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ABOUT US
PROGRAMS
PARTNERS
WORK WITH US
is to empower children and families to develop the insights, life skills, and permanent relationships that promote their social, emotional, educational and economic well-being.
ADOPTION ORIENTATION
focusing on children
ages 6 and up
January 26, 6-8 PM
3200 Adeline Street
Berkeley, CA 94703
A Better Way puts a great deal of emphasis on cultural competency in our organization. Our staff is 42% minority and speaks 12 different languages.
We have served nearly 2,000 children in our Mental Health programs, more than 2,000 in foster care, and 300 through adoption.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Past
In 1996, Shahnaz Mazandarani starts a small operation called A Better Way with one staff member and one volunteer to search for good homes for children in foster care.
2004
New programs: Children over 5 years Mental Health Program, Therapeutic Visitation Program, Adoption Support Services, and Foster Care In-Home Service Program.
Present
To date, A Better Way has provided mental health services to more than 2,000 children and their caregivers.
This year, we also opened our new Parent Engagement Program in our Hayward office.
2011
A Better Way's 15-year anniversary!
Future
A Better Way's strategic goals for growing and expanding our services is to focus on improving the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of our program services operations, and taking a preventive
approach to risk management.
Shahnaz Mazandarani,
Chief Executive Officer
Since founding A Better Way in 1995, Shahnaz Mazandarani has helped grow this non-profit from a small agency, functioning with two volunteers over fifteen years ago, to a professional and a very well respected organization with high quality services in Bay Area Counties.
Under her leadership, she has managed to create an agency with an innovative, integrative service model, that allows A Better Way to assists families with mental health issues, parenting skills, housing and therapeutic needs, and provide families with the necessary resources to reach their desired goals.
Prior to running her own agency, post completing her graduate degree, Shahnaz was working as a social worker at Florence Crittenton Services. She became the director of their 0-3 residential program after only seven months. In order to be closer to home, she accepted a position in a foster family agency in Oakland, and soon decided to start an agency with an excellent comprehensive program, with the purpose of serving children in difficult circumstances. She named it A Better Way.
Shahnaz holds a master degree in Social Welfare from San Francisco State University, and two B.A. degrees in Psychology and Child Psychology, received from the University of Iran and Hayward State University, respectively.
Roger Ailshie,
Director of Finance and Information Technology
Roger Ailshie joined A Better Way in 2009 as the Director of Finance. Prior to that he worked as a Consultant to Native American Governments, and before that he was the Corporate Controller for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).
Mr. Ailshie spent 15 years at EPRI which is a large 501(c) 3 non-profit. He started in Contract Audit, and then made his way into Finance and project cost accounting, before switching over to EPRI's wholly-owned for-profit subsidiary EPRI Solutions in 2000. There he became the Director of Finance and Treasurer. He later rejoined EPRI in 2005 to become Finance Director and Controller.
Prior to EPRI, Mr. Ailshie worked for the Defense Contract Audit Agency and a regional accounting firm. Mr. Ailshie is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Baker University where he graduated cum laude.
David Channer,
Clinical Director
David Channer started working at A Better Way in January of 2006. Since that time, as Program Director and then Clinical Director, he has dedicated his efforts to the development of A Better Way’s Mental Health Services.
David Channer earned a Masters in Clinical Social Work at Smith College School for Social Work in 1997.
Since that time, he has worked with children and families as a direct service provider, clinical supervisor and administrator. He has worked in residential, clinic-based and home-based settings serving children youth and families at all points on the permanency spectrum. In every role, he has committed himself to seeking out and utilizing the most effective and respectful ways to support and empower families involved in the Child Welfare system.
Our leadership team guides our agency in carrying out our mission of helping children and their families live healthy and productive lives.
Jennifer Smith Dolin,
Chairman of the Board
Jennifer Smith Dolin, current Chairman of the Board of Directors at A Better Way, has served as a Board Member since 2005. She has worked at Mercy Housing, a national non-profit affordable housing provider, for ten years.
