Our Team.

Lifeways Hospital

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McNary Place

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Lifeways Recovery Center

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)

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Community Support Services (CSS)

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Early Assessment Support Alliance (EASA)

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing 

Mental Health First Aid Training

Peer Support Specialist 

Child Crisis Intervention 
Choice/Choice Plus

Day Treatment 

School Based Services

Systems of care/ Wraparound 

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is designed to provide treatment, rehabilitation and support services to individuals who are diagnosed with a serious mental illness and whose needs have not been met by more traditional mental health services. The ACT team provides individualized services that are tailored to meet the specific needs of the person receiving those services. The ACT team members have expertise in psychiatry, nursing, psychology, social work, substance abuse and vocational rehabilitation. The ACT team collaborates with the person receiving services to provide integrated services designed to meet needs and goals over time. The staff-to-recipient ratio for the ACT team is small, with one clinician for every ten recipients. Services are provided 24-hours a day, seven days a week, for as long as they are needed.

Cradle to Career (C2C)

The Cradle to Career (C2C) Partnership in Malheur County is a group of organizations, citizens, parents, service providers, and schools that care about kids and make sure the youth in our communities succeed and reach their full potential. C2C brings together local businesses, government, non-profit organizations, faith community, parents, students and community stakeholders to ensure the sustained success of every child from cradle to career.

Peer Support Specialist Program

The peer support specialist program is composed of adults with lived experience with mental illness, recovery, and resilience. Peer support specialists model recovery and help participants to identify personal strengths and set their own recovery goals. Services include assistance with keeping appointments, completing paperwork, or acquiring benefits. Socialization opportunities include art and music activities, cooking classes, and recreational activities. Peer support specialists may also help with employment searches, goal setting, housing, and interpersonal/life skills development. For more information, call (541) 889-9167.

What is a System of Care?

A spectrum of effective, community-based services and supports for children and youth with or at risk for mental health or other challenges and their families, that is organized into a coordinated network, builds meaningful partnerships with families and youth, and addresses their cultural and linguistic needs, in order to help them to function better at home, in school, in the community, and throughout life. Systems of care are

family-driven and youth guided, community-based, and culturally and linguistically competent.

Early Assessment and Support Alliance (EASA)

The EASA team at Lifeways works closely with family members and others who are supportive of the individual to help them succeed.

EASA is a transitional program, serving people for approximately two years. EASA provides rapid, effective support to young people who develop the symptoms of psychosis so they can:

• Complete school,

• Enter rewarding careers and adult roles,

• Live in a healthy and safe environment, and

• Experience social support, health and well-being.

The EASA team does so by being able to:

• Identify people who are experiencing psychosis as early as possible;

• Establish a trusting relationship based on respect and genuine belief in the person’s ability;

• Provide a comprehensive and accurate assessment of the person’s medical condition, strengths, goals and needs;

• Stabilize the person’s symptoms and living situation;

• Preserve the person’s family and informal support;

• Help the person and family develop the skills, knowledge and social support needed to be successful in managing the condition in the long-run;

• Successfully transition young people to ongoing supports and services in the community.

Who do we serve?

• Ages 15-25

• Lives in Malheur County, Oregon

• Experiencing symptoms lasting no longer than 12 months

• Not already receiving treatment for psychosis

• Symptoms not known to be caused by a medical condition or drug use

Services provided regardless of ability to pay:

• Multi-Family Group Therapy

• Medication Management

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

• Educational & Vocational Support

Benefits of Early Intervention:

• More rapid recovery and better prognosis

• Reduced secondary problems (such as depression and isolation) and work/school disruption

• Retention of social skills and support

• Decreased need for hospitalization

• Reduced family disruption and distress

• Less treatment resistance and lower risk of relapse

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What is Wraparound?

Wraparound is a collaborative, team-based, principles-driven planning process. Through the Wraparound process, teams create one individualized plan of care to meet the needs, and improve the lives, of multi-system involved youth and their families. The strengths and needs of the child and family determine the types and mix of services and supports provided.

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Who is eligible for Wraparound services?

• Youth age 17 and under

• Youth is Medicaid eligible (Oregon Health Plan)

• Youth is multi-system involved; mental health, child welfare, juvenile justice, intellectual and developmental disabilities, medical, school (IEP/504 plans)

• Youth and family/guardian are willing to engage in the Wraparound process; Wraparound is a voluntary process and not a mandatory service

• Care coordination needs cannot be met by other system partners

The Malheur County Drug-Free Communities Coalition (DFC)

The Malheur County Drug-Free Communities Coalition (DFC) is dedicated to “Preventing and reducing substance misuse among youth, families, and community members in Malheur County (mission statement).” We provide good physical, mental, and emotional well-being in Malheur County by being aware of the problems caused by substance misuse, by sharing information and resources, and by offering other healthy activities.

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The DFC Coalition addresses issues related to substance misuse and recovery through advocacy, events, and education. Reduction of substance use as well as promotion of good physical and mental health is imperative to creating a safe, healthy, and productive community. Sponsorship of events such as Hands Around the Park for Recovery, Chalk Art Challenge, Don’t Give Up sign rallies, Red Ribbon Week, Town Hall gatherings, MORP, Senior parties, Designated Driver booths, and special community events all help to promote and create a healthier environment for the citizens of Malheur County.

