Mark
Paglia has dedicated his career to the management and provision of human
services, with a focus on children and their families. He graduated from American
International
College, Springfield MA, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration,
and a Master's degree in Special Education.
Mark began his career as a teacher for EastConn, in Connecticut at the
Stafford Day Treatment Program. Mark's work
with special needs children then lead him to The Gandara Center in 1999. While
at Gandara, Mark was Senior Manager of
the Adolescent and Families (AFS) Department and increased the AFS Department
revenue from 4.6M to 8.2M within five years, while increasing staffing to meet
the unique needs of children served.
Mark also spearheaded the development and implementation of four STARR
programs in Springfield, Greenfield and Holyoke. Joining the Sisters of Providence
Health
System in 2009, Mark lead Brightside through the very challenging transition
from Brightside's primarily residentially based services to "In-Home Wrap-Around"
Outpatient services. Under Mark's leadership, Brightside has expanded and doubled
the number of children and their families served to over 500 in 2012. Currently,
Mark is responsible for Brightside
for Families and Children and the Providence Behavioral Health Hospital Outpatient
Services Department. Mark is a Board
Member of the Human Service Forum (HSF) and is on the Advocacy/Community
building committee. In addition, Mark has been an HSF Service Award Trustee selecting
the prestigious annual HSF award winners. Mark also volunteers his time to
coach youth wrestling, baseball, and soccer at the West Springfield Park and
Recreation Department.
Maria has over 25 years of mental health experience. She graduated from Springfield
College with a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy, and is a licensed Marriage
and Family Therapist. She is an approved supervisor and clinical member of the
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Maria has been the Director
of the Brightside Family Stabilization and Community Support Program since 1993.
In November of 2009, the Children's Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI) services
of In-home Therapy and Therapeutic Mentoring were added. Under her direction
the program has grown from three employees to 40 staff and master's level interns.
Prior to 1993, Maria received extensive Cognitive and Behavioral training as a
Director at Goodwill Industries Psychological Service Department. Here she was
responsible for the placement of individuals with cognitive and emotional impairments
into supportive community-based living arrangments, as well as psychological testing
and developing and implementing behavioral management plans within the framework
of family system theory. Maria also has experience in out-patient mental health
clinics, as a Special Education Teacher, and an Occupational Therapist Assistant..
Bob Ferguson, Ph. D. has over 25 years of experience working with children, adults,
and families. While on internship at UMass Medical Center he was trained in assessment
and treatment of ADHD and other disorders of childhood. Also at UMass he became
interested in Dialectical Behavior Therapy. After serving in leadership roles
in day treatment and emergency settings, he went into private practice in order
to focus on assessment and treatment of children, specializing in children with
disruptive behavior disorders. Dr. Bob came to Brightside in order to apply Dialectical
Behavior Therapy with challenging children. The complex needs of the children treated
at Brightside prompted him to explore a neuropsychological understanding of the
impact of neglect and abuse on childhood neurodevelopment. Brightside encouraged
him to pursue this interest and he completed a two-year postdoctoral certificate
in
Neuropsychology. Dr. Bob's clinical interests include: attention, impulse control,
executive functioning, developmental trauma disorder, and temporal lobe epilepsy.