Buckelew Programs

Buckelew’s PATH Program for Transition Age Youth provides services to young men and women (16-25) who are struggling with mental health challenges. The program uses a strength-based model, and integrates wellness and recovery principals. The program supports Transition-Age Youth to become the architects of their own futures, to engage in a journey of self-discovery, and to live meaningful, sustainable lives in a community of their choice.

Services
The PATH office is staffed by a Team Leader, Case Manager, Peer Mentors, and Family Advocate. PATH services are community-based, with outreach by staff and volunteers.

An Initial Assessment is developed through the efforts of PATH staff, the youth, family teachers, mental health and medical professionals. This provides a comprehensive picture of the youth's strengths, resources, personal history and dreams for the future.

PATH provides on-going management, 24-hour crisis management, medication oversight, peer mentoring, housing support, education and employment support.

Individual Service Plans
Youth and their families are involved in developing their Individual Service Plan. The strengths-based plan provides a picture of the youth's goals for independence, including:

• psychiatric needs
• symptoms and challenges
• housing
• educational and job needs
• familial, cultural, ethnic and sexual identity issues.

The youth is an active participant in the process. Goals are broken down into manageable and achievable objectives and are re-evaluated every 3 months.

Youth and families join in selecting resources to help enhance chances for success.

Collaboration
Buckelew collaborates with Marin's Family Service Agency and others to identify resources and provide services that fit the needs and interests of program participants.

Involvement
Our Advisory Council members include representatives of the board of Buckelew Programs, families, youth and the community.

The PATH Team Leader can be reached at 415.460.2167. The PATH program office is located in downtown San Rafael at :980 Lincoln Avenue.

 

 

L-R | Steve Ramsland, Sarah Shaw, & Lionel Shaw at Buckelew event thanking the Shaws for their support of our TAY program.

Text of Presentation of Thanks to Sarah Shaw & the Shaw Fund for Support of TAY, 12/03/09

I’m Steve Ramsland, the Executive Director of Buckelew Programs, and I’d like to welcome you all here this evening to join us in honoring a very special person, Sarah Shaw.

But before I tell you a little bit more about Sarah, I’d like to take just a moment to tell you about our program for Transition Age Youth. This is a program for young men and women, between the ages of 16 and 25, who are struggling with mental health challenges. The TAY program uses a strengths-based model that helps these young people to achieve their goals for mental health, wellness, education, employment and independence. You’ve hopefully had a chance to hear first hand from some of our program participants about how this TAY program has helped them to successfully address their challenges and achieve their personal goals.

You know, throughout our lives, we all come to know people who make a difference in the lives of others. Many of you here today are such people, and you make a positive difference, each and every day, to those who are less fortunate through your acts of kindness, service, and giving.

I’m talking here about people who, when they see a need say: “How can I help?” “Let me help.”

And then at certain points in our life, if we’re lucky...blessed... we get the opportunity to meet someone whose generosity of spirit, and action, is really exceptional. Someone who makes such a positive, tangible impact that we all—collectively—sit up and say, “WOW, thank you.” Sarah Shaw is just such a person.

We started this TAY program in the Fall of 2007 and people quickly recognized that we had put together a really terrific program that was beginning to help a lot of young people. But those in the know also quickly realized that, although Prop. 63’s MHSA funding for this program enabled us to get it started, the funding really wasn’t enough to fully meet the need. And so Sarah said, “How can I help?” “Let me help.”

Through the Shaw Fund she began by giving us money to enrich the program: to help pay for therapeutic and recreational activities, to help with educational expenses, job seeking expenses, etc. And that made a difference.

And then Sarah said, “how else can I help? And we said, “Well, we’ve already outgrown our program space. We can serve more youth, and provide them with more services if we had more room.” And Sarah said “I can help.” “Let me help.”

And so, through the very generous and ongoing financial assistance of Sarah and her brothers, we now have this much larger, much better program space.

And Sarah’s still saying, “how can I help?” So we’re also talking about finding a better, bigger “Training House”, and maybe starting a new social enterprise that could provide direct employment to TAY clients.

That’s how Sarah has helped. That's how she has made a difference in the lives of others. And that’s why we’re honoring her this evening. Thank you, Sarah, for all that you have done for this program, for these youth and their families, and all that I know that you’ll continue to do with us in the future.