Legacy Treatment Services

Stepping up to meet mental health challenges

When Governor Phil Murphy put together his playbook for dealing with what he called a youth mental health crisis, he placed his trust in Legacy Treatment Services to lead the way. Charged by the state to oversee the behavioral-health needs of students and their families in Burlington County through the Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S) initiative, Legacy has been gearing up to take on its expanded role when the new school year begins 

Marla Meyers

Time and again Legacy has proven its ability to step up at times of great challenge. The statewide non-profit already reaches into 17 counties with its wide array of services, from telehealth and in-person counseling for children and adults living with ADHD, anxiety, depression and other mental health challenges to providing prevention programming for schools and community groups. The agency also runs substance use treatment programs, residential homes for vulnerable youth and a special-education school. It offers crisis intervention and short-term help for children and adults in need as well. 

“Even before this expansion, Legacy was serving upwards of 20,000 individuals statewide,” says Marla Meyers, Executive Director of The Legacy Foundation. “Our clinical interventions are proven, measurable and have changed countless lives for the better.”  

While the new state directive means that Legacy is working more closely with Burlington County school officials to deliver, manage and coordinate behavioral health care and social supports for youth and families, the range of services haven’t changed, says Chief Operating Officer Christine Kirkbride. Legacy has been in this position before, says Kirkbride, noting that preparation has included providing its homegrown talent the support to take on new challenges while also posting for jobs created by the expanded role.

Christine Kirkbride

“We were one of the agencies that stepped up its game during the pandemic,” says Kirkbride. “We quickly and successfully pivoted to a lot of telehealth-based outpatient services and opened new clinics in Pennington and Salem County to meet greater demand.”

As she sees it, Legacy’s ability to adapt to meet ever-changing needs is baked into its mission: To change the behavioral health outcomes of adults and children from surviving to thriving. Among the reasons it has been so successful, the agency prioritizes professional development, mentoring and generous tuition reimbursement to employees. 

“I never even looked anywhere else because there was so much opportunity for growth here,” says Kirkbride, who was hired out of college to work at a residential program 19 years ago. She pursued her Master’s Degree and licensure in social work as she moved up the ranks, first as a supervisor, then director and vice president before she was named COO in 2019. 

Meyers, who recently celebrated her first-year anniversary at the helm of the foundation, says it has been a privilege to support Legacy’s work at a time when its services are in such great demand. 

“When I accepted the job I was starry eyed,” says Meyers, who also has a Masters Degree in social work and successfully led large non-profit agencies for decades “It’s really been everything I would expect from an agency with this large of a footprint and capacity to help so many vulnerable people including children who have been abused, abandoned and trafficked, those with severe autism, individuals facing mental health challenges and crisis, as well as impoverish families and those at risk for homelessness.  And I’m so proud to be part of something that is tremendously impactful and transformative throughout our state.”

Career Opportunities Abound at Legacy!
Contact us for your next dream job in direct client care, residential, social work, case management, administration, billing and so much more!
www.legacytreatment.org (Careers)

About Legacy Treatment Services:

The nonprofit agency was created 9 years ago by the merger of 2 pioneering agencies with a combined 210 years of experience.

• The Drenk Center, founded by Judge Lester A. Drenk, started counseling services  for Burlington County juveniles and their families in 1954.

• The Children’s Home opened in 1864 as an orphanage for children of the Civil War.

• Legacy is also affiliated with Community Treatment Solutions (CTS), created in 1990 as an alternative to residential placement for children. And, it is an affiliate of the Woods System of Care.

 

Legacytreatment.org | 800-433-7365