Ms. Dolin is a Senior Housing Developer, and performs all phases of development of affordable housing, including tasks associated with the acquisition, new construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing units. One of her projects is to work on providing housing for transitional age youth.
Prior to Mercy Housing, she worked at Common Ground Community, New York, NY in economic development, where she worked with Rosanne Haggerty, a 2001 MacArthur Fellow and founder of the organization. Ms. Dolin also spent a year as a Jesuit Volunteer working at Rheedlen Centers for Children and Families in Harlem in casework management. She coordinated services for eight families with the goal of reducing truancy from schools. Ms. Dolin worked closely with Geoffrey Canada, who went on to found the Harlem Children’s Zone.
Ms. Dolin has a Bachelor of Arts, Major in Business from the Leavy School of Business and Minor in Theater Arts, from Santa Clara University, CA.
Sharon Wright,
Vice-Chair
Since joining the Board in 2001, Sharon has been an active board member serving in several officer positions, and formerly Chair of the Board. She currently heads the Resource/Fund Raising Committee and is on the Executive Committee.
In her professional life, with over 10 years of experiences in the finance industry, Sharon is a Financial Advisor at Northwestern Mutual, where she helps individuals and small businesses. She previously worked at Merrill Lynch and Bank of America. Prior to her career in personal/business finance, she was in health care management and started up CIGNA Healthplan of Northern California.
Sharon is a member of the Wharton Alumni Club, Business Growth Network, Women in Financial Services, and Professional Business Women of California. She has an MBA from the Wharton School and an undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of Florida. Sharon is married and has one son.
Robert L. Seymour,
Treasurer &
Chair of Finance Committee
Robert Seymour has been a Board of Directors member since the late 1990s, including several years as Chair, and has been actively involved in the Finance Committee and agency fundraising campaigns.
He is a finance and taxation professional, whose primary career is in equipment leasing, employed by GATX Corporation, as a member of the Pricing and Investment Analysis Group.
Mr. Seymour earned his Master of Business Administration degree in Finance and Accounting at the University of Chicago - Booth School of Business, and his Master of Science (Taxation) degree at Golden Gate University’s Graduate School of Taxation. He is an Enrolled Agent, permitted to practice before the IRS. His undergraduate study was in Economics and Philosophy at Macalester College, St. Paul, MN.
Mr. Seymour supports Bay Area youth through the National Youth Leadership Training program of Boy Scouts of America, and through other Boy Scout activities; he is a graduate of the BSA Wood Badge leadership training program.
Shirley Dean,
Secretary & Chair of Audit Committee
Shirley Dean has a long history of public service in the City of Berkeley, serving four years on the Planning Commission, 15 years on the City Council, and eight years, 1994-2002, as Mayor.
During her time as Mayor, she was appointed by Alameda County mayors in Alameda County to the Bay Conservation and Development Corporation (BCDC), and elected by mayors nationwide to serve on the Advisory Board of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Ms. Dean received her B.A. in Social Welfare with honors from the University of California, Berkeley and worked as a Social Worker for Kaiser Hospital in Oakland. She also worked for the University of California, Berkeley as an Admissions Officer, advising students and counselors statewide regarding the University’s admission requirements and process.
After retiring, Ms. Dean joined the Board of A Better Way in 2003, and currently serves as Secretary and as Chair of the Audit Committee. In addition, she also currently serves on the Boards of Citizens for East Shore Parks (CESP) and Save Berkeley Iceland.
Barbara Ellen Dunlap,
Co-founding Board Member
Barbara graduated from Skidmore College in 1965 and from the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Washington in 1968. In 1970, she was the Education Coordinator for the Teen Clinic of Planned Parenthood as it launched the first family planning clinic for female and male adolescents in the country.
She has long held a strong interest in adoption and children's education, both professionally and personally. She has been the match coordinator of foster children to foster families for the San Francisco Dept. of Social Services. A Better Way was conceived in her living room in 1995 by three determined women, two credit cards and the dream to provide high quality services to foster children.
