The Adult and Elder Program area encompasses the development and implementation of prevention and health promotion programs and research for adults, elders, and their family members. In addition to providing services directly to clients, faculty and staff members offer training and consultation to professionals and organizations to enhance their effectiveness in serving adults across the lifespan. Many of our programs are community-based and involve collaborative partnerships with other organizations.

Our Team:
Susan Ottenheimer, LCSW, Director
Donna B. Fedus, M.A., Gerontologist
Valencia Goodridge, Program Assistant and Coordinator, Connecticut Self-Help Network

Our Current Initiatives:
Center-wide leadership for the DMHAS-funded Prevention Training Program where training is provided in the theory, design, implementation, and evaluation of community-based prevention and health promotion interventions to enhance the capacity of professionals and organizations in delivering effective, high quality programs to identified populations across the lifespan.

Technical Assistance Consultation and Training on a wide array of other training topics also is available and can be tailored to meet your organization’s needs on a fee for service basis. For more information, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Workplace Wellness Consulting and Program Services. We can help your organization develop, implement, and evaluate a workplace wellness program for your employees, your most valuable asset. Improving the health and well being of your employees through lifestyle and behavior change and transforming the workplace culture is a “win-win”. It’s great for the individual and your bottom line. Whether you are just starting out, or need a boost in your existing programming, our expert skills can help you build a successful program. Services include: 

• Initial consultation on program design
• Working with your wellness committee on program development and implementation
• Preparation and development of presentation materials to gain management support
• Development and delivery of on-site programming
• On-site “Lunch and Learn” presentations on a variety of health and wellness topics
• Assistance with vendor selection for Health Risk Appraisal services
• Evaluation and data analysis

Organizational Development and Consultation Services. In addition, we can assist your team in the delivery of Professional and Management Development Programs and provide Organization and Management Consultation Services such as:

• Professional Development Programs that prepare your staff to respond to a variety of stressful demands, understand issues such as personality differences, and learn to manage time and conflict
• Management Development Programs that assist individuals to work more effectively as part of a team, assume more supervisory administrative responsibilities, and manage change in the workplace
• Organization and Management Consultation Services that provide persons in leadership with the knowledge and skills necessary to manage an organization, meet the demands of clients and staff, and strategic plan

Collaboration with the Stress & Coping Research area around the delivery and dissemination of the evidence based “Coping with Work and Family Stress” preventive intervention to local corporate, business and private non-profit settings. Coping with Work and Family Stress™ is a 16-week evidence-based group program designed to teach employees coping strategies to deal with stressors at work and home, and to achieve work-family balance. Coping with Work and Family Stress™ is a model program of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and is listed in the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP), a searchable online registry of mental health and substance abuse intervention that have been reviewed and rated by independent reviewers. Program results include:

• Reduction in work, family, and work-family stressors
• 16% increase in the use of effective problem-solving and other behavioral coping strategies
• 33% reduction in avoidance coping (e.g. ignoring the problem)
• 15% increase in the use of social support
• Increased use of stress management techniques
• 18% reduction among a female sample in depression, anxiety, and physical complaints
• 11% reduction in a male and female sample in depression, anxiety and physical complaints
• Significant decrease in the use of alcohol and other substances including tobacco

The program can be delivered in its entirety or by utilizing selected modules:

• Problem Solving (5 sessions)
• Promoting Effective Communication (6 sessions)
• Enhancing Social Support (4 sessions)
• Rethinking the Problem (4 sessions)
• Stress Management: Healthy Lifestyles and Stress Reduction (7 sessions)

We can train your EAP, or other staff, to deliver the program, or we can directly offer the program to your employees.

