Innerspace Insights - October 2020

A new Teen Partial Care Program helps teens find balance through care and empowerment.

September brought in a new school year filled with uncertainty. Few schools in NJ are fully open, many are a hybrid of in-person & virtual learning, while others have fully virtual learning plans in place. While no one can answer the question of when it will all go back to normal, it was important for our team to meet the needs of this unique moment in time for teens and families requiring mental health treatment.

The need for mental health services has increased through the pandemic & Innerspace Counseling has continued to be there by pioneering safe, effective treatment for higher levels of mental healthcare through telehealth. We have gone a step further with our Teen Partial Care Program by incorporating free daily tutoring services.

The Teen Partial Care Program is for teens ages 12 & up dealing with anxiety, depression, school refusal, mood disturbances, self-harm behaviors, & more. Since we exclusively provide primary mental health treatment, programs are made up of teens dealing with similar issues.

The program is run virtually each day from 8 AM to 3 PM through easy access links to a HIPPA compliant platform. There, teens participate in group therapy, individual counseling, family sessions, medication management with a board-certified psychiatrist, & daily tutoring with a teacher. The tutoring will aid in their remote learning plans & keep them on track academically.

3rd Quarter Results Are In:

Satisfaction-5f7643cec3da5.png
Attendance-5f7643cb67fb8.png
Reccomend-5f7643cd64b0a.png
Improvement-5f7643cc45f49.png
Anthony-5f6caadd2da5c-300x300.png

Employee Insights:

Dr. Anthony Zazzarino is a per diem group therapist for Innerspace Counseling. Over the last 5 years with Innerspace, he has enjoyed working with adults & adolescents teaching dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) skills. He believes that DBT is an essential skill set to support growth & recovery, & finds that each group member is able to individualize the DBT skills & apply them to their life, focusing on improving relationships & coping skills to regulate their emotions. Over his time at Innerspace, Dr. Zazzarino has enjoyed meeting so many great individuals & partnering with them on their journey.

In addition to his work at Innerspace, he is an Asst. Professor at Rutgers University & provides trainings for behavioral health workers. In 2018, Dr. Zazzarino completed his PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision at Walden University where he focused his research on the experiences of counselors who work with sexual minorities with a serious mental illness. He continues to conduct research that focuses on members of the LGBTQ+ community & those working on their substance use recovery. He was recently awarded a grant from the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to improve & enhance substance use curriculum & has been published in peer-reviewed journals & counseling text-books. Dr. Zazzarino allows research to guide his teaching & clinical practices, supporting evidence-based care.

As an approved clinical supervisor (ACS), Dr. Zazzarino supervises licensed associate counselors in NJ as they work toward their LPC. Throughout this work, he stresses the importance of self-care, discussing the need for counselors to focus on their own wellness in order to support the wellness of others. To model the importance of self-care & wellness, he loves to travel (when it is safe) & enjoys spending time at the beach. Additionally, he loves to watch basketball & football, as well as going to concerts & live theatre.

In all the work that Dr. Zazzarino does, he believes in the strength and resilience of everyone he encounters. Even throughout the past few months, Dr. Zazzarino has seen people overcome many different obstacles & continue to work on improving their lives. Dr. Zazzarino believes that each person has the true potential to lead a life that is worth celebrating. While we can’t change difficult situations of the past, we can work together to understand & resolve current challenges in our lives. Thank you Dr. Zazzarino for your contributions to our Innerspace team!

Maintaining Our Headspace:

COVID 19 & today’s social & political unrest poses an interesting & challenging scenario for clinicians. Typically, we are not simultaneously living though the same stress that our clients are experiencing, let alone the same stress of every client we serve. We advise our clients to practice mindfulness and try to remain present to maintain control & clarity. Our clinicians often do their best to practice what they preach and have their own set of go-to coping tools, but we can all use a little extra help through these new & uncertain times. To assist staff, Innerspace Counseling has provided each staff member a subscription to Headspace, a mindfulness & mediatation app. The app provides mediatations, workouts, & soundscapes for focus, relaxation, & sleep. We are hopeful this tool will prove useful & are eager to share outcomes with our network!