Course Information
- Audience: All public health professionals working in nonprofits, healthcare, educational institutions, government and private sector
- Format: Webinar
- Date/Time: February 5th, 2026 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET.
- Price: Free
- Length: 1 hour
- Credential(s) eligible for contact
If you are not seeking a CHES/MCHES contact hours, if you complete the post-test and evaluation, you will receive a Certificate of Completion. The Certificate will include the length of the course. NEPHTC is a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is designated for Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) and/or Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES) to receive up to 1 total Category I continuing education contact hours. Maximum advanced-level continuing education contact hours are 1.
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- Competencies: Community Dimensions of Practice Skills
- Learning Level: Awareness
- Companion Trainings: None
- Supplemental materials: None
- Pre-requisites: None
About this Webinar
The phrase “in the comfort of our living room” evokes a sense of warmth, safety, and belonging—an experience often taken for granted. For individuals facing homelessness, mental health crises, or substance use challenges, such comfort can feel out of reach. Spurwink’s Crisis Receiving Center, also known as The Living Room, reimagines this concept by offering a welcoming, trauma-informed space where individuals in crisis are met with dignity, compassion, and immediate support from a multidisciplinary team that includes clinical professionals and peers with lived experience. The center provides timely access to psychiatric nurse practitioners, medication management, suboxone inductions, and referrals to community-based services. Whether someone arrives seeking a peer conversation, a crisis assessment, or simply to explore available resources, the Living Room adapts to meet them where they are. The ethos of “try again tomorrow” underscores the Center’s commitment to ongoing, person-centered care. This presentation will share information about the core principles of the Living Room Crisis Receiving Center model, the work being done, data from recent years, and describe how this receiving center positively impacts individual outcomes and public health.
Learning Objectives
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Describe the core principles of the Living Room Crisis Receiving Center model, including its trauma-informed, low-barrier, and person-centered approach to crisis care.
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Identify the ways in which the Living Room Crisis Receiving Center fosters a sense of belonging, dignity, and psychological safety for those experiencing behavioral health crises.
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Analyze the impact of peer support and lived experience in creating a welcoming and effective crisis intervention environment.
Subject Matter Expert(s)
Catherine Ryder, LCPC, NCC
Catherine serves as the Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives for Spurwink Services in Maine. Her professional work has been focused on developing models that provide excellence in clinical care and yield exceptional outcomes. She is passionate about ensuring access for those in need, bending the cost curve to achieve fiscal sustainability, and reducing the stigma associated with behavioral health. Catherine is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with a MS in Counselor Education, and a Nationally Certified Counselor. She has completed the certificate program in Primary Care Behavioral Health from University of MA and is a graduate of the Hanley Leadership Development program for healthcare leaders in Maine. Catherine currently serves as a board member for the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA), the Portland Recovery Community Center (PRCC), is chair for the Hanley Center for Health Leadership, and is a corporator for Bangor Savings Bank.
Megan DuEst, LCSW, LADC, CCS, MHRT-CSP, RN
Senior Director of Outpatient and Community Services (Portland) Megan DuEst is an experienced clinician and leader with over 12 years in the behavioral health field. Currently serving as the Senior Director of OCS Portland, Megan oversees a variety of critical programs and services, including the first crisis receiving center in the State of Maine, Spurwink’s Assertive Community Treatment Program, and Ashlea's Place. She also manages contracted programs through Mercy Hospital and MaineHealth. Throughout her career, Megan has demonstrated a deep commitment to improving access to mental health services, particularly in high-need communities. Her prior experience includes providing intensive in-home support to children and families, outpatient counseling, school-based services, supporting resource/foster parents and children in DHHS custody, and crisis intervention.
Ben Strick, LCSW
Ben is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who currently serves as Spurwink’s Vice President of Outpatient and Community Services. Ben has worked across Spurwink serving children, youth, families, and adults. He received his undergraduate degree from Bates College, and his MSW from the University of New England. He also serves as the complaint officer for the State Board of Social Work Licensure and is a member of the Deadly Force Review Panel. Ben helped design and implement the State’s first 24/7 crisis receiving center and has worked closely with the Commissioner of Public Safety to offer statewide 24/7 telehealth weapons restriction assessments.
Amanda Spilman, Peer
Amanda is a Certified Intentional Peer Support Specialist working at Spurwink's Living Room Crisis Center for the past three years. In addition to her work at Spurwink, Amanda is a program manager and resource coordinator at Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center. Amanda is committed to harm reduction, mutuality, and person-centered care. Her work is grounded in the belief that people are the experts in their own lives and deserve support that honors autonomy, dignity, and lived experience. She strives to create nonjudgmental, collaborative spaces where individuals feel heard, respected, and empowered to define their own goals.
Katherine Rodney, LCSW, MHRT/CSP, CRMA
Katherine graduated with an undergraduate degree in public health from the College of Charleston in 2017. After graduation, she completed an AmeriCorps Year as a Family Enrichment and Volunteer Manager with a federally qualified health center in New Hampshire. Katherine then went on to study social work with Simmons University in 2018. While completing her graduate degree, she worked as a community health educator. She graduated in 2020 with her master's degree in social work and began working as a school-based adolescent therapist. After moving to Maine in 2021, Katherine continued as a community mental health youth and family therapist before joining the Spur wink Living Room Crisis Center team as a Clinician in 2023. The following year, Katherine transitioned to the role of Director at the Living Room Crisis Center. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Katherine enjoys supervising and mentoring the Living Room's multidisciplinary team, connecting with clients, and working closely with community partners.
Enrollment and Contact Hours
Select the Enroll button below to register for the course. If you have any trouble accessing the course, contact support@nephtc.org.
Acknowledgement: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of award 2 UB6HP31685‐05‐00 “Public Health Training Centers.” The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.This training was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $400,000 with 100% funded by HRSA/HHS and 0% funded by nongovernment source(s). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
* Yale School of Public Health, Office of Public Health Practice, a New England Public Health Training Center partner, is a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. All CHES credit inquiries are managed by YSPH
Registration
Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this recording. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.
Acknowledgement: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of award 2 UB6HP31685‐05‐00 “Public Health Training Centers.” The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.