Since 2000, The Bridge Training Institute has provided consultation services to many organizations and schools. Our 35 years of experience, combined with a commitment to Evidence-Based Practices makes us uniquely suited to assist mental health and educational professionals.
We Provide:
Self Injury and Suicidal Behavior
In recent years, self-injury, such as cutting, self-hitting and burning, has become a national epidemic. While media attention regarding self-injury has raised awareness of the issue, timely and useful information is key to effective identification, assessment, and treatment of individuals who self-injure.
The Bridge Training Institute offers consultation and training to mental health professionals, school personnel and parents who are in need of immediate, concrete solutions and responses to self-injurious behaviors.
Self-Injury & Suicide Prevention Expertise
Barent Walsh, Ph.D. has written extensively and presented internationally on the topic of self-destructive behavior. He is the author of Treating Self-Injury: A Practical Guide 2nd edition, Guilford Press, (2014). This volume has been translated into Polish and Japanese. In addition, Dr. Walsh is co-developer (with Screening for Mental Health of Wellesley, MA) of “Act to Prevent Self-Injury,” a prevention program with DVD for high schools. Dr. Walsh has presented on self-injury in London, Edinburg, Vienna, Stuttgart, Ulm, Oslo, Dubai, Tokyo, Beijing, Montevideo, Mexico City, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, and throughout the United States.
Dr. Walsh is the Executive Director Emeritus and Senior Clinical Consultant at Open Sky Community Services, a human service agency headquartered in Worcester, MA. Dr. Walsh is a Lecturer on Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School at Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA.
Illness Management & Recovery (IMR)
The Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) program is an evidence-based practice that consists of a series of weekly sessions in which practitioners assist people who have lived experience of psychiatric symptoms develop personal strategies for coping with situations that may arise during the recovery process. In addition to learning information and strategies, all participants in the IMR practice develop and work on a personally meaningful recovery goal.
IMR practitioners are trained in and utilize intervention strategies that enhance learning and facilitate application of skills outside the actual sessions. Strategies include: stage wise interventions, motivational enhancement, CBT, and a number of creative educational strategies. The program can be provided in individual or group formats, most often in a group setting to encourage interpersonal learning, create an environment that fosters growth and empowerment, and promote social connections. It generally takes anywhere from 6-18 months to complete all the materials when practicing in an IMR group.
As the first agency of its kind to implement IMR in residential programs, our experience now extends to multiple programs, and hundreds of staff who are trained in IMR techniques. We have adapted the IMR practice for use with Adolescents. Our menu of IMR training and consultation services ranges from one-time consultation to extensive staff training, program development and monitoring.
Consultation Services Available
Program Development
Our consultants have extensive experience planning and implementing successful new programming and can help you avoid many common problems. Examples of consultation related to program development include:
- Supervision/consultation on group leadership and the IMR practice
- Plan for program transition to the IMR treatment model
- Create customized IMR systems that suit your clientele and program goals
- Integrate IMR practice into CBFS programming
Program Assessment
Tracking treatment effectiveness and outcomes is an important component of providing IMR. The challenge is developing a data collection process that is simple and useful. Our consultants are experienced in identifying, tracking and analyzing empirical data, and can help you select specific assessment instruments to measure treatment outcomes.
Training
All of our IMR trainings are highly interactive, hands-on learning experiences that include small group discussions, activities and role play. Each participant will have the opportunity to practice the IMR skills and will co-lead a mock IMR group.
