Mental health difficulties often start in childhood and the number of young people experiencing mental health difficulties is rising, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. School-based programmes have been identified as an effective way to provide support for young people and present an opportunity to offer universal programmes, which can…

During my first year of practice as a new action learning facilitator undertaking an "ILM Level 5 Certificate in Action Learning Facilitation", an innovative Individual Service Fund pilot was launched by "Certitude", the organisation for which I work. The aim of this pilot was to enable people with learning disabilities and…

"Building Your Program" is intended to help mental health authorities, agency administrators, and program leaders think through and develop Supported Education. The first part of this booklet gives you background information about the Supported Education model. Specific information about your role in implementing and sustaining Supported Education…

There are relatively few major federal programs focused directly on advancing a systemic approach to mental health in schools. One such program is the U.S. Department of Education's grant program entitled: "Integration of Schools and Mental Health Systems." Established in 2005, the program has funded 51 projects and is in the process of funding…

When a survey of students at Eisenhower Middle School in Everett, Washington indicated that they spent a good part of the school day feeling tired and hungry, that they felt unsafe in some areas of the school, and that worn-down facilities left many of them feeling depressed, the author and his staff concluded that, in order to improve the…

A model for the delivery of mental health services to people residing in small communities (less than 10,000 population) is presented. The model is the product of personal consultation experience over the past three years with a modestly staffed and financed but very successful mental health agency. Emphasis is placed on community action,…

This manual is intended to help professionals and non-professionals develop a peer support system involving older persons in the provision of comprehensive mental health services. The materials focus on: (1) program concept and objectives; (2) links between physical and mental health in the elderly; (3) recruitment and training of peer counselors;…

A group of 12 federally funded community mental health centers which make effective use of paraprofessionals is described. The purpose is to make mental health policy makers and service agency staff members aware of the wide range of innovative service models in existence in which paraprofessionals play diverse and crucial roles. A case study for…

Reports on the use of applied behavioral science techniques to develop a performance appraisal instrument and system in a mental health organization. The system integrates individual, professional, and institutional values into an overall framework including parts of the organization in conflict. (Author/WAS)

The paper deals with a mental health program designed to treat the 2 1/2 to 5 year old Mexican American child with severe emotional or behavioral problems. Components of the program included a mutual agreement with Parent Child Centers (Headstart) in the community; staff who had expertise to evaluate, diagnose, design, and implement an individual…

The community mental health movement started with the purpose of providing services dealing with problems and issues specific to individual communities. As the movement grew, it took on the responsibility of delivering services to the "underserved" populations of this country, including children, the elderly, minority groups, and rural-area…

This paper describes a mental health consultation program for day care centers serving children under six years. The goals of the program are discussed together with a description of the role of the day care consultant. The steps by which the program was implemented are described in detail. The impact of the program was measured on several…

The major aim of this report is to develop a model of mental health service delivery to the urban, low-income black community. The model assumes that racism and poverty have placed constraints on the development and functioning of systems related to the black family and that the family is the primary source of mental health in the black community.…

A model of mental health service delivery to the low-income Puerto Rican population in areas of the mainland United States where Puerto Ricans are concentrated is presented in this report. The model, designed for use by family service agencies and other similar mental health facilities, assumes that Puerto Ricans are at great risk for mental…

Comprehensive mental health programs should be designed on the basis of identified mental health needs and locally established priorities so that the resulting combination of services is geared to the specific and unique requirements of the catchment area. In addition to being comprehensive, local programs should be physically accessible, ensure…