Barbara is currently the Elementary Unit Coordinator for emotionally disturbed children at the Marchus School, Office of Education Contra Costa County, and the proud parent of three adopted daughters. She is also a mentor with A Better Chance, a national agency which seeks academically talented children of color for placement in private day and boarding schools.
Angelo Gallego,
Audit Committee Member
Angelo Gallego received his BA in Economics from Queens College, and went on to take graduate school courses at St. Johns University in his home town of New York City, New York.
Prior to moving to the Bay Area, Angelo has held various management positions in the photographic and semiconductor industries, which provided the opportunity to travel throughout the U.S. In 1989, he was relocated to the Bay Area and continued his career in Silicon Valley. In 1997, Angelo entered the world of non-profits as the Chief Operating Officer for the Chabot Space and Science Center, and took on the task of managing the construction and day-to-day activities of a new $40 million dollar state of the art science center in the hills above the city of Oakland.
In 2004, he joined the management team of the regional YMCA in Berkeley, CA. Over the years, he has been an active volunteer for numerous non-profit organizations, particularly in the area of youth sports and local organizations that provide social services for the community. In 2010 Angelo joined the Board of Directors at A Better Way, and is now a member of their Audit Committee.
Greg Martin,
Board Member
Greg Martin is a non-profit executive, experienced in leading and providing strategic direction for operations, human and financial resource development, marketing and communications and volunteer engagement in hospitals.
In addition, he also has expertise providing strategic direction, on both national and local levels, to chapter-based voluntary health organizations.
During his career, Greg has been responsible for leading human resources departments supporting large, multi-site, geographically dispersed organizations. He has also served as Executive Director at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, where he helped to create cultures of continuous analysis, improvement, innovation, teamwork and thoughtful investment to support mission advancement.
Greg graduated from University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. He later attended graduate school at Loyola University in Chicago. He has been a member of A Better Way’s Board since 2008.
Bryan L. P. Saalfeld,
Chair of Administration Committee
Bryan L. P. Saalfeld is an attorney at Murphy Pearson Bradley & Feeney, a California based law firm with offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento. Mr. Saalfeld represents businesses and individuals in all phases of litigation, focusing primarily on real estate, construction, and legal malpractice.
Mr. Saalfeld holds an A.B. in History and a minor in Economics from Bowdoin College, and a J.D. from the University of San Francisco, School of Law.
Mr. Saalfeld joined A Better Way’s Board of Directors in 2009 and currently serves as Chair of the Administration Committee. Mr. Saalfeld was raised in the East Bay, and has a long history of supporting family and youth services throughout the Bay Area. In his spare time, Mr. Saalfeld currently coaches the Mission High School Girls’ Varsity Basketball team.
Jean Tokarek,
Chair of Program Committee
Jean is a professional Geriatric Care Manager at Eldercare Services, a for profit agency that specializes in care management, caregiving and advocacy for Bay Area Seniors. She has 20 years of experience in the field of elder care, specifically with older adults who are conserved by the probate court and clients who are on hospice.
In addition, she has considerable experience with end of life care and management in multipurpose senior service organizations.
Jean joined the Board of Directors the spring of 2009. She brings expertise in the areas of county contract management, clinical programs, and finance.
Currently she is a mentor/tutor and assigned to elementary school children in the Oakland Unified School District through an affiliation with "Reading Partners." Jean holds and MPA in Health Services from the University of San Francisco, and is a Certified Geriatric Care Manager.
THE CHILD & ADOLESCENT PERMANENCY SUPPORT PROGRAM
The Child & Adolescent Permanency Support Program provides comprehensive mental health care, parent training and placement stabilization services to Alameda County children and youth (ages 5 – 21) and their families. This program is designed to meet the needs of children and youth who are in or at risk of entering, the foster care system. This program offers individual and family therapy based in our clinic, in the community, or in the family’s home. We help children and caregivers develop insights into the behavioral and emotional issues that precipitated treatment while also developing the skills and relationships that will allow them to thrive without our support. For children and youth without a permanent, stabile home and family, our services are designed to help the child/youth and their County Worker stabilize placement and develop a solid permanency plan.
