What is?

What is Philadelphia Connections?

Philadelphia Connections is a city-funded organization that promotes quality behavioral health services through creative academic-public sector partnerships aimed at maintaining a highly educated and competent workforce. Connections includes representatives of family advocacy groups, consumers, Department of Behavioral Health/Mental Retardation Services (DBH/MRS) administrators, providers, and universities.

u Social Work

Since 1999, Connections has helped Masters of Social Work (MSW) students doing field placements in DBH/MRS-funded agencies to acquire the competencies they need to provide quality services to behavioral health consumers. These competencies include understanding the importance of working with consumers' families and utilizing the resources of behavioral health system. These efforts have expanded to include Bachelors of Social Work and psychology students.

A Connections priority has been to increase the number of students who choose field placements at Philadelphia behavioral health provider agencies, and who will seek jobs at DBH/MRS-funded agencies after graduation. In the 2009-2010 school year, the Connections “Enhanced Placement” program involved 6 social work academic programs, 2 graduate psychology/counseling programs, 45 provider agencies, and 85 MSW students.

Other collaborative efforts funded have included presentations by faculty to care provider staff, and vice versa. Connections has funded academic-based technical assistance for providers doing program planning and evaluation. Connections has also worked to develop standards of clinical supervision for graduate students placed at DBH/MRS-funded provider sites and to assure providers of reimbursement for outpatient services by graduate students.

u Psychology/Counseling

Since 2008, graduate psychology/counseling students have taken part in the Enhanced Placement program described above.

u Psychiatry

Connections psychiatry initiatives focus on increasing the competencies of psychiatrists-in-training and the attraction and retention of outstanding psychiatrists by provider agencies through innovative pilot programs. Projects have included a Community Psychiatry Seminar Series for 150 psychiatry residents from five residency programs over several years, and efforts to increase the attractiveness of community psychiatry positions in provider agencies. Connections has been involved in the creation of the Pennsylvania Psychiatry Leadership Council, a state-wide organization of public sector psychiatrists, including overseeing a state-wide survey of psychiatry resident job preferences as part of recruitment and retention efforts.

u Families

Connections is one of the founders and supporters of the Philadelphia Family Resource Network (FRN), a group comprised of organizations that provide education and support to families of mental health consumers. Connections promotes standards and collaborations that produce “family-friendly” agencies.

u Awards

2003: Honored for “Commitment to Social Work Education” by the Office of Field Education of the Temple University School of Social Administration.

2004: Award for “Innovative Educational Practices” from the Annapolis Coalition on Behavioral Health Workforce Education.

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This page was updated on March 31, 2010.