engages Hmong children and families in a healing process and builds resiliency.

Peg’s supervisor calls her a phenomenal asset to the Wilder organization and the Children’s Mental Health community. Peg diligently champions responsive and innovative approaches to serving children and families who need mental health services.

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Sara served as the Project SUCCEED coordinator at PACT 4 Families in 1998. She was one of the leaders of the original PACT 4 children’s mental health project, an initiative that led the way for other communities across the state to address children’s mental health on multiple levels in a community.  Her efforts also helped to raise awareness among Minnesota policymakers of the social and emotional needs of very young children.  One of her leadership roles was in support of the Initiative Foundations’ Early Childhood Mental Health regional initiatives.

In 2004 Sara assumed her current responsibilities as the Program Officer for the Early Childhood Initiative of the Southwest Initiative Foundation. Sara was recently appointed to Governor Dayton’s Early Learning Council which is responsible for advising the Governor, the Children’s Cabinet, and the legislature on how to increase access to high quality state and federal early childhood care and education programs for all Minnesota learners – including those who are part of underrepresented and special programs. In this capacity Sara is keeping children’s mental health needs front and center. One of Sara’s colleagues reported, “I have had the privilege to work with Sara on Early Childhood Mental Health issues, policy and practice, over the past six years.  There are few community members who have had a greater impact than Sara on the day to day practices in early childhood mental health directly impacting families.  Sara’s tireless and impassioned dedication to the field has certainly been a model for me and for many others concerned about supporting mental health in infants and toddlers.”

Sara is committed to enhancing her leadership to promote the well-being of young children. She is an alumna of the Blandin Community Leadership Program in 2006; the Anderson Center Discussion Leadership Forum 2009; and the Leading from Within 2010-2011 class, Institute for Conservation Leadership.  She consistently demonstrates knowledge of systems and has the strategic planning skills to promote the interests of young children and families.

Several individuals that have worked closely with Sara have said, “Sara has already made an indelible contribution to creating family-friendly mental health systems in Minnesota and we are fortunate that she continues in a leadership capacity.” “Sara has been a pioneer in moving the issue of early childhood mental health forward in the state of Minnesota.  Not only has she helped build awareness but has moved us as a state to then take action.    She is not afraid to ‘stand up and keep fighting’ as Paul Wellstone encouraged us all to do.”

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Sarah’s colleagues state that, “without question there is no one individual who has galvanized as much support for too-often-marginalized issues like juvenile justice reform.” In 2007 Sarah helped organize the first ever Second Chance Day on the Hill to make visible the invisible and crippling stigma attached to someone involved with the juvenile or adult justice system. Since that time Sarah has moved the Second Chance Coalition from a small group of direct service providers to a state-wide coalition of over 65 agencies—organizations ranging from religious coalitions to mental health providers.

Under her leadership the Second Chance Coalition was able to pass three important pieces of legislation.  In 2009, Minnesota was the first to pass a statewide law that required public employers to take the question about criminal record off an initial employment application.  The coalition was also instrumental in passing the Higher Education Notification which requires institutes of higher education to inform students if a criminal record may prevent them from successfully obtaining work in a professional degree program. With Sarah’s leadership the coalition helped garner the support necessary to pass the Safe Hiring Law which clarified employer liability laws in hopes of reducing the perceived risk to employers who are courageous and hire individuals with past records.

Through her leadership with the Second Chance Coalition, Sarah has been able to help educate and advocate for children of incarcerated parents.  She is often found educating others on the role of incarceration and its impact on families and specifically the mental health and developmental trajectory of youth.

Sarah’s volunteer work includes helping juveniles on probation by educating them about the impact of juvenile justice involvement, talking to them about life skills and employment opportunities and sharing her own story with them.   She manages to complete her volunteer work with the Second Chance Coalition and the Coalition for Impartial Justice while maintaining her role as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of 180 Degrees, Inc.  She also serves on numerous boards of directors and was appointed to the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission.

Her role as COO of 180 Degrees, Inc. focuses on ensuring that the underlying mental health issues of youth involved in the juvenile justice system are addressed and stresses that the punitive approaches are not effective until those underlying mental health needs are not only identified but met.  Sarah manages 14 staff at the Ramsey County Juvenile Delinquency Unit where 180 Degrees employees provide community case management and supervision to youth who are adjudicated delinquent and have cases open in Children’s Mental Health.  Sarah also supervises the mentoring program for youth who are on probation or involved in children’s mental health and provides specific training to the mentors and facilitators to work with youth who have mental health needs.

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In 1992 while working at RMHC, Kris developed and directed a new school-based mental health program named, Accept Differences And Pull Together (ADAPT). Kris understood that many children were not able to receive mental health services due to the distance they lived from services. She worked to develop a program for the Iron Range that would bring services to the child and family. Through Kris’ leadership of the ADAPT program, children began receiving needed mental health services. The ADAPT program now provides child and family services in 13 school districts throughout northern St. Louis County. The program began with two staff and 15 children in 1992 and has grown to 35 employees and serves over 1,000 children monthly. The service area for this program is 6,400 square miles. Kris was also instrumental in designing the integrated funding model to support these school-based services.

Kris has been an integral part of the Northern St. Louis County Family Services Collaborative Board for 15 years. The success of the ADAPT program was largely due to her ability to create productive collaborations with local Public Health, Corrections, Social Services, Public Schools, AEOA, and other agencies which led to increased access and the creation of the most comprehensive service provider model in northeastern Minnesota.