Assessment and treatment are collaborative, strengths based and family-driven. We help people develop their own vision for success and identify the supports and obstacles that they may encounter as they move toward their goals. For county-involved families, we also help families understand any concerns that the county may have, and to shape treatment goals that take these concerns into account.
EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM
A Better Way’s Early Childhood Mental Health Program is designed to deliver early intervention to facilitate the emotional well-being and optimal development of infants and young children who are at risk for emotional, behavioral, and developmental problems. Our services include: developmental screening, assessment, and monitoring; dyadic (Infant-Parent/Child-Parent) and family therapy; behavior parent training, targeted family support services; infant massage and bonding classes; parenting education and support groups. Through our participation in the Alameda County Screening Assessment Referral and Treatment (SART) program, we also provide Clarifying Assessments for families when it is not immediately clear what types of services will be most helpful. We work with biological, foster, adoptive parents and other caregivers. Any child between the ages of 0-5 with Full Scope Medi-Cal is eligible for this program. Services can be provided at the clinic or in the home. Our multidisciplinary staff consists of Psychologists, Marriage and Family Therapist, Social Workers and Family Partners, all with expertise in Early Childhood services.
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This program is based on the following key elements:
Relationship-based: We seek to listen carefully to families to help them identify, clarify, and address issues that may be affecting the developing relationship with their child.
Strengths-based: We seek to mirror parents’ best qualities and strengthen their capacity to provide safety and nurturance to their child. We help parents experience themselves as capable of protecting and loving their children.
Access to Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs): We provide access to interventions of proven efficacy (i.e. PCIT, Incredible Years, Attachment and Bio-Behavioral Catch-Up).
Culturally-sensitive: We believe in understanding how cultural values and beliefs are expressed in childrearing practices, and actively elicit caregivers’ views about how their child’s life should improve.
Developmentally-informed: We carefully assess the child’s strengths and vulnerabilities across various domains of developmental functioning including social, motor, cognitive, language, spatial and sensory.
Raising a child "takes a village...": We work with parents and families to strengthen their capacity to access community resources, and broaden their social support network.
THE ADOPTION SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM
The Adoption Support Services Program offers individual and family therapy and clinical case management designed to meet the needs of children and youth who will be adopted, or have been adopted from the foster care system.
The Adoption Support Services Program offers individual and family therapy and clinical case management designed to meet the needs of children and youth who will be adopted, or have been adopted from the foster care system. For a child in foster care with no prospect of reunification, adoption into a caring family is a lifeline; parents who grow their families through adoption find that the experience is a gift to them as much as it is to their new child.
The joys of adoption, however, come with challenges. For the child and parents, there are very real emotional challenges involved in coming together as a new family. Our therapists receive specialized training to understand and help with all of the issues that Adoptive families experience before and after adoption.
At the Pre-Adoption stages, this program helps children youth and parents understand these challenges and work through them together to build a strong, stable foundation together. Often this involves helping the child/youth develop a cohesive and appreciative understanding of his or her own past, and of the events and situations that led to a plan of adoption. Work at this stage also involves helping the adoptive parents develop realistic, positive expectations for their family’s adoption journey, and in some cases to accept and appreciate their own journey to the decision to grow their family through adoption.
Following adoption, this program offers Post-Adoption services until the child/youth reaches the age of 18. As children grow through each stage of development, emotional and behavioral issues can arise. Each time this happens, it is a challenge for the individual and for the family, but it is also an opportunity to work through these natural challenges in a way that strengthens their bonds and re-affirms their family’s love and commitment.
