Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health - supports system of care development in local communities for children with serious emotional disorders and their families.

AUGUST 2003

Cross-Cultural Competence

It is a wonderful opportunity when one can live in other worlds and learn from people who fluidly communicate across cultural boundaries. This month, I have chosen opportunities for you to experience those worlds without leaving the comfort of your home. The list below is designed to open your heart and spark your curiosity to continue to explore other cultures. These particular choices were referenced in an excellent work, Developing Cross-Cultural Competence: A Guide for Working with Young Children and Their Families written by Eleanor W. Lynch and Marci H. Hanson. Enjoy!

Michener, J. (1974). Centennial. New York: Random House.

Centennial is an epic saga of the origins, founding, and shaping of the United States from prehistoric to contemporary times. Generations of families are followed throughout the course of the nation's history.

***

Allen, P. G. (Ed.). (1989). Spider Woman's Granddaughters . New York: Fawcett Columbine.

This is an anthology of stories by Native American women from long ago to contemporary times. Each reflects the influence of cultural bonds and traditions and the influence of contact with Anglo-Europeans on the culture.

***

Goss, L., & Barnes, M. (Eds.). (1989). Talk That Talk: An Anthology of African-American Storytelling. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Here you will find stories of history remembered, home and family, and the supernatural, along with fables, anecdotes, sermons, and rhymes. You will also find the works of Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Winnie Mandela. This is a tour de force of African American storytelling.

***

Rodriguez, R. (1982). Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez. New York: Bantam Books.

This book is an autobiography that chronicles the loss of Rodriguez's Mexican American culture as he climbs the ladder of academic success.

***

McCunn, R. L. (1981). Thousand Pieces of Gold. Boston: Alfred A. Knopf.

This is a biographical novel about LaLu Nathoy, a Chinese woman, who was sold by her father into slavery. She was taken to a mining town in Idaho in 1872. The novel describes her struggles, survival, and growth as a woman and her experiences as a Chinese woman in the American West.

JUNE/JULY 2003

Kutash, K., Duchnowski, A., Sumi, W., Rudo, Z., & Harris, K. (2002). A school, family and community collaborative program for children who have emotional disturbances. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 10 (2), 99-107.

In July's Families Matter! column, the story of Jason describes one family's effort to protect and improve their child's school experience. This article describes a program that aimed to increase family involvement and access to supportive services in the community through the development of a team with the youth and family. Overall, the program was unable to meet the goal of increasing access to and use of mental health services from outside agencies?a major difficulty that may be a contributing factor to the lack of improvement in emotional functioning. There are lessons learned here for family members and those who partner with us.

***

Angold, A., Erkani, A., Farmer, E., & Fairbank, J. (2002). Psychiatric disorder, impairment and service use in rural African American and White youth. Archives of General Psychiatry, 59 (10), 893-909.

This journal article reports on a study of psychiatric disorders among rural African American and White youth. The goal of the study was to determine the need for and use of mental health services. Parents will be interested in the finding that at a younger age, more boys than girls showed psychiatric diagnoses. Girls' psychiatric diagnoses rose as they aged. Schools were the largest provider of mental health services. Almost all youth in the study had medical insurance, private or public. However, very few youth used mental health services, even if diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder.

***

Brindus, C., Park, E., Ozer, E., & Irwin, C. (2002). Adolescents' access to health services and clinical preventive health care: Cross the great divide. Pediatric Annals, 31 (9), 575-585.

Adolescents need access to prevention and primary care services, particularly because the most common, costly, and serious health problems are potentially preventable. The seven categories of common risk behaviors are drug and alcohol abuse, unsafe sex, violence, injury-related behavior, tobacco use, inadequate physical activity, and poor dietary habits. These health issues account for 70% of adolescent deaths. The authors estimate that 25% of 7th through 12th graders engage in at least two risk-related behaviors. The article addresses a number of barriers and recommendations.

***

Ford, J., Gregory, F., McKay, K., & Williams, J. (2003). Close to home: A report on behavioral health services for children in Connecticut's juvenile justice system. Farmington, CT: The Connecticut Center for Effective Practice of the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut, Inc.

According to newer research, and excluding conduct disorder, 60% of males and 66% of females in juvenile detention suffer from one or more mental health conditions. This report identifies the following service gaps: absence of behavioral health screening at intake, lack of adequate funding and training to care for youth with behavioral problems, problems with insurers, and the absence of effective service collaboration. Positive outcomes were linked to engagement of parents, enhancement of personal well-being, aftercare, evaluation by a psychiatrist, access to vocational resources, staffing capacity, collaboration, sustained services, and sufficient staffing and funding. Parents, if you can get past being referred to as "dysfunctional," you will find useful advocacy information in this article.

