Living with mental illness or trying to help a relative with mental illness are challenging and complex situations that almost no one is prepared to handle alone. Without professional help it is nearly impossible to access public resources. And those sources are spread so thinly that they cannot focus on the special needs of individu-als and their families.
Supportive Care Connection is a private, New York City-based service specializing in psychiatric social work. We offer experienced, compassionate, confidential help focused on your individual needs and preferences. Our work begins with the idea that recovery is a process that can be enhanced through collaborative relationships with caring professionals. We understand the disabilities that accompany mental illness, and we also know that those disabilities are only a part of the picture--there is a whole person who needs help and often a whole family, as well.
Following an initial consultation, we will provide you with information about public and private resources. You can pursue those resources yourself or we can include them in a personalized, comprehensive plan of care. Each person, family, and situation affected by mental illness is unique, and we tailor our involvement to your particular needs.
Here is a list of some of the services available through the Supportive Care Connection:
Deciding to seek help and finding the right helper are difficult tasks. Supportive Care Connection can work through the problems associated with accepting help. We can ward off crises and can blend services into a personalized, integrated plan of professional care. Our plans for care are designed to enhance treatment and recovery and to improve our clients' quality of life.
John Spielberger, CSW has worked with adults with mental illness and substance abuse problems for 15 years. He has provided counseling, treatment and case management to severely at-risk adults and adolescents, and with the Visiting Nurse Service mobile crisis team Mr. Spielberger responded to emergency calls from the community and from service providers. His experience with the New York State Department of Mental Health's Intensive Case Management program has brought him thorough knowledge of the New York service delivery system and entitlements programs. Mr. Spielberger's Master of Social Work is from the Hunter College School of Social work. He is certified to practice in the State of New York, and is a Certified Domestic Violence Counselor.
Stephan L. Datko, CSW has 12 years' experience with adults with mental illness and their families. His background includes psychotherapeutically-based programs (The Bridge, Inc., Postgraduate Center for Mental Health), psychosocial rehabilitation programs (Fountain House), and congregate care and scattered-site housing programs. He has wide knowledge of the family impacts of mental illness, as well as the effects of stigma in such areas as education and employment. Mr. Datko is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the Treatment Advocacy Center of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and he is a strong advocate for improved access to treatment resources for the mentally ill. Mr. Datko earned his Master of Social Work degree from the Hunter College School of Social Work and is certified to practice in the State of New York.
Visit the Home Page of the Treatment Advocacy Center
Visit the Home Page of the New York City chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill