{"id":665182,"date":"2025-10-06T12:44:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T16:44:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=665182"},"modified":"2025-11-19T07:58:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T12:58:16","slug":"what-to-know-about-mt-hope-family-center-665182","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-to-know-about-mt-hope-family-center-665182\/","title":{"rendered":"8 things to know about the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\u2019s Mt. Hope Family Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

For 45 years, this national resource has pioneered cutting-edge psychology research while providing support for thousands of vulnerable families annually.<\/h2>\n

Just as tending to seedlings and saplings brings forth sheltering canopies of soaring trees, the act of making decisions to promote health\u2014physical, emotional, mental\u2014can build strength, resilience, and well-being among children, families, and communities. When it comes to generational trauma, early interventions are essential to break the cycles of violence, abuse, neglect, and other stressors that can become entrenched in families.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur work focuses on strengthening family relationships and helping to interrupt cycles of maltreatment,\u201d says Jennie Noll<\/a>, professor in the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½<\/a>\u2019s Department of Psychology<\/a> and the executive director of Mt. Hope Family Center<\/a>. \u201cWe support children and collaborate with caregivers to better understand child development, effective communication, and non-violent conflict resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grounded in academic collaboration, rigorous training, and community partnerships, the University\u2019s Mt. Hope Family Center has helped families near and far make significant strides. Its preventative measures and accessible programs have made the greater Rochester community\u2014and beyond\u2014safer and stronger, says Noll.<\/p>\n

As a testament to that reality, the center\u2014located in the city\u2019s Corn Hill neighborhood just north of the University\u2019s River Campus and Medical Center\u2014has received funding from Monroe County to broaden its local programming and amplify its impact in the region. This year, the center\u2019s current and legacy leadership also received the American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology, for leveraging research toward the public good and training the next generation of psychologists.<\/p>\n

Here are eight facts to know about the Mt. Hope Family Center, a conduit of positive change in the community since 1979\u2014and one that continues to serves thousands of families annually.<\/p>\n

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(Unsplash photo \/ Andriy Oliynyk)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. Mt. Hope Family Center is one of only three nationally designated resource centers for child maltreatment in the United States.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In 2023, Mt. Hope Family Center received a multimillion-dollar grant renewal<\/a> from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for its TRANSFORM Center<\/a>\u2019s national leadership. Established in 2018, TRANSFORM (Translational Research that Adapts New Science FOR Maltreatment) is a national resource center that conducts research, shares discoveries, and captures best practices to train professionals committed to preventing and addressing child abuse and neglect.<\/p>\n

The NIH grant renewal for the TRANSFORM Center cements Mt. Hope Family Center as one of only three academic partnerships in the United States with this prestigious designation. As a national resource for child maltreatment research and training, the center now engages professionals and communities in all 50 states and 11 countries, sharing 40 years of research to raise awareness, improve responses and ultimately eliminate abuse and neglect.<\/p>\n

2. The center is cross-disciplinary by design\u2014combining resources from across the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ and the community.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Mt. Hope Family Center comprises a diverse team of more than 80 care providers, researchers, lawyers, and administrators working together to promote resilience among children and families affected by stressful or traumatic experiences. Clinical services, innovative research, and hands-on mentoring and training create a powerful investment in public health.<\/p>\n

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BETTER TOGETHER:<\/strong> Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ researchers from Mt. Hope Family Center and the Hajim School of Engineering are collaborating to develop a mobile app for parents and caregivers of children with fetal alcohol syndrome disorder (FASD). (Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The NIH funding broadens this collaboration, supporting partnerships across University and Medical Center<\/a> departments and community outreach centers. Researchers at Mt. Hope work alongside colleagues in the Department of Psychology, Susan B. Anthony Center<\/a>, School of Nursing<\/a>, as well as the Medical Center\u2019s departments of psychiatry<\/a>, pediatrics<\/a>, and obstetrics and gynecology<\/a>. In addition, partnerships with the pediatric and behavioral health team<\/a> provide diagnostic and clinical services to children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders<\/a> (FASD)\u2014one of only two such sites in New York state.<\/p>\n

Federal and local grants further the center\u2019s regional impact and national significance. At the federal level, the Department of Health and Human Services supports two programs at Mt. Hope Family Center with nearly $1 million per year<\/a> over five years:<\/p>\n

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BET THE HORSE:<\/strong> Mt. Hope\u2019s PATHS summer program gives area children the chance to practice self-expression, problem solving, and other emotional and social skills in settings such as the EquiCenter<\/a> in Honeoye Falls. (Photo courtesy of Mt. Hope Family Center)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n