New Buildings/New Northern Tier Counseling
PRESS RELEASE: May 22, 2002

Northern Tier Counseling is moving again to better serve its’ clients. July 2002 will see the opening of our new location at Grant and Main Street in downtown Towanda. This newly renovated building will house our Partial Hospitalization, Drug & Alcohol, Outpatient and Crisis Services. Over the next year we will also be building a new 8,500 sq. ft. building in South Waverly which will consolidate our offices in the valley area.

Northern Tier Counseling is a private, non-profit corporation, which is licensed through the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Since 1993, Northern Tier Counseling has grown from around 40 employees to over 120 professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, licensed social workers and credentialed therapists and counselors providing mental health and drug and alcohol services. Services are currently provided in seven locations in Bradford and Sullivan counties, with the Corporate Offices in North Towanda.

We have specializations in treatments for children, adults, adolescents and families in areas such as:

Drug and alcohol Services are a vital part of the comprehensive package that Northern Tier Counseling offers. This program focuses on treating all areas of a person’s life that have been affected by their substance abuse, including the addicted person’s loved ones. The Drug and Alcohol Program at Northern Tier Counseling offers individualized treatment approaches which can include but are not limited to: individual and group counseling, 12 step support services such as AA/NA, CODA/ACOA, psychological testing and psychiatric evaluations.

The DUI (Driving Under the Influence) program is an integral part of the counties’ efforts to curb drinking and driving. The department also provides an extensive Prevention program whereby individuals work throughout Bradford and Sullivan counties to help educate people of all ages about the dangers of substance abuse. Over the next two years the program will be expanding to address the problems of underage smoking and smoking cessation for all ages. Northern Tier Counseling has also worked together with the Bradford County judicial system to develop a Comprehensive Outpatient (COP) program. This program offers appropriate clients an alternative to incarceration, or may provide a step-down program for those coming out of jail. The therapists work closely with the parole officers to ensure continuity of care for these high-risk individuals. The program has three levels of treatment and clients are assigned to a level of care based on their clinical status.

The Student Assistance Program (SAP) is another prevention and referral program. Northern Tier Counseling works together with the Student Assistance teams in every middle and high school throughout the two counties. The role of the counselors is to act as mental health and substance abuse consultants to the schools, to assess students who may be having difficulties in their everyday functioning in the school setting, to make recommendations to school personnel and parents regarding assistance to these students, and to help parents obtain counseling for their child if needed. Various support groups and educational groups are available as well as on-site brief mental health counseling. Student Assistance Program staff, in conjunction with Bradford County CYS offer the youth of both counties the Wilderness Challenge adventure-based program in the summer.

Family Based Mental Health services are geared toward children and adolescents with a serious mental illness or emotional disturbance who are at risk of psychiatric hospitalization or out-of-home placement, and their families. Services are comprehensive in nature, incorporating intensive in-home therapy, casework services family support services and crisis stabilization. The goal of the program is to enable the family to maintain their role as primary care giver for their at-risk children at home. Services are delivered by mental health professionals trained through the Philadelphia Child Guidance Center and Western Psychiatric Clinic. The therapists utilize extensive treatment, education and skill building for the children and adolescents and their families. Over the years, the Family Based teams have been highly effective in preventing out-of-home placements.

Many of the Northern Tier Counseling programs have been developed to prevent out-of-home placements and to divert hospitalizations. The adult and adolescent Partial Hospitalization programs offer intensive treatment services to individuals who may need more than outpatient services, but do not require treatment in a psychiatric hospital. The goal of the service is reduce the need for inpatient care. We believe the hospitalization of mentally ill adults can be prevented through an intensive community based program that offers structure and support. The many levels of care in the program provide each individual a treatment regime that is tailored to their specific needs. Treatment tracks include chronic, sub-acute, acute as well as an intensive outpatient segment which compliments the Partial programming. Increased emphasis will be placed on substance abuse issues which often accompany the mental health problems. Partial programming is available up to five days a week. The comprehensive services offered are highlighted by stimulating group therapies, a multi-disciplinary treatment team approach, family therapy and medication management.

The Adolescent Partial Hospital program is offered to middle and high school students that have been determined to have a diagnosis which has prevented them from being successful in the traditional school setting. In cooperation with the BLAST Intermediate Unit and several school districts, Northern Tier Counseling has developed a program of intensive therapy, medical management and school instruction which will enable these students to complete their education, and in some cases return to their original schools. The program has been so successful over the past two years that the schools are now considering a separate program to address the needs of the elementary school students.

If determined to be medically necessary, Wraparound services are offered by Northern Tier Counseling to children, adolescents and their families, currently in Bradford and Sullivan counties. This program offers a variety of mental health services that will help families care for their children and teens at home and in their communities and schools. Once again the program goal is to provide these services in the community as an alternative to the more restrictive residential and inpatient facility placements. Service planning is done by an interdisciplinary team which includes the child and family as well as representatives from all the other community services providing care for the child and family. The most common services used include the Theraputic Staff Support who work one-on-one with children on skill training, support and behavior modification, along with Mobile Therapists who are trained in Mental Health Therapy and apply these skills in working with the family. Parenting skills training and crisis intervention aare other added components.

Northern Tier Counseling provides mental health and drug and alcohol services to the Bradford County Correctional Facility with on-site testing, evaluation and counseling. A therapist is on-site in the Bradford County Children and Youth office to provide consultation as well as intervention and treatment to families in need.

As we continue into the 21st century, Northern Tier Counseling is continually evaluating the services we offer and looking at the community to identify areas that are underserved and needs that have not been addressed. From a small counseling company, Northern Tier Counseling will be entering its’ 10th year as a strong, multi-disciplinary treatment provider, clinically sound and growing.

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