Co-founder/developer of Children Mental Health’s Acclaimed SNAP® Intervention Program Receives ‘CAMH Difference Maker Award’
TORONTO (PRWEB) December 02, 2017 -- Child Development Institute is proud to announce that Dr. Leena Augimeri, Co-founder/developer of the highly acclaimed SNAP® program was a recipient of CAMH Difference Maker's Award and was honored at the awards ceremony hosted on November 28, 2017. This award is a national movement created by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) to celebrate 150 Canadians who are making a difference in mental health:
"I feel both honoured and humbled. There are so many well deserved individuals in this country who are making a significant mental health impact. This award is really for all of our SNAP team members and champions,” explains Dr. Augimeri.
Dr. Augimeri has successfully advanced children’s mental health for the past 30 years using SNAP an evidence-based, innovative model she co-founded/developed at Child Development Institute (CDI). The SNAP program is a family focused, cost effective proven children’s mental health program. It focuses on emotion-regulation, self-control and problem-solving skills and teaches children how to stop and think before they act in order to make better choices “in the moment.” SNAP addresses disruptive behaviour such as aggression, rule-breaking and conduct problems, with the intention of improving executive functioning and impulsive / disruptive behaviour in the short-term with a goal of preventing criminal justice contact in the long-term.
Tony Diniz, CEO of CDI remarks, “SNAP has won many awards for its brilliant science and its effectiveness in real life and of course, Dr. Augimeri has been the lead developer of SNAP. This award is an important personal award – for being a top change maker. This award is richly deserved for Leena’s personal qualities of relentless determination, drive, determination and resilience to successfully climb the mountain of big change.”
The program has had such an impact that it is being effectively replicated both in Canada and internationally in children’s mental health and community-based organizations, schools and juvenile justice systems, and culturally adapted for Indigenous communities. SNAP is currently engaged in a national expansion project to bring the model to 140 new communities across Canada. SNAP has positively impacted countless Canadians by creating safer, happier and healthier children, families and communities.
Company Backgrounder:
Child Development Institute:
The Child Development Institute (CDI) is a Toronto-based organization mandated with the mission to transform the lives of children, youth and their families by developing and delivering world class, innovative, evidence-based mental health programs. CDI is an accredited children’s mental health agency providing a range of programs and services for children, youth and their families in Toronto. We offer evidence-based programs across four streams: Early Intervention Services, Family Violence Services, the Integra Program and Healthy Child Development. Our approach is family-focused, and we work with each child and family’s unique strengths, needs and challenges. For more information about CDI please visit: https://www.childdevelop.ca/
About SNAP®:
Developed by Child Development Institute 30 years ago as an intervention program for children under 12 in conflict with the law, SNAP has evolved into an internationally-recognized model for teaching behaviourally troubled children and their parents effective emotion-regulation, self-control and problem-solving skills. Gender-specific SNAP Boys and SNAP Girls programs are offered at CDI in Toronto, and through SNAP Affiliates across Canada and around the world. The primary goal of SNAP is to keep children in school and out of trouble. The SNAP National Expansion launched in 2014 with the goal of reaching 120 new sites (and 20,000 high-risk children) across Canada by 2020 with the help of LEAP: The Centre for Social Impact (incubated by Pecaut Centre). Reaching these children will result in a social impact of just under $3 billion of savings in criminal justice system costs alone. Through a $12 million fundraising goal, the SNAP Expansion will transform the face of children’s mental health in Canada by addressing unmet service needs in schools and communities. For more information about SNAP, please visit http://www.stopnowandplan.com
Media contact:
Kithmini Pali
Manager of Marketing Communications and Events
Child Development Institute
416-603-1827 ext. 2273
kpali(at)childdevelop.ca
Kithmini Pali, Child Development Institute, http://www.childdevelop.ca, +1 4166031827 Ext: 2273, [email protected]
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