Bellefaire JCB has on-staff experts who can provide background information on children and adolescent behavioral health and development issues, including current developments in treatment modalities and research on: autism, substance abuse, ADHD, depression, anxiety and many others issues. Our on-staff experts include:
Adam G. Jacobs, Ph.D., President
Bellefaire JCB Dr. Jacobs heads the Bellefaire JCB management team, whose members represent a depth and breadth of expertise. He has more than 26 years experience in clinical planning and management in the field of child, youth and family services. Dr. Jacobs has demonstrated his exceptional capability to attract state, national, and private resources for special-needs children.
Jeffrey A. Lox, MSSA, LISW-S, ACSW, Chief Clinical Officer, Bellefaire JCB
Mr. Lox has more than 20 years experience as a clinician, supervisor, administrator and trainer. He has presented nationally on the topics of juvenile sexual offenders and children with disruptive behavior disorders. He most recently co-authored an article on the mental health needs of system-involved youth published in the Clinical Social Work Journal, as well as an article for Treatment Today magazine about special needs offenders. Mr. Lox's clinical interests include: disruptive behavior disorders; juvenile offenders; reactive attachment disorder; co-occurring conditions; the residential treatment milieu; and child/adolescent develomental psychopathology.
Susan Ratner, MSSA, Director of Special Projects, Bellefaire JCB
Mrs. Ratner has more than 30 years experience in child development and early childhood education. She served for nearly 10 years as Co-Director of Early Childhood Services at the agency before being appointed as one of Bellefaire JCB's Co-Directors of Education and Prevention Services; a role in which she assumed the responsibility for developing, securing funding, and hiring staff for the Monarch Center for Autism's Monarch School.
Debra Mandell, OTR/L, MA, Director, Monarch Center for Autism
Ms. Mandell's background includes formal training in occupational therapy (BSOT) and health administration (MSHA). She has experience working with special-needs populations and, previously, served as Program Director of the Child Development Center at Cooper University Hospital Medical Center.
Terry Murphy, CEO and Co-Founder, Monarch Teaching Technologies
Monarch Teaching Technologies was founded in 2005 to deliver technology enhanced tools to improve the learning experience of children with autism. Under contract with Bellefaire, MTT has assembled a team of experts to design and implement the Visual Language Learning System or VizZle. Mr. Murphy has over 20 years experience as a healthcare consultant and entrepreneur in Northeast Ohio. He serves on several advisory boards, including the alumni board of Cornell University's Sloan Program for Health Services Administration.
Howard C. Shane, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, Director of Speech Pathology Services, Children's Hospital Boston
Dr. Shane is the leader of the collaboration with Bellefaire and Harvard Medical School, Children's Hospital Boston, and Massachusetts General Hospital. The collaboration consists of a team, including: professors, clinical program directors, speech pathologists, software application experts, and specialists in outcome research. Dr. Shane also directs the Communication Enhancement Center, the oldest and largest clinical program in the country, having as its exclusive purpose the evaluation for and prescription of alternative and augmentative communication for persons with severe communication impairments. He is the author of numerous papers on severe speech impairment, has lectured throughout the world on the topic, and has produced many computer innovations for persons with autism spectrum disorders.