Consultation Services

Since 2000, The Bridge Training Institute has provided consultation services to many organizations and schools. Our 35 years of experience, combined with a commitment to Evidence-Based Practices makes us uniquely suited to assist mental health and educational professionals.

We Provide:

  • customized training programs for clinical and direct care staff,
  • assistance designing and implementing an evidence-based practice that meets the special needs of your population and milieu,
  • assistance adapting these treatments to suit specific populations and setting such as: adolescents, individuals with developmental disabilities, parents, residential settings, schools, out-patient treatment and others,
  • staff supervision,
  • case consultation and treatment planning,
  • assistance to agency leadership to develop strategies that build funder and stakeholder commitment to evidence-based practices,
  • assistance to schools to manage and prevent dangerous and disruptive behaviors and costly outplacements.

Principal Consultation Staff

Self-Injury & Suicide Prevention 

Barent Walsh, Ph.D. has written extensively and presented internationally on the topic of self-destructive behavior. He is the author of three books on non-suicidal self-injury, including Treating Self-Injury: A Practical Guide 2nd edition, Guilford Press, (2014). This volume has been translated into Japanese, Korean, Dutch and Polish.

Dr. Walsh is Executive Director Emeritus and Senior Clinical Consultant at Open Sky Community Services, a human service agency headquartered in Worcester, MA. Dr. Walsh is also a Lecturer on Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School at Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA. Dr. Walsh received the following recognition in 2021:

“On behalf of the International Society for the Study of Self-Injury (ISSS) Board of Directors, we would like to honour your extensive contributions to the field by inviting you to be an Invited Fellow of ISSS. This invitation reflects the highest recognition of your many contributions to the field, notably your seminal work and publications in the areas of assessment and treatment of self-injury.”

Illness Management & Recovery

Kerrin Westerlind, L.I.C.S.W., is The Director of Illness Management & Recovery (IMR) Services at The Bridge of Central Massachusetts. She holds a master’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work. Ms. Westerlind is responsible for overseeing the implementation of IMR throughout the agency and training staff. In addition, Ms. Westerlind has provided IMR training and consultation to many organizations.

Kerrin Westerlind, MSW, LICSW, is a Clinical Director at Open Sky Community Services.  For over twenty years, Kerrin has assisted interdisciplinary teams in the implementation of Evidence Based and Best Practices. Kerrin is an expert in Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) and has provided groups, training, consultation and implementation support to agencies across the United States.

Ms. Westerlind has training, consultative and leadership experience in a wide range of treatment models utilized in community mental health settings.  Kerrin’s professional interests include working with people who experience psychosis, trauma-related experiences and focusing on the provision of recovery-oriented and empowering group experiences.  Additionally, her work extends to using trauma informed care principles in culture transformation, to promote healing, growth, and resilience for those using and providing services. Within this realm she has cultivated trainings, experiences, and provided consultation for enhancing employee well-being and helping practitioners and caregivers find ways to integrate self-care, joy, and community care into their life within and out of work.  

Her experience in the mental health field includes over 25 years of work in a range of settings from residential, supported housing, day treatment, outpatient, community-based services for adults and adolescents and clubhouse models.  A shift in her areas of focus this year has led to her overseeing the PBS Implementation within Open Sky Community Services.

If you are interested in exploring ways The Bridge Training Institute can help you with a new treatment model, a challenging client or a student in critical need, please contact traininginstitute@openskycs.org or at (508-755-0333).