Healthy additions

Indian Stream Health Center welcomes new providers to behavioral health team

To increase support and access to critical behavioral health services for the North Country, Indian Stream Health Center (ISHC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Bonnie Lynn Balsamo, LICSW and Amanda McGerigle, MSW.

“Bonnie and Amanda bring a very high level of experience to our team,” said Laurie Connors, LICSW and Director of Behavioral Health
Services at ISHC.“ Each has an impressive variety of skills and expertise in the behavioral health field at many levels.”

Ms. Balsamo joins ISHC from Lahey Health Behavioral Services in Lawrence, MA, where she served on the Psychiatric Crisis Team. In that role, she provided a broad range of services to individuals in the hospital setting. Her work included immediate intervention, triage and assessment and support for referrals for additional services. Other roles prior to joining Lahey Health included: as a Social
Caseworker at Larimer County Department of Human Services, Children Youth and Family in Fort Collins, CO, as a Mental Health Therapist at Creative Counseling Services in Greeley, CO and as Children’s Division Director at Roundup Fellowship in Denver, CO.

Ms. Balsamo also worked for four years in the United Kingdom, where she held several key roles providing caseload management, assessment and other forms of support to children in need. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Denver University in Denver, CO. She is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and holds a training certificate for EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).

Ms. McGerigle comes to ISHC from the Justice Resource Institute in Littleton, MA, where she served as an in-home clinical therapist. In that role, she performed comprehensive in-home assessments and diagnosis, helping to build a treatment plan for youth in need of services; providing family therapy, modeling skills and using evidence-based tools toward improved outcomes for improved family
dynamics.

Prior to joining the Justice Resource Institute, she completed internships at Cape Cod Human Service as an individual therapist and at Cape Cod Hospital Centers for Behavioral Health in Hyannis, MA, where she served as co-facilitator in a partial hospitalization program for dual diagnosis patients. Ms. McGerigle also completed an internship at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in Hyannis, MA.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Wheaton College in Norton, MA and a Master’s of Social Work Degree from Boston University in Boston, MA. The Behavioral Health Services Team provides a broad range of services to patients and the community
at large, explained Ms. Connors. “This work is a vital part of Indian Stream’s person-centered medical home philosophy,” she noted. “Our team works in very close collaboration with our physicians and other providers to ensure that the patient’s medical, behavioral
and social needs are addressed.” She went on to say that work that her team provides involves ‘whole person’ care, ranging from direct counseling support (including substance abuse/addiction services) and crisis intervention to ensuring that those in need are connected to the appropriate community services and agencies.

To learn more about behavioral health services and programs at ISHC, please visit www.indianstream.org and click on “services” or call (603) 237-8336.