Specialty Services

Specialty Services are like "mini-clinics" within VPS that serve specific underserved communities.

Current Specialty Services

Connecting Cultures/New England Survivors of Torture & Trauma

Who does this Specialty Service serve?

Connecting Cultures is dedicated to providing mental health and social work case management services to refugees, new Americans, and asylum seekers across the life-span. We serve clients at any point in their re-settlement and/or citizenship processes. Individual services are provided to children, families, and adults. Connecting Cultures mental health services accepts public (e.g., Medicaid) and private insurance. For those clients without insurance (e.g., asylum seekers), we often provide services and subsequent interpretation of these services through funds provided by grants and donations.

Why provide a Specialty Service for this population?

An increasing number of individuals who are victimized by torture in their homelands are currently re-settling their lives in Vermont and the greater New England area. The impact of such torture can be far-reaching, not only affecting individuals who have directly experienced trauma, but also the extended families and communities within which these individuals exist. Failing to adequately address these issues can lead to re-traumatization, poverty, discrimination, and unsuccessful reintegration.

What does this Specialty Service do?

Connecting Cultures is a direct partnership between psychological and social work services (Vermont Psychological Services), legal services (Vermont Immigration Assistance of the Vermont Law School), and physical therapy services (DeePT). Our goal is to provide survivors of torture with holistic, integrated, and effective services in a culturally relevant, client-centered context. VPS providers utilize both cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) frameworks. You can learn more about Connecting Cultures at connectingculturesvt.org.

What specialized training do providers receive?

Connecting Cultures utilizes a social justice model of training. Providers receive comprehensive training in the cultural competencies necessary to successfully work with refugees, including at-risk children, adults, and communities. Providers are also trained to work with cultural consultants, interpreters, and community elders.

Specialty Service Facilitator:

Rosalie Wright-Lapin, LICSW

Program Director of New England Survivors of Torture and Trauma (NESTT)

Interim Director of Connecting Cultures

LGBTQ+ Specialty Service

Who does this Specialty Service serve?

This specialty service supports anyone who identifies as a part of the LGBTQ+ community (e.g., individuals who are homosexual, bisexual, asexual, etc.) and/or identify as being a gender minority (e.g., transgender, gender-fluid, agender, etc.).

Why provide a Specialty Service for this population?

Individuals who are gender or sexual minorities are often at increased risk for mental stress and development of mental health problems as a result of stressors associated with their identity. These stressors include stigmatization through exclusionary laws, policies, and community attitudes. They may also include identity-based discrimination and rejection from those close to a person. Previous research has indicated that these actions not only increase mental stress and emotional burden, but also raise the risk of developing mental health disorders among individuals who are a gender or sexual minority.

There is also research that indicates that focusing on sexual and gender minority-specific stressors in treatment, as well as modifying existing evidence-based treatments to more directly target minority stressors, improves treatment outcomes for a wide variety of presenting problems, even those not directly related to sexual and gender identity.

What does this Specialty Service do?

The LGBTQ+ service at VPS applies queer-focused clinical lenses and treatment modalities to clients who present with a wide variety of concerns related to or influenced by being a member of a sexual or gender minority group.

The LGBTQ+ service utilizes evidence-based therapies (i.e., therapies that have been shown to be effective at treating psychological and behavioral symptoms) to assist sexual and gender minorities to cope with the stressors they experience and improve quality of life. The therapies are primarily based in the cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) model to help sexual and/or gender minorities gain skills necessary to improve their mental health, increase their functioning in daily life, and increase their enjoyment in life. The service may also incorporate models of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). The service aims to offer a client-centered approach, where we treat each client as the unique individual they are.

What specialized training do providers receive?

Clinicians receive instruction on new and existing research surrounding clinical work with these groups to ensure the use of evidence-based practices. The specialty service also engages in community outreach to explore referral sources within organizations that already serve these communities but might benefit from additional connections to mental health services such as VPS.

Specialty Service Facilitator: Kathleen Kennedy, PhD

Reproductive Health Specialty Service (RHSS)

Why provide a Specialty Service for this population?

Reproductive health and mental health are deeply interconnected. The hormonal, physical, social, and emotional changes that occur across the reproductive lifespan can significantly impact psychological well-being. Despite this, mental health concerns related to reproductive experiences often go underrecognized and undertreated within general medical or mental health settings.

Who does this Specialty Service serve?

Our Reproductive Mental Health Specialty Service supports individuals across the lifespan who are experiencing emotional or psychological challenges connected to reproductive health, reproductive life events, or chronic reproductive conditions. We serve people of all genders, sexual orientations, and family structures, recognizing that reproductive health extends beyond pregnancy and encompasses a wide range of physical, hormonal, and emotional experiences. This may include perinatal individuals experiencing anxiety or mood disorders, those experiencing reproductive loss or challenges with fertility, those living with chronic or complex reproductive health conditions, or those navigating hormonal or life-stage transitions.

What does this Specialty Service do?

The RHSS aims to provide specialized psychological care for individuals experiencing emotional or mental health challenges related to the reproductive life cycle and chronic reproductive health conditions. We help patients understand and manage how reproductive experiences—such as hormonal changes, fertility challenges, pregnancy, loss, postpartum adjustment, and chronic conditions like endometriosis or PCOS—affect their emotional well-being. Our service focuses on assessment, treatment, and support using evidence-based therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and committment based therapy (ACT). We partner and consult with local providers (e.g., UVMMC OB/GYN).

What specialized training do providers receive?

Although this specialty service is relatively new, the current supervisors Dr. Shari Steinman and Dr. Alison Legrand Hrindo aim to increase knowledge of evidence-based assessment and treatment of perinatal mental health concerns and up-to-date training associated with intersecting mental and physical health concerns. The service hopes to incorporate training from gold-standard agencies such as the Postpartum Society International and American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Participating trainees are also welcome to propose group study of adjacent subjects as is relevant to their clinical work.

Specialty Service Facilitators: Shari Steinman, PhD & Alison Legrand Hrindo, PhD

Specialty Service Provider Training

In addition to general training, VPS clinicians can elect to receive specialty training in several areas. Specialty Service providers attend regular training and supervision through the Specialty Services, which qualifies them to tailor evidence-based assessment and treatment to the needs and values of the unique populations served by the Specialty Services.

How to Seek Evaluation/Treatment from a Specialty Service

VPS Specialty Services have their own waitlists. When you contact VPS, inform the office manager that you identify with one of the populations served by a Specialty Service. We will ensure that you are put on the waitlist associated with that Specialty Service so you will be matched with a clinician who is well qualified to meet your needs.

Specialty Services

Specialty Services are like "mini-clinics" within VPS that serve specific underserved communities.

Current Specialty Services

Connecting Cultures/New England Survivors of Torture & Trauma

LGBTQ+ Specialty Service

Reproductive Health Specialty Service (RHSS)

Specialty Service Provider Training

How to Seek Evaluation/Treatment from a Specialty Service

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