The Hudson Valley Geriatric Mental Health Initiative
A program of the Adelphi University School of Social Work with funding support from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation
We aspire to join with providers in building capacity in geriatric mental health and strengthening the behavioral health workforce to improve safety and services for older adults in the Hudson Valley region of New York State. This project builds partnerships with providers working tirelessly to meet the needs of diverse older adults in the Hudson Valley and focuses on three main objectives:
- By convening leaders to collaborate in a coalition, service gaps will be closed, innovations will be shared, care will be better coordinated, and major challenges will be targeted by the collective efforts of the group.
- By increasing competencies in geriatric mental health, providers will have improved outcomes of services.
- By educating new social workers who live and work in the Hudson Valley, the workforce will be strengthened to respond to rapidly increasing proportions of older adults in all communities.
Geriatric Services Leadership Coalition
We call upon the executive leaders of any organization serving older adults to join a coalition that will collaborate to strengthen the Hudson Valley network to meet the mental health needs of older people and their families.
Ideal coalition members are those leaders who are closely connected to direct practice in their setting, who know the strengths and challenges of their organization, such as the Director of Operations, Program Manager, and Chief Operations Officer. We seek one leader from each organization, from across settings and counties in the Hudson Valley.
We ask members to commit to attending quarterly in-person meetings in Poughkeepsie, where facilitated conversations will focus on current strengths and services, gaps and unmet needs, and priorities for change in policy, practice, and funding. Meetings in 2026 will be held in March, July, and October.
To join the coalition, please contact Dr. Daniel Kaplan, Project Director, at dkaplan@adelphi.edu.
Free Professional Staff Training
Any mental health clinician may enroll for free to benefit from this 30-hour, virtual, post-graduate continuing education certificate. This certificate program explores the practice implications of working with older adults living with mental, neurological, and substance abuse disorders.
We have funding support to fully sponsor 15 trainees in this program with no cost to registrants. Only two staff members of any Hudson Valley organization may enroll for free. This cohort of grant-supported trainees will also benefit from special coaching sessions with leading experts in geriatric mental health counseling. Additional staff from any organization may enroll in the standard program at the price of $675 if desired.
Registrants must commit to attending the full schedule of virtual sessions, including all 10 workshops and 5 coaching sessions.
- 4 three-hour workshops in the Spring
- 6 three-hour workshops in the Fall
- 5 one-hour coaching sessions
MSW-level social workers who serve as supervisors of direct practice in any setting may enroll for free to benefit from this 36-hour, virtual, post-graduate continuing education certificate. Social Work Practice Fellows was created as an innovative effort to fill this gap in an intensive interactive setting. This sophisticated continuing education program for social work supervisors capitalizes on a distinct conceptual framework for confronting the problems of population-focused and setting-specific silos of social work practice.
We have funding support to fully sponsor 15 trainees in this program with no cost to registrants. This special cohort of trainees will have an exclusive and intensive training schedule in the spring, with focused attention to supervision in service to older adults. Only one supervisor from any Hudson Valley organization may enroll for free. Additional supervisors from any organization may enroll in the standard program that runs each fall at the price of $1500 if desired.
Registrants must commit to attending the full schedule of virtual sessions, including all 6 full-day workshops.
Staff Education in Social Work
The Adelphi School of Social Work offers employers the opportunity to support staff in obtaining social work degrees, including the BSW, MSW, and DSW.
For our in-seat MSW program in the Hudson Valley, classes are offered in the evenings at our Poughkeepsie campus. We provide part-time and full-time pathways to the MSW degree, as well as multiple specialized programs such as our Gerontological Social Work Fellowship.
Students will benefit from reduced tuition through our partner discounts, scholarships, and fellowship opportunities, and impactful practicum internships, including agency-based placements in their current work setting when appropriate.
Agencies participating in this initiative’s coalition and staff training programs are encouraged to identify employees whose careers would be enhanced through these professional degrees. Your mentoring and nurturing in career development may enable staff to grow as professionals at your agency!
For inquiries, contact Liz Szpilka, Director of Outreach, Enrollment and Professional Advisement, at eszpilka@adelphi.edu.