Adopting new professional responsibilities: One community’s comprehensive response to children’s mental health needs

Huber, BJ (Brenda)¹, Meyers, AB (Adena)^2
1Illinois State University, Campus Box 4625, IL61790, Normal
²Illinois State University, Campus Box 4620, IL61790, Normal

 

Submission type

Oral only

Scheduled

Room 119, 12-07-2019, 14:00 - 15:30

Keywords

Systems-change, youth mental health, adult learning

Summary

A rural county in a mid-western state of the US, was experiencing high rates, relative to other parts of the state, of poverty, school dropout, young and single mothers, child abuse and neglect, substance abuse, domestic violence, and fatal accidents. The community’s service system was fragmented and reactive, and it lacked resources in the educational, healthcare, social service, and juvenile justice sectors to address the social-emotional-behavioral needs of youth. An initiative led by school psychologists inspired leaders from all four sectors to implement a community-wide multi-tiered model to improve the capacity, accessibility, and coordination of the system of care and to ultimately decrease the overwhelming need for mental health treatment. The presentation will describe the major changes implemented in the system and the outcomes over a seven-year period, focusing primarily on implementers’ observations regarding the systems change process. Critical factors supporting adults’ readiness to learn and perform new roles include reducing mental health stigma and providing peer and administrator support. Participants will be provided with access to on-line resources to support efforts to implement transformation of this magnitude in their own communities.

Auteurs