Center for Great Expectations

About Center for Great Expectations – Franklin Township, New Jersey

The Center for Great Expectations (CGE) was established in 1998 to house women with children, pregnant women, and pregnant adolescents during their treatment for substance use and co occurring mental health disorders. This unique program allows children under 5 years of age to stay with their moms while they receive treatment. The residential facilities are on one large property in Somerset, New Jersey. Child and family services and state welfare fund the programs.

The adolescent program treats parenting or pregnant women ages 13-20. Children up to age 5 can live with their moms while they’re in the program. One of the great things about the facility is Katy’s Place, an onsite licensed child development center. Moms can focus on recovery and not worry about their children.

Since many of the young children in the program have already experienced trauma, the teachers at Katy’s Place are trained in trauma informed interventions. The children engage in supportive daily activities, and the center provides moms with daily updates about the children.

If a child has a developmental challenge, the teachers work with the parent and specialists to create an individualized improvement plan. There’s also a registered nurse available on the premises and direct care support 24/7.

Clients participate in early relational health therapy which promotes nurturing and positive interactions between caregivers and their children. There are allied therapies such as music and art therapy. Clients participate in family engagement events and recreational activities.

The adult residential program, CGE uses a relational recovery model approach to offer trauma informed care in a nurturing and safe environment. This approach addresses relational trauma and explores how past attachment experiences have influenced relationship dynamics and their impact on substance use recovery.

The relational recovery model aims to amplify moments of joy while reducing parental stress and strengthening the mother child connection. Many of the moms in the program have had adverse childhood experiences and grapple with homelessness. The program keeps families together and focuses on outcomes based care.

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Our Team

Peg Wright

Founder & CEO

Edward Ratush, MD

Medical Director

Kim Ruoff, MHRM, LAC

Chief Program & Operations Officer

Debbie Haroldsen

Director of Finance

Anastacia Krosnick, DNP, PMHNP

Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nurse

Veronica Finlay

Director of Development

Noreen Whittemore

Director of Community Relations

Laurie Lachs

Public Affairs & Events Manager

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