About Mt. Hope Family Center
In 1979, Mt. Hope Family Center began as a therapeutic preschool program for children affected by violence in their home or community. We’ve become the only agency in Rochester employing two innovative concepts to help build strong families.
First, Mt. Hope Family Center combines scientific research, clinical services and hands-on mentoring and training in one facility. By working closely together, we’re developing and providing more effective therapies while improving research in human development, maternal depression, child neglect and abuse.
Secondly, although our work is rooted in psychology, we want to discover how other scientific disciplines might improve our understanding of human development. Integrating elements of social work, medicine and, most recently, engineering is creating scientific collaborations that keep us on the leading edge of our field.
Sheree L.Toth Ph.D. is the Executive Director of Mt. Hope Family Center. Dr. Toth is also a tenured associate professor of psychology at the University of Rochester.
Research
Research at the Mt. Hope Family Center focuses on the maltreatment of children and on child and adult psychopathology, including their prevention and treatment. Current areas of research include an assessment of the efficacy of The Center's varied treatment programs and an assessment of sequelae of maltreatment for children. Additionally, research is being conducted on the developmental processes of children raised by depressive and manic-depressive parents.
Intervention
The intervention component focuses on the assessment and treatment of families experiencing severe familial dysfunction and of children at risk of foster care placement and/or emotional difficulties. A number of treatment programs are available to The Center's clients, who are usually referred by the Preventive Unit of the Monroe County Department of Human Services. All of the intervention programs are based on manualized treatment approaches with documented efficacy. The programs available include a child-parent psychotherapy intervention to strengthen familial relationships for children from birth to age five and their caregivers. Children under age six in these programs are assessed across multiple domains of functioning, and the attachment-theory informed intervention is tailored to meet the needs of the children and families. An after school program is provided for at-risk school-aged children that is designed to build the children's self-esteem and to improve their peer relationships utilizing the PATHS (Promotion Alternative Thinking Strategies) curriculum. A summer camp for school-aged children is offered annually. Child therapy, IPT (Interpersonal Psychotherapy) intervention for depressed mothers and their children, foster family treatment, and parenting classes utilizing The Incredible Years curriculum are also offered.
Training
Graduate students from the Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology participate in all of The Center's clinical service programs. Students may also undertake a variety of independent study projects.
News
2013 newsletter hot off the press! (select image to see more)
Dante Cicchetti, PhD receives the 2012
Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize
The Jacobs Foundation, a Zurich‐based foundation that is active worldwide in promoting
child and youth development, has announced the recipients of the 2012
Klaus J. Jacobs Awards. This year’s Research Prize, which carries a cash prize of one
million Swiss francs, goes to developmental and clinical psychologist Dante
Cicchetti, PhD. (more information click here)
2011-2012 Annual Report
Mt. Hope's transformation of trauma (link)
City Newspaper Article published January 19, 2011
Margaret Possee helps change the culture of fundraising
Go to: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011101090329
