Two interns at Spurwink’s Outpatient and Community Services clinic in Bridgton, Maine, recently began facilitating a Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) group—a type of talk therapy that’s often helpful for people who experience emotions very intensely or have certain mental health conditions, like borderline personality disorder. When they noticed one of the group’s participants was having trouble participating in the group due to hearing loss, the interns, Lee Moloney and Allison Langis, took action.
Before the next group session, our staff found an audio amplifying device that would help meet the client’s needs, and grant funds from the Kendal C. and Anna Ham Foundation enabled our Practice Manager to quickly purchase it. At that next meeting, Lee and Allison presented the amplifier to the client, who was grateful and deeply moved.
In a group therapy setting, it is important that every person feels included in the conversation. With the amplifier, the client was able to follow along and focus their energy on their behavioral and mental health goals. The device made such a meaningful difference in their behavioral health care experience that our staff gifted the device to the client, so that she could not only utilize it in group therapy but also to better connect with her peers and community in her daily life.
Thank You to the Kendal C. and Anna Ham Foundation
Spurwink is grateful for the support the Kendal C. and Anna Ham Foundation, who make it possible for adults with serious mental illness in Greater Bridgton to live in the community with intensive treatment and support through our Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team.
Funds not only helped one client participate fully in treatment, but continue to support group therapies (including DBT and substance use disorder treatment), quality-of-life activities, and preventing the deprivation of clients’ basic needs, including medication and mental health services. The program helps individuals live in the community rather than in a psychiatric hospital. Our partnership will have a profound impact on residents’ lives, especially the most vulnerable members experiencing serious mental health issues.
Spurwink has provided ACT services for more than 16 years and launched a team in Bridgton in 2025 due to the need in this rural area.
Together, with the Kendal C. and Anna Ham Foundation’s generosity, we’re combatting housing loss, hospitalization, and involvement in the legal system—helping individuals live full lives within the greater Bridgton community.
Small Changes, Big Impacts
Lee and Allison demonstrated how important it is to advocate for a client’s needs. Even when a small change impacts just one person’s health care experience, we count that as a big win. By meeting individual needs, we help them become more active members of our community, uplifting everyone around us.
This is just one great example of how every individual—in every corner of Spurwink—is helping make a difference.
