A New Program Director for Visions Place

This article was previously featured in the April 2014 issue of the Cazenovia Compass.

Briana Petersdorf, CASAC, is the new program director at Visions Place, our agency’s residential facility for homeless men and women seeking treatment for co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders.

Located in a distinctive building at 923 Sycamore Street in Buffalo, Visions Place has 24 individual rooms for residents and pleasant shared community spaces, including kitchen and dining areas, an exercise room and comfortable living rooms. In that safe environment, Cazenovia’s dedicated professional staff works tirelessly around the clock to help residents find the motivation and skills to pursue behavioral changes that will lead to recovery.

Phil, a Visions Place resident

Customized treatment plans involve individual and group therapy sessions for residents, who move through the treatment experience at an individualized pace. Psychiatry, on-site counseling, and linkage to medical services are key components. Residents have opportunities to identify and express their challenges, traumas and emotions through the healthy behaviors that they are learning. The average length of stay is one year.

Briana, who has been with Cazenovia since 2008, started as a case manager. She is determined to make the Visions Place experience even more positive, restorative and inspiring. She wants residents to accept their stay as “a time for reflection as well as an opportunity to create and set new life plans.” She said that her purpose, above all, is that Visions Place residents “accomplish the goals that they set for themselves, whether long- or short-term.”

Two current Visions Place participants who were interviewed recently agreed that the program has helped them to acquire a more positive outlook on life. Tom said that he greatly appreciates having his own room, access to group therapy, and “great counselors.” Phil is thankful that he is on track to “follow my dream” to finish a college degree in literature and creative writing. “Visions Place has been an awesome experience,” Phil said.