Mental health is an integral and essential component of overall health and wellness. The World Health Organization constitution states: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Normalizing mental health needs and reducing the stigma around mental health and substance abuse empowers people to talk and get the help they might need.
The Town of Easton is committed to furthering the World Health Organization’s mission and in February of 2023, the Town of Easton invested in a full-time dedicated community mental health liaison. Located at Frothingham Hall, this position works with the existing staff in Easton’s Health & Community Services Department and the Easton Police and Fire Departments.
The role of the community mental health liaison is to provide awareness, education and resources while forming stronger community partnerships in order to improve access to mental health and substance abuse services for individuals and families and to promote positive mental health and wellness.
A co-response utilizing a mental health clinician in addition to traditional police services will better increase referrals to mental health resources, continuity of care for individuals, and safety for all. It expands law enforcement diversion and first responder models that connect individuals to substance abuse treatment and recovery support services as opposed to incarceration.
Additionally, we hope the program will:
- Expand community awareness of mental health and treatment options.
- Increase access to naloxone.
- Expand public awareness about opioid abuse.
- Educate public safety and criminal justice stakeholders about substance abuse.
- Provide staff and community training, education and prevention practices through the Addiction Recovery Academy and Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Services.
Community Mental Health Liaison
Stephanie Cantave is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who has worked in the field of mental health for over 25 years. Prior to coming to work for the town of Easton, Stephanie worked for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for 24 years. Stephanie has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from UMass Dartmouth and a Master’s of Education degree specializing in Mental Health Counseling from Bridgewater State University. She also has two post graduate certifications in Addiction and Trauma. She brings a holistic and compassionate approach to working with individuals who struggle with mental health and/or addiction issues. Outside of work, Stephanie enjoys yoga, hiking, concerts and horror movies.
Contact Us:
The Community Mental Health Program is based at Frothingham Hall, 15 Barrows Street, Easton, MA, or (508) 230- 0690 option 4. Stephanie Cantave can be reach via email at scantave@easton.ma.us
If you are experiencing an emergency, please call 911
INTERFACE Referral Service
The Town of Easton has partnered with William James College and is now able to offer this valuable outpatient mental health referral service to residents and public school students. The INTERFACE Referral Service is an outpatient mental health and wellness referral Helpline available 9am to 5pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and 8am to 6pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays (excluding holidays) 888-244-6843 (toll free).
This is a free, confidential outpatient mental health referral service for residents and/or public-school students of participating communities. Callers from these participating communities are matched with licensed outpatient mental health providers from their extensive database, on average, within 3 weeks of their call to INTERFACE. Each referral best meets the insurance, availability, and specialty needs of the caller. To learn more about the William James INTERFACE Referral Service, click here.