***

Stevens, S., & Morral, A. (Eds.). (2003). Adolescent substance abuse treatment in the United States . Binghamton, NY: The Hawthore Press.

A growing number of young people have substance abuse problems, and they are not likely to seek help on their own. Most programs for youth with substance abuse problems are actually adult programs patterned on adult abuse and needed treatment length. Few demonstrate effectiveness for youth. This book features different types of programs, including outpatient treatment, outpatient family therapy, short-term and intensive inpatient programs, moderate-term residential programs, moderate step-down programs, and modified therapeutic community programs. With over 75% of youth entering treatment for substance abuse with one or more psychological conditions, learning disorders, and other disabilities, it behooves parents and their partners to identify, create, evaluate, and determine program effectiveness now.

FEBRUARY 2003

Bullying, Not Terrorist Attack, Biggest Threat Seen by U.S. Teens. Retrieved from http://www.ncpc.org/ncpc/ncpc/?pg=5878-5886-6652. This recent survey conducted with 512 youth ages 12 to 17 reveals that most teens are more concerned about the bully in their classrooms and school hallways terrorizing them than they are about external terrorist attacks on their schools and communities. Daily exposure to bullying has increased for boys by 39% and for girls by 88%. This striking increase is alarming because it points out that exposure to traumatic stress is not diminishing for our children. It is increasing. One youth challenges, "Imagine being afraid of a co-worker you must see every day; it would be pretty hard to get your work done." Please refer to the following (repeat) reference on Helping America Cope.

***

LaGreca, A. L. (2001). Helping America Cope. Coral Gables, FL: 7-Dippity, Inc.; also available at www.7-dippity.com. You can obtain multiple copies for your system of care community by contacting cnava@air.org. Suggested for family-run organizations and classroom teachers, this document helps parents and teachers talk with children and youth about feelings; understand stress reactions; help children learn how to cope, identify fears and worries, and learn what to do about them; and manage anger through conflict resolution and multicultural awareness. There is even a section on how to build a Family Disaster Plan. The activities, designed for children 6-12, are easily adaptable for older children and youth. You can "ease in" through Section I, move right into Section II and address coping skills, or hit Section III and focus on skills to help children and youth with specific situations and reactions. Prepared by a clinical psychologist, the book is available without cost to all the TA Partnership's grant communities, compliments of Freddie Mac and 7-Dippity, Inc.

***

Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law (2002). Avoiding Cruel Choices: A guide for policymakers and family organizations on Medicaid's role in preventing custody relinquishment. Retrieve online at http://store.bazelon.org. The cost is $10 each. This document provides family-run organizations with easy-to-understand definition of what Medicaid is and how it can be used for your child's coverage of institutional services even when your family might not be normally eligible. It discusses the TEFRA option (also known as the Katie Beckett option) and the home- and community-based services waiver under section 1915 [c] of Medicaid law and compares the difference between the two approaches. There is information for parents in this document that you might not find in the materials your state puts out, for example, that children with mental or emotional disorders are eligible. Given the problems that parents face in dealing with the application process, it is important that we ensure they have this knowledge and the strategies for advocacy. Appendices include information state by state.

***

Reiser, L. (1994). The Surprise Family. New York, NY: William Morrow & Company, Inc. The Children's Selection this month is The Surprise Family, a story about differences and about love. The author, who teaches at Yale University School of Medicine and practices psychiatry and psychoanalysis in Connecticut, says of her book, "All families are surprise families. Parents and children meet as strangers and grow up together, surprising one another with interests and talents that are not exactly what had been expected. And they continue to love each other anyway." As a long-time foster mother, I believe this is an exquisite book for children who live in the foster care system, longing for a missing family even as they seek the love of and try to belong to their stand-in family. Enjoy!

***

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2002). Report to Congress on the prevention and treatment of co-occurring substance abuse disorders and mental disorders. This document, along with many others, can be retrieved from www.samhsa.gov. This report details the experience of nine service systems in developing, delivering, and financing integrated services for individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders by using multiple sources of funds. This is the most complete information available nationally regarding how integrated co-occurring services are financed and what key characteristics point to success. Advocates and family-run organizations will use this document in their efforts to create and expand integrated systems of mental health and substance abuse treatment. It provides ideas and guidance to consumers, advocates, policymakers, and service providers.

