NFI Vermont, Inc.

NFI Vermont is a private, nonprofit trauma informed agency that serves Vermont families whose children struggle with severe emotional, behavioral and mental health challenges. The majority of children who come to NFI have a history of behavioral and emotional challenges at home, in school and in the community.

Established in 1984, NFI has developed a state wide system of community based programs and services. Our goal is to join together with families to help their children manage their behavior and live safely and successfully. At NFI, each child and family is unique. Their strengths, values, needs and preferences are fundamental to our trauma informed child and family-centered treatment approach. All of NFI’s clinical treatment programs are trauma informed and rooted in four core service principles: comprehensive, multidisciplinary assessment and diagnosis; coordinated, flexible, individualized service plans; cultural sensitivity; and a “no fail” philosophy. Program utilization and quality are closely monitored at NFI to ensure that each child and family receives the most appropriate mental health treatment at a reasonable cost.

Services offered

Wraparound Programs:

Wraparound Programs utilize a planning process that follows a series of steps to help children and families realize their hopes and dreams. With help from the clinical case managers, people from the family’s life work together, coordinate their activities, and blend perspectives in an effort to support the family goals.

Educational Services:

NFI operates five trauma informed, day treatment schools throughout the state that aim to create safe, therapeutic, consistent and structured learning environments where students learn the social, emotional and behavioral skills needed in order for them to access their education.

Therapeutic Foster Parent Service:

NFI therapeutic foster parents provide safe nurturing homes for Vermont’s children, helping them to handle their emotional challenges and learn new, more adaptive ways to engage. Foster parents are essential to the success of NFI’s comprehensive approach to helping children.

NFI Vermont Residential Programs:

NFI operates seven residential programs throughout Vermont serving adolescents and transition age youth ranging in age from 12-22 years old who struggle with mental health and behavioral issues. NFI takes a trauma-informed approach while providing a safe, caring, consistent and structured environment where residents can learn and practice new skills to make positive changes.

Training and Consultation:

NFI Vermont has grown to become a leader in statewide treatment, training and consultation, especially in the area of complex trauma, and family systems therapy. In addition to training our own staff, each year we help many hundreds of social service providers, educators, and caregivers to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to serve children, youth and families with complex needs.