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COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE OVERVIEW

Council for Relationships has a long-standing commitment to working with clients of all economic backgrounds, such that ability to pay or lack of insurance is no barrier to receiving services. In 2007, Council for Relationships (CFR) expanded its commitment to improving the lives of vulnerable client populations by establishing the Community Partnership Initiative. Through the Community Partnership Initiative, CFR forges collaborative partnerships with organizations that address homelessness, unemployment, under-resourced schools, domestic and community violence, and social alienation to bring much needed therapeutic interventions to the people they serve. Our partner agencies are effective at creating safe contexts in which disenfranchised citizens can reclaim their lives. Council for Relationships (CFR) works within those safe contexts to provide both direct services to clients and training, education, consultation and collaboration to the staff of the partner agency. We work to eliminate common barriers to receiving mental health care by increasing access to services, building trust in providers, educating clients about the helpful possibilities of therapy, eliminating financial burden to receiving services and increasing the sensitivity of treatment providers to issues of racial, cultural and economic diversity. In addition to directly benefiting clients through the provision of therapeutic services, our partner organizations benefit synergistically, as clients stabilize their lives and make better use of partner agency programs.

The goals of the Community Partnership Initiative are to:

• Extend mental health services to vulnerable and underserved people in Philadelphia and the surrounding area.
• Provide training, education, consultation and collaboration to staff of partner organizations.
• Train graduate students in innovative methods of delivering mental health services to vulnerable populations in the community through the Masters in Couple and Family Therapy Program with Thomas Jefferson University and the Post-Graduate Certificate Program at CFR.
• Develop and disseminate a model of mental health service delivery in the context of community partnerships through research and publication.

• Improve the emotional, psychological and relational health of clients and their families.

Models of Partnership

There are three models of community partnership:

1. Strategic Partnership Model: whereby CFR a) works in collaboration with staff of the partner organization to create models of service delivery, develop programming and pursue funding opportunities; b) secures funding designated for the partnership activities; c) employs CFR staff clinicians who work on-location with our partner agency, and d) supervises CFR interns who work on-site with clients served by the partner agency.

2. On-Site Placement Model: whereby CFR a) works in collaboration with staff of partner agency to identify the organizations’ needs and b) supervises CFR interns who work on-site with clients served by the partner agency.

3. Liaison Model: whereby CFR a) works in collaboration with staff of the partner agency to identify the organizations’ needs and b) facilitates referrals of clients of the partner agency to existing CFR office locations where they are seen by interns under the supervision of CFR senior clinicians.

Additional Activities of the Community Partnership Initiative

In addition to providing direct services to clients and their families, Community Partnership Initiative staff members are available for presentations, workshops and consultations to agencies serving vulnerable families.

Community Partnership Initiative Staff:

Funding Opportunities:

The work of the Community Partnership Initiative is made possible through the generosity of donors like you. More than eighty percent of funds for the Community Partnership Initiative go directly to providing services.

We are currently seeking to expand our ability to:

• Provide workshops and presentations to staff of partner agencies so that they are better able to respond to the psychological needs of their clients.
• Offer clients group-based educational and therapeutic support, focusing on parenting, anger management and grieving.
• Treat more clients at our partner agencies.
• Enhance the ability of future clinicians in our training programs to respond to the unique needs of vulnerable clients.