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	AUGUST 2003 Cross-Cultural Competence It is a wonderful opportunity when one can live in other worlds and learn from people who fluidly communicate across cultural boundaries. This month, I have chosen opportunities for you to experience those worlds without leaving the comfort of your home. The list below is designed to open your heart and spark your curiosity to continue to explore other cultures. These particular choices were referenced in an excellent work, *Developing Cross-Cultural Competence: A Guide for Working with Young Children and Their Families* written by Eleanor W. Lynch and Marci H. Hanson. Enjoy! Michener, J. (1974). Centennial. New York: Random House. Centennial is an epic saga of the origins, founding, and shaping of the United States from prehistoric to contemporary times. Generations of families are followed throughout the course of the nation's history. * Allen, P. G. (Ed.). (1989). Spider Woman's Granddaughters . New York: Fawcett Columbine. This is an anthology of stories by Native American women from long ago to contemporary times. Each reflects the influence of cultural bonds and traditions and the influence of contact with Anglo-Europeans on the culture. * Goss, L., & Barnes, M. (Eds.). (1989). Talk That Talk: An Anthology of African-American Storytelling. New York: Simon & Schuster. Here you will find stories of history remembered, home and family, and the supernatural, along with fables, anecdotes, sermons, and rhymes. You will also find the works of Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Winnie Mandela. This is a tour de force of African American storytelling. * Rodriguez, R. (1982). Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez*. New York: Bantam Books. This book is an autobiography that chronicles the loss of Rodriguez's Mexican American culture as he climbs the ladder of academic success.* * McCunn, R. L. (1981). Thousand Pieces of Gold. Boston: Alfred A. Knopf. This is a biographical novel about LaLu Nathoy, a Chinese woman, who was sold by her father into slavery. She was taken to a mining town in Idaho in 1872. The novel describes her struggles, survival, and growth as a woman and her experiences as a Chinese woman in the American West. JUNE/JULY 2003 Kutash, K., Duchnowski, A., Sumi, W., Rudo, Z., & Harris, K. (2002). A school, family and community collaborative program for children who have emotional disturbances*. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 10* (2), 99-107. In July's Families Matter! column, the story of Jason describes one family's effort to protect and improve their child's school experience. This article describes a program that aimed to increase family involvement and access to supportive services in the community through the development of a team with the youth and family. Overall, the program was unable to meet the goal of increasing access to and use of mental health services from outside agencies?a major difficulty that may be a contributing factor to the lack of improvement in emotional functioning. There are lessons learned here for family members and those who partner with us. * Angold, A., Erkani, A., Farmer, E., & Fairbank, J. (2002). Psychiatric disorder, impairment and service use in rural African American and White youth*. Archives of General Psychiatry, 59* (10), 893-909. This journal article reports on a study of psychiatric disorders among rural African American and White youth. The goal of the study was to determine the need for and use of mental health services. Parents will be interested in the finding that at a younger age, more boys than girls showed psychiatric diagnoses. Girls' psychiatric diagnoses rose as they aged. Schools were the largest provider of mental health services. Almost all youth in the study had medical insurance, private or public. However, very few youth used mental health services, even if diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. * Brindus, C., Park, E., Ozer, E., & Irwin, C. (2002). Adolescents' access to health services and clinical preventive health care: Cross the great divide*. Pediatric Annals, 31* (9), 575-585. Adolescents need access to prevention and primary care services, particularly because the most common, costly, and serious health problems are potentially preventable. The seven categories of common risk behaviors are drug and alcohol abuse, unsafe sex, violence, injury-related behavior, tobacco use, inadequate physical activity, and poor dietary habits. These health issues account for 70% of adolescent deaths. The authors estimate that 25% of 7th through 12th graders engage in at least two risk-related behaviors. The article addresses a number of barriers and recommendations. * Ford, J., Gregory, F., McKay, K., & Williams, J. (2003). Close to home: A report on behavioral health services for children in Connecticut's juvenile justice system. Farmington, CT: The Connecticut Center for Effective Practice of the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut, Inc. According to newer research, and excluding conduct disorder, 60% of males and 66% of females in juvenile detention suffer from one or more mental health conditions. This report identifies the following service gaps: absence of behavioral health screening at intake, lack of adequate funding and training to care for youth with behavioral problems, problems with insurers, and the absence of effective service collaboration. Positive outcomes were linked to engagement of parents, enhancement of personal well-being, aftercare, evaluation by a psychiatrist, access to vocational resources, staffing capacity, collaboration, sustained services, and sufficient staffing and funding. Parents, if you can get