Who We Are
We provide a wide-range of programs and services to children, teens, and adults that are designed to help every individual and family we serve to reach their best and full potential. Our programs and services are available in our offices and in community settings, as well as in the homes of our clients.
Here was founded in 2010 and has proudly served families in the State of Maine ever since. We are deeply committed to the individuals and families that we serve with compassion and excellence, and we not only utilize existing, available resources but also nurture new skills and abilities to foster healthy environments designed to propel people toward natural growth and a positive future.
Our Team
Here, we employ people from all over state with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. We take pride in hiring the most caring, compassionate, educated staff to work with our clients. We look for staff who are driven, hard-working, ethical and truly want to make other people’s lives better.
Our culture is one that strives for inclusion, support and growth. We want our staff to feel valued and understand that the incredible work they do is meaningful. Everyday our staff come to work and make a difference in those around them. We are committed to promoting from within and seeing our team members establish a long-standing career with us.
Executive Director: Judy Seals
Judy Seals, our Executive Director, has over 30 years of behavioral health experience working with children and families, including opening and founding several programs. Prior to joining the team, Judy founded the first private detention center in the state of Iowa, along with the first intake center by partnering with many government entities, including local police departments, the Department of Human Services, sheriff’s departments, and youth detention centers. Her goal was to create step down programs, decrease the over-representation of minority youth in confinement and focus on youth needs. In 1999, she was at Woodward Academy as the Admissions Director, and in 2004 Judy started a day school within the facility where she worked to place kids from other districts. In 2006, she helped found Woodward Community-Based Services in Iowa and served as the Executive Director until she was instrumental in the acquisition and founding of us, ultimately serving as the Executive Director over both Iowa and Maine programs for over a year. Judy later moved to Maine in December 2012 and has worked diligently to grow us into the program it is today, obtaining Joint Commission Accreditation and continuing to add new programs to best serve the people of Maine.
Director of Behavioral Health and Residential Services: Jill McKenney
Jill McKenney has been an integral part of our team since 2009. She graduated from University of Maine Farmington in 1995 and she gained invaluable experience working in a hospital setting with children. Jill then took a position with a local daycare and grew quickly into the role of Executive Director. She served in that role for 10 years before joining our family as the Behavioral Health Coordinator. Jill’s responsibilities in that role shifted and in 2012 she began working closely with our children’s in-home support program. In 2013, Jill was promoted to Regional Program Manager of our Bangor office overseeing all of our Behavioral Health Programs in the Greater Bangor area. Jill was chosen in 2014 to be one of our representatives in a National Leadership Development Initiative and has taken on top leadership roles in the agency. Jill is now the Director of Behavioral Health Services for the State of Maine.
Director of Nursing: Stephanie Truman, RN
Stephanie Truman, RN, joined us full time in July 2020. This is a new experience for her after owning Amethyst Training & Consulting, Inc. for the last 25 years. She has worked in a variety of settings serving individuals with Mental Health disorders, Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, elders with Dementia, Trauma survivors with significant behavioral issues and most recently with sex trafficking survivor program. She has been a behavior management consultant for 25 years in the state of Maine. Stephanie has trained over 500 people to become community case managers under the MHRT/c program in the state of Maine. She is credentialed to train/teach in over 37 state and national programs and has been a very sought-after trainer in providing continued education for a variety of licensed/certified staff. She has spent her training career in developing staff interventions and knowledge so they can feel confident enough to perform at their highest level for the improvement of the quality of life for people served by programs in the state of Maine.
Unique Treatment Programs in a Safe Environment
Our behavioral health continuum allows us to come alongside a struggling child, youth or adult and ensure they receive the treatment, care, and therapy required in order to strive toward their best potential and set them up for a lifetime of success. If you or someone you know needs help, we are standing by to provide that necessary care. Contact us today to learn more!