VANDERHEYDEN AWARDED NATIONAL RE-CERTIFICATION
For Immediate Release:
August 28, 2017
Contact: Cathy Yudzevich
(518) 874-4901
cyudzevich@vanderheyden.org
VANDERHEYDEN AWARDED NATIONAL RE-CERTIFICATION
Wynantskill, NY - Vanderheyden was recently awarded re-certification by the national Sanctuary Institute. The Institute is a world leader in the field of trauma-focused care and implementation of the Sanctuary model of organizational change.
Our agency, which was originally certified in 2014, is one of 50 nonprofit organizations in the country to attain this prestigious distinction.
The Sanctuary Model® represents a theory-based, trauma-informed, evidence-supported, whole-culture approach, which helps to build a safe environment where emotional and psychological healing can occur.
The Sanctuary Mission is to teach individuals and organizations the necessary skills for creating and sustaining nonviolent lives and nonviolent systems, and to keep believing in the unexplored possibilities of peace and well-being for all of humanity.
"Every day at Vanderheyden, our team members work diligently to change lives to save lives for over 500 individuals and families," says Karen Carpenter Palumbo, President and CEO. "We are thrilled to be re-certified by the Sanctuary Institute, and to be acknowledged by this National organization for our expertise in providing trauma informed care for those we serve."
Maura Psoinos, Vice President of Community Services, who lead the re-certification process, is also very excited about receiving the honor for another three years.
"The Re-certification Team left the agency, and said it is a place that they would want to work at," Psoinos says.
Psoinos says it's a good indication of the hard work everyone does on a daily basis. "I think it helps transform us as an organization," she says. "To continue with trauma-informed care with not only our individuals, but also our organization."
The seven Sanctuary commitments:
- Commitment to Nonviolence: building and modeling safety skills
- Commitment to Emotional Intelligence: teaching and modeling affect management skills
- Commitment to Inquiry and Social Learning: building and modeling cognitive skills
- Commitment to Shared Governance: creating and modeling civic skills of self-control, self-discipline, and administration of healthy authority
- Commitment to Open Communication: overcoming barriers to healthy communication, reduce acting-out, enhance self-protective and self-correcting skills, teach healthy boundaries
- Commitment to Social Responsibility: rebuilding social connection skills, establish healthy attachment relationships
- Commitment to Growth and Change: restoring hope, meaning, purpose
Vanderheyden began as the Troy Orphan Asylum in 1833. Today, our facilities provide a safe haven for youth, adults and families who have experienced family disruption, trauma, abuse, emotional difficulty, developmental disability and learning problems. The Richard A. Desrochers Educational Center at Vanderheyden is a Regents accredited 7-12 grade program that provides education to individuals who are at risk of not succeeding at school, and those in need of a special education. Vanderheyden is committed to a family focused, trauma informed, and community based system of care. For more information visit www.vanderheyden.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.