The Youth and Family Training Institute (YFTI) was founded in 2007 by Pennsylvania’s Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) to provide training, coaching, credentialing, fidelity and outcomes monitoring for the High Fidelity Wraparound workforce in the State. Since its inception, YFTI has expanded to include a diverse array of training, coaching, program implementation, technical assistance, and innovative evaluation services. YFTI supports the training needs of programs including wraparound and intensive care coordination (branded as Family Driven Teaming), youth and family peer support, and community-based clinical models (Family Based Mental Health Services and Ecosystemic Structural Family Therapy) that are implemented across counties in Pennsylvania. In addition to supporting the implementation and fidelity of models, our training courses can be accessed by any workforce or professional helpers who want to build skills around engaging, planning, teaming, and sustaining progress that lead to feeling more confident and competent in family homes and communities.
YFTI has supported wraparound services in other states and developed innovative program models that connect wraparound to the physical health system for youth with complex needs and chronic health concerns. Evaluation Services include support for over 25 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grants since 2009 as well as many contracts for innovative database, survey development, and data visualization projects. While our work has evolved, YFTI remains committed to being a leading training and evaluation institute dedicated to improving the lives of youth, families, individuals, and communities in all that we do.
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Values
Principles
At YFTI, we believe that we are all INTERCONNECTED and so we have a responsibility to foster the wellbeing of each other and our communities. We understand that relationships have the potential to amplify impact, so we forge diverse partnerships with individuals, families, professionals and systems to navigate and resolve complex challenges. We seek to provide services that are CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE so that what we create together addresses behavioral health disparities and is of SERVICE TO OTHERS. We work with INTEGRITY each day to ensure the training, evaluation and technical support we provide is INNOVATIVE and incorporates advancing best practices in the field. We EMPOWER our partners to realize their greatest potential.