SPARK Center

Early Childhood Therapy Program – The Early Childhood Therapy Program provides a range of dyadic therapy services to families with young children who are experiencing behavioral or emotional challenges within the context of developmental disorders and/or significant life stressors, including exposure to traumatic events.

Developmental Testing and Follow-up – Developmental Testing and Follow-up at the SPARK Center is an extension of services provided at the main campus. Our team of developmental behavioral pediatricians, psychologists, and nurse practitioners sees children with a variety of developmental issues, including autism, ADHD, learning difficulties, and behavioral or emotional challenges. We also provide ongoing follow-up care for children and families.

The Good Grief Program – The Good Grief Program provides a range of supportive services to children who have experienced an important loss. The team of clinicians at Good Grief works with families to understand the impact of their loss, collaboratively address their needs, and provide individualized supports and services to children and youth as they grieve.  

The Autism Program – The Autism Program at Boston Medical Center assists and empowers autistic individuals and their families through direct patient support, provider education, and community-based outreach. We strive to meet the needs of the community in Boston and its surrounding areas in a culturally competent manner by offering high quality and comprehensive care to all.

The Autism Behavior Clinic – The Behavior Clinic at BMC was developed with the goal of providing free, short-term behavior consultations to patients and their families. Patients referred to the clinic typically engage in significantly challenging or potentially dangerous behaviors at home and in the community. Families meet with a Nurse Practitioner and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) for 4-6 visits for consultation and parent coaching. The Autism Behavior Clinic team works collaboratively with families to develop individualized strategies to best support each patient.

The Maternal-Child ID Program at The SPARK Center – The Maternal-Child ID Program follows pregnant HIV- positive women throughout their pregnancy and later their infants of up to two years of age. The program also provides primary care and subspecialty care/consult referrals to children and youth through 24 years of age. These patients are followed by an interdisciplinary team, including Infectious Disease and OBGYN physicians, nursing, a Pharm D, a social worker, and a medical case manager with the goal of providing wrap-around care to increase better health outcomes. Patients are not only able to access their primary care needs in the comfort of The SPARK Center but also receive additional social service assistance such as education, counseling, referral.  In addition, the program provides our on-site Food Pantry which provides fresh and frozen goods such as fruits, vegetables, shelf stable foods and meats to our low-income families. Since starting a monthly clinic at SPARK, our patients have consistently shared their appreciation of the easier access neighborhood location and for some, the role the SPARK center played in their formative years as a child affected by HIV.

The SPARK Center is seeking volunteers that can provide a warm, welcoming, and supportive presence to visiting children and families. If you are interested in learning more about ways to get involved with the Good Grief Program, please connect with the Volunteer Services Department at Boston Medical Center.

617.414.0502
255 River Street
Mattapan, MA 02126

Call our department to schedule a referral appointment
617.414.0502

Alexander Friedman, MPH
Alex.Friedman@bmc.org
617.414.4247

Alyssa Orinstein King, PhD
Alyssa.King@bmc.org
617.414.0512

Maureen Patterson-Fede, LICSW
Maureen.Patterson@bmc.org
617.414.3628