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Any person interested in supporting the mission of the DFC Coalition is welcome and encouraged to join. Meetings are held the third Tuesday monthly from 9:00am – 10:30am. Contact Malheur County Prevention (dfc@lifeways.org) for more details.

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Malheur County Community Developmental Disabilities Program 

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Eligibility Determination​

· Eligibility Intake · Record Review · Administrative Exam Coordination · Eligibility Redeterminations

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Residential Services​

· Adult Foster Homes

· Children’s Foster Homes

· 24 hr. Adult Residential Homes

· Supported Living Services

· Crisis Referral for Eligible Individuals

Case Management

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Service Coordinators assist with Person-Centered-Planning and implementation of services for individuals served by the CDDP through coordination with local, state and human service agencies, and other providers as appropriate to meet the needs & goals of the individual.

Vocational Services

We work with local agencies that provide supervised work experience, including Employment Path, Day Support Activity (DSA), community-based work and job coaching based on the individual’s needs & goals.

Custom Life-skills Training 

• Ages: Pre-K-12th Grade Students

• 45- minute weekly meetings for 10-18 week (booster lessons for 2nd & 3rd grade)

Drug and alcohol prevention in conjunction with social skills building and mental health. Addresses tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, illegal drugs, communication skills, self-image, making decisions, advertising, violence, anxiety, anger, social skills, assertiveness, mental health topics like anxiety and suicide, and resolving conflicts. All age appropriate.

Gambling Prevention

·Middle & High School 

​·Up to 6 individual 45-minute lessons that are customizable to your needs

Educates students about the various facets of gambling, including its role in today's entertainment culture, how the principles of chance are important when playing these games, and how to stay alert to the signs of problem gambling. This is a customized program with information and facts taken from both the Stacked Deck curriculum from Hazeldon and the Oregon Problem Gambling Resource.

Child Crisis Intervention

Children who are at risk of being hospitalized can remain in the community and receive services through the ICTS program. Using Community Resource Teams, all agencies and people who are important to the child and child’s family come together regularly to coordinate plans and treatment. This approach has a better treatment outcome and maintains the child’s connection to the community and people important to the child.

​Critical Incident Stress Debriefing

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Critical incidents, which are threatening, overwhelming, or potentially traumatizing are an unfortunate part of some of the work we do, regardless of the industry we work within.  Their occurrence can impact staff emotions, productivity, and cause turnover in highly taxing situations.  Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) is a well-known and widely used process to reduce the emotional trauma individuals experience in these situations offered within the broader framework of Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM).  CISM offers a variety of interventions to effectively respond to particular situations or group needs. The cornerstone of CISM is the stress debriefing process. Using the straight forward, non-therapeutic debriefing process in a timely manner following an incident can greatly reduce post-traumatic stress that individuals may experience after an incident.  CISD seeks to enhance resistance to stress reactions, build individuals’ resiliency or the ability to “bounce back” from a traumatic experience, and facilitate both a recovery from traumatic stress and a return to normal, healthy functions.

In the past year, Lifeways has made an effort to expand the number of trained staff able to provide Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and plans to offer the service free of charge to the communities within the Treasure Valley and Umatilla regions.  Response time is important and each region has a complement of trained staff able to respond to a request for debriefing within 48 to 72 hours of the incident.

Our agency would like to further develop our CISD response teams by including trained individuals from a variety of community agencies.  Individuals trained in CISD usually do not have mental health training but are part of a professional group such as police, fire, education, emergency services, medical, and the like. This provides a multidisciplinary, peer-led context to the stress debriefing, improving effectiveness.  Training is offered by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation at various sites throughout the year.  If your organization would like to develop an individual to respond to critical incidents within and outside of your agency, I would hope that you would contact us with your interest.  You can find further information about the CISD foundation at www.icisf.org.

If your organization would like to receive CISD services, these are accessed through our crisis line (Ontario 541-889-9167, Pendleton 541-276-6207. Please contact us as soon as possible after the incident occurs. We are pleased to be able to help.

Youth Mental Health First Aid

• Adult audience

Identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders in youth. How to apply Mental Health First Aid in a variety of situations, including when a youth is experiencing a mental health crisis-including suicide risk. Next to family, schools represent the most important sources of support in the lives of young people. All staff within the school community- administrators, teachers, secretaries, janitors, coaches, cafeteria staff, and all other support staff -provide opportunities to help youth experiencing a mental health issue and to recognize suicidal behavior, and prevent youth suicide.

Read more here

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Mental Health First Aid

• Adult Audience

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Mental Health First Aid is a course that teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The training gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a crisis.

​Choice/Choices Plus 

·Any Ages

·Length varies with infraction and school requirements

Classes are designed as an educational intervention when a student is caught with tobacco or alcohol at school. There are varying policies within each district.

Other Services Available Include​

· Family Support & Education  · Community Support & Education  · Crisis Diversion  · Protective Service · Skills Training

· Personal Support Worker Coordination & Services (PSW) · Adult & Child Foster Home Licensor/Certification & Monitoring · Oregon Needs Assessment (ONA) · Direct Referral Coordination