Mental Health Practitioner Continuing Education Program:
Mental health practitioners trained to attend to the diverse needs of people with disabilities can be difficult to find. CIDNY is making strides to change this through training mental health practitioners on the diverse needs of people with disabilities. We aim to educate practitioners with Multicultural Disability Literacy Competence training and add them to a referral network for all CIDNY consumers to utilize to find available and trained providers who can support the mental health needs of our consumers.
Mental Health Benefits Counselors:
Benefits counselors guide consumers on benefit applications and recertifications to gain the support they need through cash assistance applications such as public health insurance and target people with Long COVID-19 applying for SSDI. No one can focus on mental health without food, shelter, and other basic needs being met. Our counselors can also advise you on how to apply for cash assistance applications and maintain your benefits and access community resources that support your needs.
Reassurance Counselors:
Our peer counseling program, established during the COVID-19 pandemic, was established to provide empathy, community, and support to our consumers to foster connections during a disconnected and isolated time. Reassurance counselors are a support line to CIDNY consumers and can provide monthly check-ins, resource information, and referrals to other programs.
Consumer Education:
We empower consumers with the knowledge to seek therapy effectively and understand the nuances of various mental health practitioners. Our staff is trained to provide consumers with steps they can take to reach out to mental health professionals such as reaching out to their insurance company and finding providers that work for them.