Promoting Effective Management and Supervision to Enhance Employee Health and Productivity. Delivered in five 2-hour training sessions, this program is ideal for your supervisors and managers to learn valuable skills. Sessions include:

• Understanding stress and promoting effective coping strategies
• Clarifying roles and increasing employee decision latitude
• Communicating effectively with employees
• Providing feedback and facilitating open organizational communication
• Providing support and promoting teamwork

This program can be offered in the following formats:

• Full 5-session program on a weekly basis (or other schedule that meets your needs)
• Full 5-session program in a concentrated 1.5 day format; or
• Individual session or combination of sessions
• On- or off-site to a group of supervisors/managers who work in a given setting or department or from a range of settings
• On- or off-site to groups of varying numbers of supervisors/managers ranging up to 20 participants

For additional information, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Ph.D., Developer.

The Connecticut Self-Help Network and Clearinghouse. We provide information and referral services as well as training and consultation on self-help group development to members of the community and organizations who wish to initiate or sustain a self-help group. As founders of the Connecticut Self-Help Network in 1981, staff members from The Consultation Center have a longstanding commitment to the development of self-help approaches as an adjunct to formal services. A comprehensive, statewide Directory that includes groups offered locally, statewide, and nationally, is available for purchases as well as other related materials. Staff members provide information and referral services, training, and consultation.

Gerontology Training for Professionals. An effective and efficient staff has never been more essential given the challenging economic times combined with the dramatic increase in population aging. Training on various issues of aging is available to professionals to enhance their ability to work with older adults and their families. Each session provides theory, best practices, and applied techniques using a prevention and health promotion framework. Workshops are appropriate for health professionals and human service providers who serve older adults and families. Each workshop has been approved for continuing education credits from the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).

Practitioners can access training in three ways:

1. Check the current calendar of programs offered in the Gerontology Training Series. These programs are held at The Consultation Center, 389 Whitney Avenue, New Haven. Topics change in fall and spring.
2. Request the Gerontology Training Catalog for a list of programs that can be delivered at your place of business throughout Connecticut and beyond. This list is expanded as new workshops are added. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
3. Arrange for customized training on issues of aging facing your staff or family caregivers.

Caregiver Coaching Service. This service offers increased knowledge and support to family caregivers who are creating an eldercare plan, dealing with an impending eldercare transition, or are in the midst of an eldercare crisis. Services are provided by a masters-prepared gerontologist on a fee-for-service basis, and include telephone or in-person consultation and support, identification of options and thinking through the ramification of various options, targeted research, referrals to local and long distance resources, and facilitation of family meetings. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information or call her at (203) 789-7645.

Education for Family Caregivers. Educational programs for families on various issues of aging can be sponsored by a housing facility, hospital, senior center, AARP chapter or club. Topics for family caregiver programs vary widely. Possible formats include a one-time lecture or discussion group, a book group series or an ongoing support group. Consultation is also available to community-based groups who are informally assisting in the care of a family member, friend or neighbor who is suffering from a chronic illness. Sample topics include: Learning to Speak Alzheimer’s, Brain Fitness: Staying Sharp Beyond Crossword Puzzles, Family Conversations With Older Drivers, Managing Across the Miles – Long Distance Caregiving, Emotional Dynamics and Legal Issues in Grandfamilies, The Influence of Aging on Family Dynamics. (Note: This is not an exhaustive list. Please don’t hesitate to call if you are interested in other topics.) Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call her at (203) 789-7645 for more information and to discuss fees.

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. Since 1995, The Consultation Center has been providing grandparents and other relatives raising children with a range of services and supports. Benefits for members include monthly group meetings both days and evenings, opportunities for respite and socializing for grandparents and children, telephone information and referral to resources, newsletter and legislative advocacy. In addition to these core program benefits, members of our group also participate in a number of special initiatives. Current special initiatives include Health and Wellness Program for Grandfamilies and College Culture for Grandfamilies. Always seeking creative solutions, The Consultation Center collaborates with local, state, and national organizations to develop programs and services to support relative caregivers. We also provide training and consultation on the emotional dynamics and legal issues that often arise in grandfamilies.