Maryvale

Through our residential and community-based mental health programs, Maryvale aims to improve the physical and emotional health, and educational outcomes of vulnerable children and youth. We work with traumatized teenage girls through our short-term residential program, providing stabilization and case management services aimed at reducing the behaviors that are keeping each girl from being able to live in a family setting. We focus on wellness and skill-building with the goal of better self-care, healthier relationships and increased feelings of self-worth. One key aspect of our residential program is our Girls Recovery and Sober Support (GRASS) program that provides education, early recovery skills and intervention services with links to community supports that will help each girl with her continued recovery after discharge from Maryvale.

Though our community-based mental health services, we help at-risk children and families develop the skills they need to stay together. Our Community Mental Health Program provides outpatient therapy for children/young adults from birth to age 25 and their families; Wraparound serves at-risk children and their families. Community programs, workshops, information resources and referrals are offered through the Family Resource Center located in Duarte. Service is available in English and Spanish. Children and families who receive skills training and intensive mental health services through our Community-Based Services will demonstrate improvement in psycho-social functioning as measured by pre- and post-assessments completed by the child, parents and therapists.

We also support healthy childhood development and school readiness through our two Early Education Centers. We offer childcare and early learning opportunities for children, from birth to enrollment in kindergarten. We also offer a before-and-after-school program for school-age children up to age 12. We also offer the California State Preschool Program for children age three to four from qualifying, low-income families. Subsidies for infants and toddlers from qualifying families are also available through funding from the California Department of Education. Our annual parent survey results showed that 95 percent of families surveyed were satisfied with the quality of the Early Education Centers.

All Maryvale programs are guided by the principles of Trauma Informed Care (TIC) – a proactive treatment model that recognizes the impact of trauma on children and youth and offers interventions that address both trauma-related symptoms and their underlying causes. We ask: “What happened to this person?" rather than “What is wrong with this person?" and focus on what she or he needs in order to receive healing and restoration. TIC has become the gold standard for residential treatment and is associated with a decrease in psychiatric symptoms and substance abuse and improved self-esteem, relationships and increased safety.

Maryvale uses both the Risking Connection© and Restorative Approach© models of care. Risking Connection© is based on the basic belief that staff and residents are doing the best they can. Trauma victims often lose the ability to manage their feelings, interconnection and attachment. With trauma informed care, relationships are paramount. Staff helps residents learn that relationships don't always hurt. We want our residents to know that we care and can be trusted. When a break in a relationship occurs, Maryvale staff use the Restorative Approach© to reconnect with the resident first. They work with the child to discover what went wrong and teach new coping skills within a relationship of trust. This is especially important in short-term care when relationships need to be built quickly.

TIC helps us understand, engage and empower vulnerable youth in their recovery, including those who have been sexually exploited and/or are struggling with chemical dependency.

Steve Gunther, MSW, MA, President and CEO – Mr. Gunther's leadership of Maryvale began in 2009. Previously he was the Chief Operating Officer at St. Anne's Maternity Home and Program Operations Manager at Girls and Boys Town of Southern California. Mr. Gunther has a Master degree in Management from the Claremont Graduate University, Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management; a Master degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California; and a Bachelor degree in Psychology/Theology from Loyola Marymount University. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of California, a former Board member for the California Alliance of Child and Family Services, and a member The Association of Community Human Services Agencies.

Juliann Curabba, MSW, LCSW, MSEd, Executive Vice President of Programs – Ms. Curabba joined Maryvale in 2016, bringing extensive administrative expertise including senior-level roles with non-profits in New York and California that provide innovative residential and mental health services. She worked with CEOs in New York City along with Ann E. Casey to develop “Best Practices in Residential Care" and has been involved in multiple state, county and city leadership workgroups advocating on behalf of children. Ms. Curabba is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California and New York. She holds a certificate in Non-profit Executive Leadership from New York University and received her Master degree in Social Work from Hunter College in New York, a Master degree in Science (Education) from Hunter College, and a Bachelor degree in Arts (Sociology) from San Diego State University.

During our last fiscal year which ended June 30, 2019, we served a total of 775 children through our core programs. Specific results by program are described below.

Residential Services*/STRTP – Our residential treatment program for girls served 120 girls: average age was 16; the average stay was six months. Thirteen percent identified as having been sexually trafficked; 39 percent had chemical dependency issues. There were 61 discharges; 44 percent were to a family-like setting. Of the 52 residents who had mental health treatment plans, 52 percent had met at least two goals at discharge. Half of the residents who had completed a pre- and post-treatment assessment had experienced a reduction in symptoms.

The GRASS program served 47 girls with 42 percent maintaining sobriety. More than 70 percent experienced a decrease in unauthorized leaves from campus and 22 girls graduated from the 26-session intervention program. Almost 90 percent of girls who completed both pre- and post-tests said they had experienced an improvement in relationships, self-esteem and healthy living patterns. Residents were offered almost 200 wellness activities — the majority related to life skills, art and social skills — with a more than 60 percent attendance rate.

Early Education – Our two early education centers collectively served 392 children: 88 infants/toddlers, 247 preschoolers and 57 school-age children. Nearly 150 children (38 percent) were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch and nine percent had a physical or developmental disability. Ninety children from qualifying low-income households were served through the California State Preschool Program. Our waitlist for service across all programs reached more than 340 children.

Community-Based Services – Our mental health programs served 159 individuals: 53 percent male and 47 percent female; the average age was 12; the average length of service was nine months; and 78 percent of services were delivered in the field (at the individual’s home or school). We had 93 discharges with 87 percent of individuals completing services as planned. More than 75 percent of the children and parents who completed both pre- and post-measures showed a decrease in symptoms at discharge.

* We also served 104 children ages six to 12 through our Emergency Placement Center. We closed the Center in February 2019 when we transitioned our two residential services into one STRTP for girls.