Nexus Youth and Family Solutions, a national nonprofit organization providing emotional, behavioral and mental health services to youth and families, has named Louisa D’Altilia Executive Director of Community Mental Health Services.

Onamia, MN – Mille Lacs Academy, a nonprofit organization providing emotional, behavioral and mental health services to youth and families, has hired Shannon Amundson as Executive Director.

Nexus, a nonprofit organization providing mental health services to families, has hired Margaret Vimont as Vice President of Strategy and Service Development and Scott McGuire as Chief Financial Officer.

Margaret Vimont, LCSW, steps into the newly created position of Vice President of Strategy and Service Development, to focus on identification, growth and implementation of community-based programs to add to Nexus service offerings.

Dr. Michelle K. Murray, Nexus President and CEO, stated, “Nationally, there is a large gap in mental health care for families, whether that’s due to a shrinking workforce, an overflow of clients, lack of insurance coverage or other obstacles. Margaret’s extensive background makes her well-positioned to identify the needs of our communities and help creatively build service lines that can meet families where they live.”

Nexus and FACTS are excited to announce a new partnership that will expand and strengthen FACTS programming serving families and children throughout Minnesota.

By affiliating with Nexus, a national nonprofit with a 45-year record of providing high-quality children’s mental and behavioral health services in five states, FACTS will be able to expand the successful programs it has developed over the past 14 years, including in-home and outpatient individual and family psychotherapy, as well as specialized treatment programs for families and preschool-aged children.

Nexus, a national nonprofit based in Plymouth, MN, has welcomed several new board members to help continue the organization’s 45-year history of providing innovative programming and high-level mental health care to children and families. Through its sites, affiliates, and community partners, Nexus provides community-based mental health services, foster care and adoption, and residential treatment programs to children and families, serving over 3,500 youth and families in 2018. Each program offers high-level, specialized services to heal complex trauma and restore well-being when a child’s needs are greater than a family, school, or community program can safely address.

By the time Mia* was placed with her foster parents, Joseph and Traci, she was severely traumatized and almost nonverbal. At only five years old, she’d already endured sexual abuse, chronic neglect, and frequent hunger.

As a result, she’d become hyper-vigilant, with severe defense mechanisms like extreme tantrums and urinating on herself. Making things worse, Mia was also on the autism spectrum.

The toughest kid ever placed

Within the first three weeks of living with Joseph and Traci—along with her six-year-old sister and baby brother—Mia was kicked out of her school. At her new school, she rarely made it through the day without needing to be picked up early. Twice within two years, she required placement in the mental health unit of an area hospital. The only thing in Mia’s bedroom was her bed because she destroyed everything, including furniture.

Richie* was born with loving parents, bright eyes, and a weak heart. After enduring his first heart surgery at six days old, Richie spent most of his first year in the hospital. As he grew, he endured bullying at school, and then, in an incredibly painful blow, when Richie was little, his home burned to the ground and he lost everything. Even his beloved family pets.

A cry for help

Eventually, it all became too much. As Richie grew older, he began to isolate himself. He stopped talking to the people who loved him. And he attempted suicide, twice.

Richie’s parents were desperate to help their son, and they brought him to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where they recommended Richie continue outpatient therapy at Nexus-Gerard Family Healing.

Mark Gilbert joined the Nexus family when he was 23. As an adolescent, he drifted into drinking and drugs, then theft. For six years, he was in and out jail, always running, always chasing elusive dreams. 

It was a vicious cycle. "I’d get high feel good, go out and do something stupid, then regret it. I got to the point where I hated life…” 

Then he heard about Nexus from a cellmate who was sent there. After two days, he came back to jail. “I couldn’t make it,” he told Mark, “But you’d probably like it.” Mark was tired of running; he wanted to turn his life around. So, he decided to try it.  

Taking a Leap of Faith

His first contact with Nexus was the family interview where all the residents and staff meet an incoming resident for the first time and decide to accept or reject him. That scared Mark. He’d been rejected all his life.