News & Notes

Statistically speaking, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth are at a disproportionate risk for depression, suicide, and substance abuse. They also can feel isolated, alienated or bullied. A new LGBT group for youth was started in the summer of 2017 at the Bert Nash Center to provide a support system so teenagers have a safe place to talk. Bert Nash also offers a support group for transgender adults. “That was the motivation for the group, just kids needing a s

Men aren’t necessarily known for expressing their feelings or being vulnerable. Which is why when Julian Brown, Bert Nash Adult Outpatient Program therapist, started a client group for men he wasn’t sure how open or talkative they would be. Turns out, they had plenty to talk about. “Initially, I was thinking there would be a lot of reservation coming from the guys,” Brown said. ‘But they have been very vocal. They jumped right in and started talking about things.” Participant

Trauma-informed care is more than just a different approach to behavioral and mental health care. It is a totally new way of doing things. “Trauma-informed care is a concept, a way of thinking that informs actions,” said Julia Gaughan, who serves as the point person for this agency-wide effort at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. “It is a cultural shift with how we all work together as an agency and how we work with the people we serve.” Trauma-informed care grew

Solutions to community problems have to start somewhere. Agencies that are participating in an upcoming housing event hope that starts with a conversation. The event – Housing in Lawrence and Douglas County: A Public/Private Partnership – will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. September 13th at the Cider Gallery, 810 Pennsylvania Street. Mathew Faulk, housing program manager for the Bert Nash Center, said the goal of the event is to develop relationships with property managers and owner

In its nearly 70-year history, the Bert Nash Center has witnessed many changes and challenges. But one thing remains constant: our commitment to our core values of compassion, integrity and equity, on a foundation of hope. Those values are at the very heart of what we do, and they always will be. Seven therapists from the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) team submitted their resignations July 16. But it is business as usual at the center: We are focused on the welfare of ou

At the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, we work with our community partners to ensure our clients have the best service provider for their specific needs, including those providers not directly employed by or affiliated with the Bert Nash Center. For more than 68 years, we have coordinated services to provide a seamless array of care. Per our history, Bert Nash treatment teams helped clients determine the best course of treatment and provider for their specific needs

Elizabeth Day, a Child and Family Services team leader for the Bert Nash Center, stopped by Patrick Schmitz’s office this week. She wanted to deliver a message to the Bert Nash CEO in person. “I said that I am glad and proud that he is here,” said, Day, who has been a WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities) in-school therapist for seven years and a Child and Family Services team leader for four years. “I profoundly appreciate his vision of agency excellence, his

Julie Berndsen, lead waiver facilitator, is the 2018 recipient of the Sandra Shaw Spirit Award. The award, named for the late Bert Nash CEO, is the highest honor a Bert Nash employee can receive. Julie’s parents, Dennis and Debbie, were on hand for the presentation. Congratulations, Julie!

If you ask Jean Milstead how she ended up serving on some board or getting involved with some organization, she has a common response. “Because of my friend Shirley Martin Smith.” Milstead and Smith first met in 1976. They’ve been friends ever since. “When I met Shirley, I immediately felt like I added a new member to my family,” Milstead said. “We share the same values and work ethic, but more importantly, we share a love and respect for people and a desire to see them be su

Bridges, the Bert Nash Center transitional home, received a makeover, thanks to a grant from the Douglas County Community Foundation. Bridges team leader Rachel Neill and lead residential case manager Eddie Velez recently gave a tour of the remodeled space. Neill said the revamped space, which included new flooring and furnishings, is intended to be functional, inspirational and therapeutic. Neill also gave a shout-out to Classic Painting (retired teachers), Commercial Floor

Being a kid can be tough. Stephen O’Neill knows from personal experience. O’Neill’s struggles growing up and the help he received not only shaped the person he is today but inspired him to pursue a career where he could help children and families. That career path brought him to the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, where O’Neill is the new director of Child and Family Services. He began his duties June 11. “This just felt like a really good fit for me,” O’Neill said.

On Monday, June 11, 2018, senior leadership from five individual agencies (Bert Nash Center, DCCCA, Heartland Community Health Center, Heartland RADAC and Lawrence Memorial Hospital) met with a diverse group of community members who support improvements in our health and human services system. We thank them for taking the time to meet with us. The individual healthcare agencies are committed to the working relationships developed among these five entities over these past 18 m

Douglas County is continuing its efforts to reduce the number of people who have serious mental illnesses (SMI) in the local criminal justice system by launching an intensive data-driven project in conjunction with The Council of State Governments Justice Center. Douglas County will receive intensive technical assistance from the national nonprofit to help them answer core questions about how many people with mental illnesses enter their jail, what their average length of sta

Julia Gaughan was looking on the Bert Nash Center website for information about upcoming dates for Mental Health First Aid classes when something caught her eye. A job listing for a new position – Mental Health First Aid training supervisor. “I read through the job description and I thought, I don’t have all of those qualifications,” Gaughan said. But the more she thought about it, she thought she would be a good fit. “I facilitate groups all the time, and training is what I

In her role as a peer support specialist at the Bert Nash Center, when Annie Ross is working with a client who is struggling or going through a crisis, she can relate. Because she’s been there herself. Ross, who has bipolar disorder, has struggled with mental illness since she was a teen. “I went through years of ups and downs with medications, depression and my life got to the point I felt so out of control I tried to escape,” Ross said. But she couldn’t escape her own mind.

It was December 2015. She planned to drive her car off the road on her way to work in Topeka in an apparent accident. She would wait until after the holidays so she could spend the time with her husband, Mike, and son, Kiernan, who was 7 at the time. But on Dec. 21, the day before her birthday, Julia, who was a practicing attorney at the time, attended a baby shower for a coworker. She was an emotional wreck. Her heart was breaking because she didn’t want to leave Mike and Ki

In the summer of 2016, Vincent Weston was struggling with psychotic symptoms and self-harm and knew he needed help, but didn’t know where to turn. He finally decided to talk to his parents. “They sent me to every doctor they could find, basically,” Vincent said. “Finally, someone I saw recommended the DBT (dialectical behavior therapy) program at Bert Nash, so I went there.” That was a turning point. Vincent did both individual and group therapy at Bert Nash. He loved his the

Henry and Tasha Wertin went from one day having no children to the next day being the father and mother of a 4-year-old. And as much as they wanted to be parents, it wasn’t an easy adjustment. “It was hard to become an instant family,” Tasha said. That was in 2005. The 4-year-old is now 16. Since then, the Wertins have adopted six more children. “We always wanted a big family,” Tasha said. As much as Henry and Tasha love their children, each one came into the family with emot

Rachel Monger met David Johnson, former Bert Nash CEO, several years ago at an advocacy fellowship program they both participated in through the Sunflower Foundation. She went up to him afterward and told him that Bert Nash was there for her when she needed it, and if there was anything she could do for the Center, to let her know. “Never one to waste an opportunity, not long after that he asked if I would be on the Endowment Board,” Monger said. Monger has served on the Bert

For Paul Williams, the ballot issue to finance the jail remodeling as well as numerous mental health initiatives, including a crisis center, has taken him out of his comfort zone. Admittedly, Williams has an aversion to conflict. He’s also not been one to engage in political debate. Until now. “I’ve never been a political kind of guy,” Williams said. “I try to avoid it like the plague. But this issue forced me in.” This issue hits close to home for Williams. For multiple reas