Caring for Every Child’s Mental Health

Last week, the Odyssey House Manor Family Center joined communities across the country in celebrating the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day to highlight the importance of caring for every child’s mental health. This year marked the 10th anniversary of Awareness Day and focused on the needs of children, youth, and young adults with mental and substance use disorders and their families.

To commemorate Awareness Day, the Manor Family Center held a book reading and activity for the children and their mothers. The book, Our Gracie Aunt by Jacqueline Woodson, concerned young children coping with their mother’s mental illness. They then participated in an art project where they illustrated different emotions.

Children react to a passage from Our Gracie Aunt.

 “Awareness Day is an opportunity for us to celebrate the positive impact that we can have on the lives of children, youth and young adults when we are able to integrate positive mental health into every environment,” said Dr. Peter Provet, president and CEO of Odyssey House. “When we focus on building resilience and social-emotional skills in young children from birth, we can help young children, youth, and their families thrive.”

Odyssey House wins grant to expand adolescent outpatient services

The Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) announced Odyssey House as the downstate recipient of a three-year, federally funded grant to expand adolescent services. Odyssey House President Dr. Peter Provet said: "We are proud to fulfill our mission of treating vulnerable populations of adolescents with substance use disorders and their families by expanding our Bronx-based outpatient programs, and are grateful to NYS OASAS and SAMHSA for their support in helping to meet the needs of a community we are dedicated to serving."

In selecting Odyssey House, Commissioner Gonzalez-Sanchez, commented on the high needs of the adolescents in our Bronx outpatient program and their involvement in "multiple systems that include juvenile justice, child welfare, or mental health." 

For more information, please read the OASAS press release here.

Odyssey House in the news

Coverage of this year's Run for Your Life event, as well as news of Odyssey House staff member Jeremy King's selection as CASAC-T of the Year, were featured in the October edition of New York Nonprofit Press. You can download a pdf of the issue here.


The 2010 Recovery Rally on September 25th at Randall's Island in NYC kicked off with a presentation by OASAS Commissioner Karen Carpenter-Palumbo (left) of "CASAC-T of the Year Award" to Jeremy King, clinical information systems coordinator at Odyssey House. Alongside them, left to right, are Odyssey House President Dr. Peter Provet and OASAS Executive Deputy Commissioner Kathleen Caggiano-Siino.

Additionally, news that Odyssey House was awarded a three-year, $1.2 million SAMHSA grant to create a recovery support network was covered by New York Nonprofit Press, Addiction Professional and Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly. Find out more about this innovative program here and read the coverage here.

Building a peer support system for people in early recovery

Odyssey House has been awarded a three-year, $1.2 million grant by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to fund enhanced services for individuals and families in recovery from alcohol and substance use disorders. The new program, called the Odyssey House Recovery Oriented Care System (OHROCS), will deliver recovery support services using the evidence-based Therapeutic Community peer mentoring model that includes coaching, personal recovery plans, peer-to-peer support groups and incentives.

Dr. Peter Provet, president of Odyssey House, said, "A peer support system that builds on techniques individuals learn in treatment offers an exciting opportunity to extend the reach of recovery services to where people live and work."

To learn more about OHROCS, read the press release here.

Odyssey House awarded 2 new federal grants

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently awarded Odyssey House two separate grants totaling $2.3 million. Both grants are for a period of three years.

The first grant, for $1.4 million, will enhance our comprehensive services for pregnant and postpartum women in residential substance abuse treatment. Odyssey House President Dr. Peter Provet described the grant as a "significant investment in the depth and range of services we offer mothers in our Family Center programs. This new award gives us the resources to do more: more family therapy, more family reunification, and more community outreach."

A second $900,000 grant will support the Bronx Urban Youth Initiative (BUY-IN), which provides substance abuse treatment services to teens and young adults, 18-24 years of age. "Partnership with SAMHSA/CSAT will allow us to deepen the range of services we currently offer at-risk youth and families, and bring additional federal dollars to underserved New York City communities," said Dr. Provet.