Montcalm School, a private, therapeutic boarding school located in Albion, Mich., is introducing many exciting additions to its programming and staff.
Joining Montcalm's parent organization, Starr Commonwealth, on its Albion campus is Dr. Marcia Kent, who will fulfill the role of Senior Vice President of Medical Services.
Dr. Kent comes to Starr from the Seattle area, where she worked as a child psychiatrist at a community mental health agency. She has experience in a wide range of clinical settings, including residential, outpatient and over 10 years of private practice experience in assessments, therapy and medication management.
She is board certified in child and adolescent psychiatry, adult psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. Dr. Kent graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from Spring Arbor University, a medical degree from Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine and completed in a psychiatry residency at MSU. She also completed a child and adolescent residency and a forensic residency at the University of Washington.
"Dr. Kent is a terrific addition to Montcalm School and all of Starr Commonwealth's programs," said Kelley Jones, Director of Montcalm School. "Her expertise in psychiatry and medication management is exceptional, and her methods of practice align perfectly with Montcalm's treatment philosophy. She believes less is more when it comes to medication and that delving into the underlying issues behind behavior is what brings about lasting change. Dr. Kent will be an invaluable asset to our organization."
At Montcalm, Dr. Kent has been tasked with providing administrative oversight for the medical clinic. She is also developing new features for the clinic, eventually providing psychiatric evaluation and medication management services and taking a holistic approach to treatment and the use of medications for symptom management. Current psychiatric treatment relationships will remain intact as this program is developed.
In addition to this component of Montcalm's care, the school is focusing more effort on individual counseling. Director of Counseling Services Kevin Wing joined Montcalm in July to intensify that portion of treatment.
"Individual therapy gives the students a chance to develop a relationship and a sense of trust," Wing said. "Many of these students face significant challenges and believe that they cannot share their experiences for fear of ridicule by others. Experiencing that they can share this information with someone and still have that person value them as an individual is at times the most powerful component of our intervention."
Wing graduated with a bachelor's degree in social work from Central Michigan University, a master's degree in social work from Michigan State University and is a licensed social worker in Michigan.
With these high-level staff members coming on board, Montcalm School has expanded its services to offer a program for girls, ages 12-18, on the autism spectrum. Montcalm has been very successful working with boys on the autism spectrum through the Outside In program since 2007.
"Montcalm has become a national leader for our work with youth on the autism spectrum," Jones said. "Because of this success and the number of girls in need of these services, we believe this program is highly relevant and will allow us to continue to help youth who face challenges socially, behaviorally and academically."
Montcalm is also expanding the boys' portion of Outside In, responding to a growing need for these services by increasing the capacity for boys with autism spectrum disorders.
The Outside In program provides students with on-site occupational therapy with a licensed occupational therapist, including access to a state-of-the-art Sensory Integration Room, where students identify activities that are relaxing, self-soothing and grounding.
Also, each Outside In cottage at Montcalm will now be outfitted with small Sensory Integration Rooms directly in the cottage to provide students an even better opportunity to build social skills and develop healthy coping mechanisms.
Each of these additions to Montcalm will undoubtedly position the school to flourish moving forward.
"This is a very exciting time to be at Montcalm," Jones said. "We have assembled an amazing staff and continue to develop leading-edge programs. It's a privilege to work alongside our team, and I believe the future is very bright for Montcalm School."
Montcalm Schoolis a private, therapeutic boarding school located in Albion, Mich., and a program of Starr Commonwealth. Our proven, strength-based treatment model focuses on each student's strong points and abilities while helping youth academically, behaviorally and socially. Montcalm offers a traditional therapeutic program for boys and girls, ages 12-18, Outside In, a program for boys and girls, ages 12-18, with autism spectrum disorders, and Structured Transitional Living, a life skills program for boys, ages 17-21.