MISSION
Spurwink provides behavioral health and education services for children, adults and families.
VISION OF SUCCESS
Children, adults and families affected by behavioral health challenges and developmental disabilities living healthy, engaged lives in their communities.
HISTORY
IN 1960, SPURWINK SERVED 8 BOYS
In 1960, Spurwink began with one house in Portland, Maine, serving eight boys. Today, we operate two active residential campuses serving children, 22 group home settings for adults, one group home intermediate care facility, one nursing home/intermediate care facility for adults, and four day treatment special purpose private schools, including a preschool. We have a wide array of community-based, residential and educational services for children, adults, and families across the state. Spurwink’s wide array of community-based services include outpatient therapy, behavioral health home services, treatment foster care, public school counseling, trauma therapy for refugees, forensic child abuse evaluations, a crisis center, opioid health homes, and much more.
Starting with a handful of staff, Spurwink today draws much of its strength from its nearly 1,000 employees. They are the cornerstone of what the organization accomplishes and how services are delivered: developing positive self-regard in those they serve by honoring and respecting who they are, delivering evidence-based treatment, and then building upon the strengths of the individual and the family.
OUR VALUES
COMMITMENT
We go the distance in order to change lives. We bring to bear clinical and educational expertise as well as our ingenuity in creating solutions with the individuals we serve and their families in order to meet their needs. While deeply committed to evidence-based practices, we embrace new methods, technologies and resources to serve our clients.
RESPECT
Our relationships with one another and the people we serve are built on a foundation of unconditional positive regard. We believe that growth and transformation occur within relationships where humility and mutual respect are evident, clear, honest, and timely feedback is the norm—even when it is uncomfortable, and mutual acceptance is coupled with personal responsibility.
EXCELLENCE
We are committed to continuous learning in order to improve what we do. We exercise rigor and accountability in evaluating the outcomes of our work, reflect on how we can improve, incorporate proven, effective models into our practices, and hold one another accountable in a culture of continuous improvement.
PARTNERSHIP
“With,” not “To”….We view the people we serve and their families to be dynamic partners in achieving growth and change. We are sensitive to the unique needs of families, and inclusive and flexible in developing approaches to care that reflect the strengths and challenges of both the individuals served and their families.
PERSON CENTERED
We believe that growth happens best when high expectations tap into each person’s unique readiness for new learning and development. This is why we collaboratively tailor plans for growth and development with every client we serve and in the professional development we provide to our employees.
CARING
We are sensitive to the reality that many people today have experienced trauma in their lifetimes. We strive to make informed choices in our interactions with one another and our the people we serve, and in the design of our systems and programs, to enhance the level of emotional safety in our workplace and to foster awareness of what each of us can do to enhance the processes of healing.
EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES
At Spurwink, evidence-based practices, or EBP, are the foundation of the clinical work we perform. It is an approach to how we treat and provide services to clients. This approach includes important components:
Learning what treatments “work” based on the best available research
Obtaining the skills, techniques, and strategies that influence positive results
Understanding and honoring the views toward treatment of the people we serve
Taking into account cultural and other differences
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