ALBANY, NEW YORK - October 4, 2011 - "Staff have really had to scramble
to transition into the Specialized Treatment Program," said Dina McManus, the
Clinical Supervisor for Specialized Treatment Services. "The retreat was a way
for them to take some time away from their offices, appreciate all they have
accomplished together and gather up their strengths for the changes yet to
come."

On Tuesday October 4th, approximately 27 clinicians took a break from their
regular work day to participate in a staff retreat. Initially, Camp Scully (a summer
get-away) was the site for the day-long gathering. However, at the last minute,
everything had to be moved inside due to rain. So the retreat could carry on as
planned, LaSalle's Hanner Chapel Cultural Center, a multi-purpose facility, was
transformed into a gymnasium.

"Staff got to know one another on an interpersonal basis," said LaSalle's
Experiental Learning Coordinator Dom Cataldo. "Most of all they had fun."
They engaged in approximately 35 team building activities designed to
challenge, trust, problem solve,and communicate.

In one activity, staff were put to the test guiding one another - blindfolded -
through an obstacle course using only words and no physical contact. The
blinded had to trust that their peers would help them safely navigate through a
maze of rooms and stairways to get to their destination.

"I was working at LaSalle for two days before the retreat so it was my first time
meeting a lot of staff," said Mary Sullivan, the new Dutchess County Community
Connections Social Worker. "It was a comfortable atmosphere and the easiest
way for me to form relationships rather than meet them on the spot." Although
there were employees present with much more tenure, Sullivan's perspective
matched those of her peers who greet new staff practically every day.