THE CORE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SUPPORT PROGRAM
The Core Program offers Behavioral Health Services to children and youth (ages birth to 18) and their families. Our approach to Behavioral Health Care is strengths based and collaborative. We work with children, youth and families to develop a shared vision for how they would like to see things change in their family, and we then partner with them to create the plan that will get them where they want to go. Services are offered at our Berkeley Clinic (3200 Adeline Street) and are available to children and youth with Full Scope Medi-Cal.
THERAPEUTIC VISITATION SERVICES
We provide Therapeutic Visitation Services (TVS) for children and families in the reunification process to facilitate positive caregiving and healthy relationships that support their goals towards successful reunification and permanency planning. We conduct comprehensive psycho-social assessments and utilize dyadic/family therapy interventions, behavioral parent training, psycho-education, and developmental guidance aimed at supporting a family’s efforts to address the issues that led to dependency and meet the conditions of their service plan with the County. We work with families to build the insights, skills, and relationships that will allow them to establish a safe and nurturing home for their children. TVS is considered part of the court-mandated visitation hours offered to the family. Although we do not provide recommendations to the court about dependency status or placement decisions, we help families understand the requirements of their County service plans and inform the County of the family’s progress so that they can make informed recommendations to the court. We provide services both at the clinic and in community-based locations. All referrals to TVS are made through San Francisco County’s Foster Care Mental Health Department. If the court determines that reunification is not an option, we provide support that helps children experience a healthy transition to their permanent placement.
OUTPATIENT MENTAL HEALTH
The Outpatient Mental Health Program provides comprehensive mental health care to San Francisco County children and youth ages 0-21 who are in foster care system. This program provides individual and family therapy for children during regular home visits. By working to enhance the bond between the child and his or her foster parents, and/or biological families, we hope to address and alleviate the behavioral issues and concerns that can lead to attachment problems and disruption of placements. Trauma and attachment issues are the focus of treatment for many of our children and their parents. These issues are addressed through a wide range of therapeutic interventions individualized to each case. Services are provided at the clinic, in the child’s home, and other community-based locations. All referrals to the Outpatient Mental Health Program are made though San Francisco County’s Foster Care Mental Health Department.
EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH
A Better Way’s 0-5 Program is designed to deliver early intervention to facilitate the emotional well-being and optimal development of infants and young children who are at risk for emotional, behavioral, and developmental problems. Our services include: developmental screening, assessment, and monitoring; dyadic (Infant-Parent/Child-Parent) and family therapy; behavior parent training, targeted family support services; infant massage and bonding classes; parenting education and support groups. We work with biological, foster, adoptive parents and other caregivers. Any child between the ages of 0-5 with Full Scope Medi-Cal is eligible for this program. Services can be provided at the clinic or the home.
Our 0-5 program is based on the following key elements:
Address concrete needs of families through resource-building: We work with parents and families through education, strengthening their capacity to access community resources, and facilitating the broadening of their social support network.
PARENT ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM
This program operates under a contract with the Department of Children and Families of Alameda County. The Parent Engagement Program (PEP) was developed to improve outcomes for birth parents who have had Child Protective Services initiate an intervention with their family. These parents are matched with Parent Advocates who, themselves, have had to navigate the system successfully before reunifying with their own children.
Parent Advocates, through casework, provide education, advocacy and support for those parents working to effectively manage their case plan, navigate the Child Welfare System, and ultimately reunify with their children. This is a unique collaboration with A Better Way, Inc. and UACF, providing program structure, leadership, training and mentorship. The new management for the PEP is also tasked with building and documenting a model for programmatic excellence in Parent Advocacy.
Several of the operational components of the program are:
Team Decision Making (TDM): a meeting for families, workers and others involved with a child’s family that is held when there are serious risks to a child that could result in out-of-home placement. Parent Advocates insure that parents know their rights as parents; and, that they are able to have their concerns and desires taken into consideration during these meetings.
CHAT (Communicating History and Transitions): a CHAT introduction meeting provides birth parents and foster parents an opportunity to exchange information regarding the children when an out-of-home placement is required.
