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Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health receives four recognitions from Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health for high-quality practices 

Villanova, PA – Jan. 6, 2019 – Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, one of the nation’s oldest and largest providers of behavioral healthcare, announced that one of its Pennsylvania centers has received four evidence-based practice program designations from the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services’ Evidence-based Practice and Innovation Center (EPIC) for delivering exemplary evidence-based and evidence-supported practices.  

According to EPIC, these designations “recognize providers that are implementing and sustaining high-quality, evidence-based programs, and increase the number of individuals who receive evidence-based services.”  

Devereux Pennsylvania’s Children’s Behavioral Health Services (CBHS) center earned EPIC designations for the following programs:

1. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TFCBT) in residential treatment
2. Ecosystemic structural family therapy (ESFT) in community services
3. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TFCBT) in community services
4. Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) in community services 

“We are thrilled and honored to be recognized by EPIC in this way. I want to congratulate our Devereux Pennsylvania CBHS team for achieving these designations, which represents the outstanding and innovative clinical care we provide to the youth and families we serve every day,” said Devereux Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Rhea Fernandes, Psy.D. “EPIC designations are awarded to programs that utilize high-quality, evidence-based practices, supported by staff with extensive clinical training. Securing these designations is a testament to our highly skilled staff and their dedicated efforts to advancing our services and mission, our industry, and the lives of those entrusted to our care.” 

To receive EPIC designations, Devereux Vice President of Operations – Children’s Services Mel Beidler said Devereux Pennsylvania CBHS demonstrated a commitment to training staff and monitoring the fidelity of each of these programs.  

“This is an impressive achievement that recognizes the outstanding clinical services we provide at all levels of programming at Devereux Pennsylvania CBHS,” Beidler said. “Receiving these designations solidifies our unwavering commitment to clinical training, accountability and integrity. I am incredibly proud of our clinicians, clinical leadership and Executive Director Dr. Patricia Hillis-Clark for making this commitment to our programs, and more importantly, the children we serve.” 

Meeting the highest standards

EPIC states that programs seeking designations are required to meet the following standards:

• Training and consultation: Program clinicians and supervisors must receive training and consultation from a qualified treatment expert. 
• Service delivery: Processes must be in place for identifying, assessing and engaging individuals who are appropriate for the program. 
• Quality assurance: Processes must be in place to support the sustained quality of the program, including evidence-based documentation, supervision, and the use of quality assurance tools and outcome measurements. 

“Securing an EPIC designation is the gold standard, and a strong endorsement of the quality and effectiveness of our programs and services,” explained Devereux Pennsylvania CBHS Executive Director Patricia Hillis-Clark, Psy.D. “In addition, it is important to note that receiving designations in TFCBT in two different service lines – in our psychiatric residential treatment facility and our community services program – sets Devereux apart from other organizations, and demonstrates to our youth and families that they are receiving the same high caliber of treatment when they leave our residential facility to receive outpatient care.” 

Devereux Pennsylvania CBHS Clinical Director Kristen Bielecki, Ph.D., whose team was recognized for providing TFCBT in a residential treatment setting noted, “This designation not only highlights the important work our clinical team does every day to support our youth by utilizing the most clinically advanced evidence-based practices, but also demonstrates Devereux’s commitment to training and educating staff – solidifying our place at the forefront of best practices.”  

Learn more about Devereux Pennsylvania CBHS: www.devereuxpa.org. 

About Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health

Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit organizations providing services, insight and leadership in the evolving field of behavioral healthcare. Founded in 1912 by special education pioneer Helena Devereux, the organization operates a comprehensive national network of clinical, therapeutic, educational, and employment programs and services that positively impact the lives of tens of thousands of children, adults – and their families – every year. Focused on clinical advances emerging from a new understanding of the brain, its unique approach combines evidence-based interventions with compassionate family engagement.  

With more than 7,500 employees working in programs across the nation, Devereux is a recognized partner for families, schools and communities, serving many of our country’s most vulnerable populations in the areas of autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, specialty mental health, and child welfare. Programs are offered in hospital, residential, community and school-based settings. They include: assessments; interventions and support; transition and independent life services; family and professional training; research and innovation; and advocacy and public education. For more than a century, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health has been guided by a simple and enduring mission: To change lives by unlocking and nurturing human potential for people living with emotional, behavioral or cognitive differences. www.devereux.org. 

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