Kris spoke at the National Conference on Advancing School Mental Health in MN in November 2009 and has worked closely at the state level providing leadership, insight and development of the platform for school-based mental health programs state wide. In 2002 she was awarded the Community Collaboration and Inter-Agency Award: School/Community Based Mental Health Services, MN Association of Community Mental Health Centers.

She has overseen opportunities within agencies requesting information and training in the area of children’s mental health. She is a regular presenter at meetings of area Superintendents and at local School Board meetings. Her own expertise is apparent—from working on policy at the government level, to answering a staff questions during a hectic day. Kris has also been consistently involved in community events that focus on bringing awareness to the mental health needs of children and their families.

Her colleagues state that, “When others may not fully understand the needs of a child with a mental illness or the needs of the family, Kris is able to advocate with a gentleness and complete respect for the child and family.”  “The trickle affect of her compassion runs through each and every staff/provider of the ADAPT program.” “Simply put – it is with great pride to be able to work with Kris on a daily basis.  There is a humanness brought to the forefront of each task.  She is our role model of integrity, perseverance, and keeps the true meaning of “serving the needs of children and families” as the cornerstone of each relationship and integrated foundation she forms.”

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Mental Health Legislative Network

This year’s Mental Health Day on the Hill will be Tuesday, February 14th. The Mental Health Legislative Network has chartered four buses, each beginning in different locations across Minnesota, to make it easier for people to attend.

Bus Routes

All buses are expected to arrive at Christ Lutheran Church by 9:45 am and will depart St. Paul around 3:00 pm. There is no charge to ride any of the buses but registration is required since space is limited. To reserve a seat, please contact Matt Burdick at 651-645-2948 x107 or mburdick@namimn.org.

Route 1: Baxter/Little Falls/St. Cloud

Baxter

When: 6:30 a.m.
Where: Wal-Mart parking lot, 7295 Glory Rd, Baxter, MN 56425

Little Falls

When: 7:15 a.m.
Where: Wal-Mart parking lot, 1800 1st Ave NE, Little Falls, MN 56345

St. Cloud

When: 8:00 a.m.
Where: Wal-Mart parking lot, County Rd. 120, St. Cloud, MN 56303

Route 2: Duluth/Cloquet/Pine City/North Branch/Wyoming

Duluth

When: 6:30 a.m.
Where: Harmony Club, 1730 E. Superior St, Duluth, MN 55812

Cloquet

When: 7:05 a.m.
Where: Scanlon Park-N-Ride, Exit 239 off I-35, Cloquet, MN 55720

Pine City

When: 8:20 a.m.
Where: Pine City Court House, 635 Northridge Dr. NW, Pine City, MN 55063

North Branch

When: 8:50 a.m.
Where: Tanger Outlet Mall, 38500 Tanger Dr. NW, North Branch, MN 55056

Wyoming

When: 9:15 a.m.
Where: Village Inn parking lot, 4848 E Viking Blvd, Wyoming, MN 55092

Route 3: Kerkhoven/Willmar/Atwater/Litchfield

Contact Teresa Emmen at (320) 894-7336 to reserve a seat for this route

Kerkhoven

When: 7:00 a.m.
Where: Rustad Tours, 208 N 12th Street, Kerkhoven, MN 56252

Willmar

When: 7:30 a.m.
Where: Kandi Mall (southeast parking lot), 1605 1st Street S., Willmar, MN 56201

Atwater

When: 8:30 a.m.
Where: Woodlands IRTS, 202 S. 3rd Street, Atwater, MN 56209

Litchfield

When: 9:00 a.m.
Where: Family Services, 114 N. Holcombe Avenue, Litchfield, MN 55355

Route 4: Winona/Rochester

Winona

When: 7:00 a.m.
Where: Central Elementary School, 317 Market Street, Winona, MN 55987

Rochester

When: 8:00 a.m.
Where: NAMI Southeast MN Office, 1700 Broadway Ave N., Rochester, MN 55906

For more information about Day on the Hill, please contact:

Matt Burdick, Public Policy Assistant

NAMI Minnesota

651-645-2948 x107

mburdick@namimn.org

a Celebration of Art, Achievement, and Hope • 

Friday, February 10th, 2012 • 

5:30 – 9:00 PM • 

Atticus by Kat Corrigan

Vase Mosaics by Sharra Frank

Leafy Impressions by Pam Paige & Barb Elwood

Cat & Mouse by Adu Gindy

Return to an evening of HeART

Website

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University of Minnesota: Amplatz Children’s Hospital *Sponsoring Tim Mahoney!

Website

2450 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
612-365-1000
855-AMPLATZ, toll free
(855-267-5289)

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eventi a’mor

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Nancy Edgerton
nancy.edgerton@eventiamor.com
651-686- 7875

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Print|Solutions *Printed material sponsor

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21021 Heron Way, Suite 101
Lakeville, MN 55044

Phone (952) 469-5933
Fax (952) 469-5417

E-mail sales@printsolutionsmn.com

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Return to an evening of HeART

Today Governor Mark Dayton announced the following appointments

Andrea Bejarano-Robinson – New Hope
Governor’s Interagency Coordinating Council on Early Childhood Intervention
Parent of a Child under Seven with a Disability Representative
Effective: January 11, 2012
Term Expires: January 4, 2016

http://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/pressreleasedetail.jsp?id=102-34421