Breaking Barriers in I/DD Mental Health: Prince George's County ARC Project Live Program

Last spring, FCIDD provided funding to the Arc of Prince George's County for a training program to build on their Project LIVE mental health initiative, enabling specialized mental health and internet safety trainings to mental health professionals, educators, caregivers, first responders and self-advocates throughout the state of Maryland.  Trainings, which began in the Fall of 2025 and continue, are a mix of in-person and virtual that together consist of almost 80 hours of training/education, promoted to possible resources throughout Maryland, with a focus on Prince George's County Public Schools.  This grant was sponsored by the Greater Silver Spring Civitan Club.

Summary of Activities and Impact

To date, six trainings with more planned for 2026. Our sessions included an in-person Trauma-Informed Care session for The Arc of Prince George’s County staff, attended by 55 participants, and a virtual sexual education series for parents and caregivers, reaching 106 attendees. Recently, we conducted a Self-Advocate Conference on healthy relationships for 13 self-advocates and 5 staff members, which will be repeated twice this weekend. To date, 179 participants have been engaged.

Impact on the I/DD Community

The trainings have been well-received, especially by parents and caregivers, who reported increased confidence in discussing boundaries and healthy relationships. Many families have requested additional sessions on puberty and adolescent sexual education. Self-advocates have been highly engaged, highlighting the need for ongoing education tailored to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Feedback from participants demonstrates strong demand for continued programming and underscores the value of these grant-supported trainings.

FCIDD and the Greater Silver Spring Civitan Club are excited to assist!