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cover story - Donation expands family mental health services

Stuart News - 9/25/2017

It's not every day that Palm City based Tykes & Teens receives a call from a noteworthy businessman in Cleveland asking about the organization's Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Program. Most people can't pronounce it, much less know enough to inquire about it.

Yet that mysterious call set in motion a project that will allow the 21-year-old mental health agency to provide this highly specialized, lifesaving therapy to local children.

And it all started with a thank you gift.

When Neil Subin's colleagues insisted on thanking him for his role in a successful business venture, the Stuart resident was nervous about what they might be formulating. He didn't want a gift, or any fanfare.

What he didn't know, was that his wife had been in touch with his business partners and at their request she suggested thanking Subin with a donation to a nonprofit that was near and dear to his heart. That nonprofit was Tykes & Teens, where the Subin family had participated in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), a specific type of therapy used to change harmful behavior patterns and help individuals struggling with mental health challenges who aren't responding to other forms of therapy.

While the Subins had great success with DBT, Tykes & Teens was only offering two of the four components that make up the full program, making it necessary for the family to drive to Miami weekly to benefit from the complete therapy.

"The full DBT curriculum is expensive to implement, as it involves accessibility to a therapist 24/7 for crisis situations, and extensive training for DBT therapists. As a nonprofit we were only offering the components that we knew we could provide with complete integrity," said Jeff Shearer, Chief Executive Officer at Tykes & Teens.

Subin's colleagues chose to thank him in the most heartfelt and generous way. They pitched in and donated $100,000, allowing Tykes & Teens to establish the Subin Family Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Program, offering all four components to local children and families.

Although this gift is important, so is the gift that Neil Subin and his wife Carla have given the community by speaking out about how this therapy has helped their family.

Mental health issues are prevalent among children and families, but until more speak out about it, and until services are more accessible, families will suffer. The Subins hope this gift will change that.

About the cover

Back row: Carla, Neil and Emma Subin. Front: Sam Subin. Neil Subin's colleagues donated $100,000 on his behalf to help Tykes & Teens establish the Subin Family Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Program.