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Healthy Families, Stronger Systems: Advancing Wraparound Through Family Engagement

Wednesday, December 2 | 2:30 - 3:45 PM

This session highlights how Bergen’s Promise Inc., a New Jersey Care Management Organization, addressed one of the most persistent challenges in youth behavioral health: meaningful caregiver engagement in family treatment. Attendees will learn how the organization partnered with the Family Trauma Institute to implement the evidence-based Family Systems Trauma (FST) model alongside our Wraparound Approach, thereby improving provider capacity and strengthening caregiver engagement to meet the family’s treatment goals. The presentation will share organizational implementation strategies, provider partnership and training efforts, early outcomes, and key lessons learned, and includes an interactive organizational readiness assessment activity. Through firsthand perspectives from the COO, the implementation Supervisor, and an FST family participant, attendees will gain practical insights into building sustainable, family-centered systems of care and be able to assess their own organization's readiness for similar change.

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Identify barriers to caregiver engagement and their impact to youth outcomes.

  2. Identify the core components of the Family Systems Trauma (FST) model.

  3. Examine strategies for implementing a family systems approach within a Care Management Organization.

  4. Apply family-centered and systems-based interventions within participants own organizations.

About the Presenter: Shelisa Foster, MA, LPC, NCC

Shelisa Foster is the Chief Operating Officer of Bergen's Promise, a Care Management Organization (CMO) operating within the New Jersey Children's System of Care. In her role, she oversees the overall operations that provide unique, community-based services to over 1,800 families daily, supporting children with emotional, behavioral, developmental, and substance use needs. In 2015, Bergen's Promise became the first program in New Jersey to implement a Pediatric Behavioral Health Home for youth with co-occurring chronic physical and mental health needs, utilizing wraparound care coordination. Ms. Foster has been an invited speaker at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, presenting on topics such as recognizing and responding with stigma-free support, and using a wraparound lens to view and meet the needs of families. She co-authored the article "Wrapping Around Integrated Care," featured in Behavioral Health News. Shelisa also co-authored the poster “Strategies and Solutions to Workforce Shortages: Embracing Employee Health and Wellness presented at NatCon24 and at the 2025 Training Institutes hosted by the University of Connecticut school of social work. She is a proud recipient of the 2020 Courage and Compassion Award for outstanding leadership in children's services, recognized by the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies. Shelisa has served as a task force member for the Bergen County Stigma-Free Initiative and as Vice Chair of her hometown’s Stigma-Free Committee. She also serves as an Advisory Board Member for Children’s Aid and Family Services’ Strengthening Families Program and The Rainbow Café of Northern New Jersey, a support and social group for LGBTQIA+ youth. Ms. Foster earned her Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology from the Arizona School of Professional Psychology. In addition to her academic credentials, she is a Licensed Professional Counselor in New Jersey and Colorado, and a Board-Certified Counselor. Her certifications include New Jersey Disaster Response and Crisis Counselor, Certified Mindfulness-Informed Professional, Mental Health and Nutrition Clinical Specialist, Advanced Trainer of the Nurtured Heart Approach®.

Social Media Handle: www.linkedin.com/in/shelisa-foster-lpc2358

Website Handle: www.bergenspromise.org

 

About the Presenter: Gittel Danzig, LMSW, LSW

 

 

Gittel Danzig is a Licensed Social Worker in New Jersey and a graduate of the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service. Throughout her career, she has been committed to supporting children, youth, and families through community-based services, with a focus on connection, care coordination, and trauma-informed practice.Ms. Danzig is a certified Family Systems Trauma Model Coach, a Nurtured Heart Approach® Certified Trainer, and a Certified Wraparound Coach. These specialties reflect her deep dedication and expertise in strength-based, relationship-driven care models that honor the voice and choice of those being served.Since 2017, Ms. Danzig has been part of Bergen’s Promise—the Care Management Organization (CMO) of Bergen County—where she has supported youth ages 5–21 with behavioral, mental health, developmental, and substance use needs. She spent six years as a Care Manager Supervisor before transitioning in 2023 to the role of Wraparound Supervisor. In this position, Ms. Danzig oversees a team of 9 Wraparound Coaches who provide training and coaching to more than 120 employee Care Management Department to ensure fidelity to the Wraparound Model of Care throughout the organization.As part of her Wraparound Supervisor role, Ms. Danzig also engages in community-based projects and presentations to share information about Bergen’s Promise, the Wraparound Model of Care, the Nurtured Heart Approach®, and the Family Systems Trauma Model. She also supported the development of the poster presentation “Healthy Families, Stronger Systems: Advancing Wraparound Through Family Engagement,” presented at the 2026 National Council for Mental Wellbeing (NatCon) conference. Through this work, she helps strengthen coordinated, compassionate systems of care across the community.

Social Media Handle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gittel-danzig-19083253

Website Handle: www.bergenspromise.org

  
 

About the Presenter: Lou

    

Lou is the father of a youth enrolled in Bergen's Promise whose family received the FST family integration approach. Lou joins our presentation to share his first-hand perspective on the impact of this engagement and treatment approach for himself and his family.