past being referred to as "dysfunctional," you will find useful advocacy information in this article. * Stevens, S., & Morral, A. (Eds.). (2003). Adolescent substance abuse treatment in the United States . Binghamton, NY: The Hawthore Press. A growing number of young people have substance abuse problems, and they are not likely to seek help on their own. Most programs for youth with substance abuse problems are actually adult programs patterned on adult abuse and needed treatment length. Few demonstrate effectiveness for youth. This book features different types of programs, including outpatient treatment, outpatient family therapy, short-term and intensive inpatient programs, moderate-term residential programs, moderate step-down programs, and modified therapeutic community programs. With over 75% of youth entering treatment for substance abuse with one or more psychological conditions, learning disorders, and other disabilities, it behooves parents and their partners to identify, create, evaluate, and determine program effectiveness now. FEBRUARY 2003 Bullying, Not Terrorist Attack, Biggest Threat Seen by U.S. Teens. Retrieved from http://www.ncpc.org/ncpc/ncpc/?pg=5878-5886-6652. This recent survey conducted with 512 youth ages 12 to 17 reveals that most teens are more concerned about the bully in their classrooms and school hallways terrorizing them than they are about external terrorist attacks on their schools and communities. Daily exposure to bullying has increased for boys by 39% and for girls by 88%. This striking increase is alarming because it points out that exposure to traumatic stress is not diminishing for our children. It is increasing. One youth challenges, "Imagine being afraid of a co-worker you must see every day; it would be pretty hard to get your work done." Please refer to the following (repeat) reference on Helping America Cope. * LaGreca, A. L. (2001). Helping America Cope. Coral Gables, FL: 7-Dippity, Inc.; also available at www.7-dippity.com. You can obtain multiple copies for your system of care community by contacting cnava@air.org. Suggested for family-run organizations and classroom teachers, this document helps parents and teachers talk with children and youth about feelings; understand stress reactions; help children learn how to cope, identify fears and worries, and learn what to do about them; and manage anger through conflict resolution and multicultural awareness. There is even a section on how to build a Family Disaster Plan. The activities, designed for children 6-12, are easily adaptable for older children and youth. You can "ease in" through Section I, move right into Section II and address coping skills, or hit Section III and focus on skills to help children and youth with specific situations and reactions. Prepared by a clinical psychologist, the book is available without cost to all the TA Partnership's grant communities, compliments of Freddie Mac and 7-Dippity, Inc. * Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law (2002). Avoiding Cruel Choices: A guide for policymakers and family organizations on Medicaid's role in preventing custody relinquishment. Retrieve online at http://store.bazelon.org. The cost is $10 each. This document provides family-run organizations with easy-to-understand definition of what Medicaid is and how it can be used for your child's coverage of institutional services even when your family might not be normally eligible. It discusses the TEFRA option (also known as the Katie Beckett option) and the home- and community-based services waiver under section 1915 [c] of Medicaid law and compares the difference between the two approaches. There is information for parents in this document that you might not find in the materials your state puts out, for example, that children with mental or emotional disorders are eligible. Given the problems that parents face in dealing with the application process, it is important that we ensure they have this knowledge and the strategies for advocacy. Appendices include information state by state. * Reiser, L. (1994). The Surprise Family. New York, NY: William Morrow & Company, Inc. The Children's Selection this month is The Surprise Family, a story about differences and about love. The author, who teaches at Yale University School of Medicine and practices psychiatry and psychoanalysis in Connecticut, says of her book, "All families are surprise families. Parents and children meet as strangers and grow up together, surprising one another with interests and talents that are not exactly what had been expected. And they continue to love each other anyway." As a long-time foster mother, I believe this is an exquisite book for children who live in the foster care system, longing for a missing family even as they seek the love of and try to belong to their stand-in family. Enjoy! * U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2002). Report to Congress on the prevention and treatment of co-occurring substance abuse disorders and mental disorders. This document, along with many others, can be retrieved from www.samhsa.gov. This report details the experience of nine service systems in developing, delivering, and financing integrated services for individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders by using multiple sources of funds. This is the most complete information available nationally regarding how integrated co-occurring services are financed and what key characteristics point to success. Advocates and family-run organizations will use this document in their efforts to create and expand integrated systems of mental health and substance abuse treatment. It provides ideas and guidance to consumers, advocates, policymakers, and service providers.