The Triumph Center:

The Triumph Center is a counseling, consultation and staff-training center serving clients throughout New England.  Since 1991 we have provided individual, family and group counseling, psychological evaluations and therapeutic summer programming for children, adolescents and young adults.  Our experienced professionals have consulted to and trained administrators, teachers and clinicians in numerous schools and other agencies.

Our Consultation and Training Program:

Building on a long and successful history of supporting programs that serve promising adolescents with various learning differences, disabilities, emotional and behavioral problems, the Triumph Center has developed a consultation and training program focused on schools and agencies serving young adults.  Drs. George Marinakis and Frederic Krell lead a group of seasoned professionals who have worked in colleges, day and boarding schools as well as vocational training programs serving young adults seeking to complete post-secondary education and become productive and independent adults. We are committed to working with our educational and clinical colleagues in these programs to help young people of all abilities successfully complete their education and transition into work and careers while finding ways to foster hope, resiliency and lifelong learning.

Your Challenges:

Many institutions of higher learning, both colleges and vocational schools, are struggling to attract, retain and graduate promising students.  Increasingly, these institutions face the dual challenges of educating and supporting students with a range of issues that go unrecognized until they are faced with new challenges often exacerbated by living away from home.  For example, many young adults suffer from anxiety, depression, and other significant mental health difficulties that often surface during the early college years.  At this stage of development, many young adults test boundaries, struggle with decision-making and risky behaviors that challenge institutions trying to maintain a safe and healthy learning environment for all their students.  To add to these challenges, colleges and technical schools are faced with educating and supporting more diverse learners, including those with high functioning autism, who successfully completed high school with the aid of family and other external supports to navigate earlier academic and social demands.  Such realities challenge institutions at all levels, including admissions personnel, counseling and disability professionals, faculty, residential staff, athletic departments, and health services clinicians.  Our specialists are available to meet with you, the leaders of these institutions, to learn about your unique needs and to consult with and train your faculty and staff on how to use best practices to more effectively deal with the challenges you face in such areas as:

Academic and Career Development:

• Help faculty better understand, support and effectively teach students with complex learning profiles such as High Functioning ASD, ADHD, Learning and other related disabilities.
• Create a resource center for faculty and administrators containing written materials, email, phone and regular in-person access to clinical and educational experts regarding the identification, educational needs and academic support requirements for students with complex learning profiles (e.g. High-functioning Autism, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, etc.).
• Develop effective formal and informal systems for faculty and administrators to communicate with each other, share ideas, gather information from outside sources and seek specific consultation regarding the need for Counseling, Disability or Health Services.
• Develop and utilize more effective teaching practices and educational accommodations for students with complex learning profiles.

Counseling, Disability and Health Services:

• Improve and expand counseling practices particularly for students with complex social-learning disabilities.
• Create a Training and Supervision Group that meets regularly with an outside consultant to assess and augment the competencies of existing clinical and educational staff in those three areas.  The Supervision Group would consist of a senior staff member from each group and would create modules to improve in-house clinical services to students with specific needs and disabilities.
• Create psychotherapy groups and psycho-educational groups geared to ASD and other neuro-atypical students for skill-building, social awareness, role play, etc.
• Build study and organizational skills for students with Executive Function/ADHD difficulties.
• Helping students at risk, both socially and emotionally, better access and follow through with services.
• Provide staff training to improve risk assessment protocols.

Residential Life:

• Help residential life staff develop practices in dorms and other campus settings to reduce isolation and build connections for students struggling with a variety of social challenges.
• Promote practices to build safe and welcoming communities, particularly for students with differences and who struggle socially.
• Improve identification and management of students at risk, particularly those with social and emotional challenges.
• Help staff promote independence and problem solving for students with high functioning ASD and related difficulties.

Sports and Extracurricular Activities:

• Improve staff development and awareness to support high level athletes dealing with injury or other physical, emotional and learning challenges
• Help coaches identify and access counseling supports for student athletes in need of mental health counseling to address new NCAA guidelines for colleges
• Help coaches to identify and access supports for student athletes who are struggling with the academic and athletic demands of college.