Introduction
This knowledge path directs readers to a selection
of current, high-quality resources that analyze data,
describe effective programs, and report on policy and
research aimed at improving access to and quality of
care for children and adolescents with emotional, behavioral,
and mental
health challenges. Resources tap into
the health, education, social services, and juvenile
justice literature. This
knowledge path can be used by health professionals,
program administrators, policymakers, educators, and
community advocates to learn more about mental health,
for program development, and to locate training resources
and information to answer specific questions. Separate briefs present resources for families and schools. This knowledge path
has been compiled by the MCH Library at Georgetown University and will be updated
periodically.
Overview
See the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) policy brief, Children's Mental Health: What Every Policymaker Should Know (2010). This policy brief presents statistics about the extent of child and
adolescent mental health challenges in the United States; the difficulties
these children confront in school and in child welfare and juvenile justice
systems;
the barriers
that can prevent access to services; and weaknesses in the service-delivery
system. The brief recommends policy strategies to enhance mental health for
children, adolescents, and families.
Resources for Professionals
Websites
- Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality
(AHRQ). Evidence-based information on health care outcomes; quality; and cost, use, and access. Links to evidence reports and research findings about children and adolescents with emotional, behavioral, and mental health
challenges. Resources and initiatives include
Child
Health Care Quality Toolbox: Measuring Quality
in Children's Health Programs. Tips and tools to help
state and local policymakers
and program administrators evaluate
Medicaid, the Children's
Health Insurance Program (CHIP),
Title V, and other health programs
for children and adolescents. Includes mental health
quality measures.
Integrating Mental Health Treatment Into the Patient
Centered Medical Home. (2010). [White paper].
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). Information about research, legislative activities, and meetings
about child and adolescent
mental health. Includes practice information, training
and education tools, and patient-education materials. Resources include
Guide to Building Collaborative Mental Health Care Partnerships in Pediatric
Primary Care. (2010).
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Children's Mental Health in Primary Care. Policy statements, reports, practice guidelines, webinars, grant
project information, and other resources for health
professionals about mental health
and children and adolescents. Includes a toolkit to assist AAP chapters in addressing and improving children's mental health
in primary care in their state and information about
collaborative projects of care among primary care
health professionals and mental health professionals.
Other resources and initiatives include
dbpeds.org. Resources for health professionals about child development and behavior, especially in the medical setting. Includes forms, checklists, and other screening tools; online tutorials; and articles to support improvement in developmental and behavioral screening, surveillance, and identification of disabilities.
Enhancing Pediatric Mental Health Care: Report from the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Mental Health. (2010).
Healthy Foster Care America. Information about the range of health care issues and needs of children and adolescents in foster care, including mental and behavioral health. Resources include facts, statistics, policy statements, advocacy information, and a library of materials.
Pediatric and Adolescent Mental Health Emergencies in the Emergency Medical Services
System. (2011). [Technical report].
- Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. Legislative news, fact sheets, and reports about coordinating systems of care for children and adolescents with emotional, behavioral, and mental health challenges that support families and enable children to become successful adults. The center works to advance and preserve the rights of people with mental health challenges and developmental disabilities.
- Bright
Futures at Georgetown University.
Guidelines, distance-education
resources, and training tools for
a practical developmental approach
to providing health supervision
for infants, children, and adolescents,
including those with special health
care needs. Topics include general
health and development, mental
health, nutrition, oral health,
and physical activity. Some materials
are available in Spanish.
Materials include
Bright Futures in Practice: Mental Health. (2002). [Guidelines].
What to Expect and When to Seek Help: Bright Futures Developmental Tools for Families and Providers. (2006). [Available in English and Spanish].
- Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS): Children's Behavioral Health. Program information, webinars, toolkits, and issue briefs about coordinated-care-management approaches that integrate the delivery of physical and behavioral
health services for children with behavioral or emotional problems. Includes
a series of webinars about an initiative to develop, implement, and evaluate
a care-management model in several states
for improving quality and reducing costs for high-utilizing Medicaid- and CHIP-enrolled
children with serious behavioral health challenges. CHCS is a nonprofit health
policy resource center that focuses on improving the quality and cost-effectiveness
of publicly financed health care.
- FrameWorks Institute: Child and Family Mental Health. Research reports and tools about the gap between scientific knowledge and the
public's perception about child and family mental health and how to more effectively
communicate knowledge to the public and policymakers to close the gap. The
FrameWorks Institute aims to advance the nonprofit sector's communications
capacity by identifying, translating, and modeling relevant scholarly research
for framing the public discourse about social problems. Resources include
How to Talk About Children's Mental Health: A FrameWorks MessageMemo. (2010). [Research brief].
Power of Levelness: Making Child Mental Health Visible and Concrete Through a
Simplifying Model. (2010). [Report].
Refining the Options for Advancing Support for Child Mental Health Policies. (2010). [Report].
Talking About Children's Mental Health. [Toolkit].
- Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development (GUCCHD): Mental Health. Program, conference, and training information; publications; and other resources
to improve the quality of life for all children and adolescents, especially
those with special health care needs or who are at risk for poor outcomes. Resources
and initiatives about mental health include
National
Center for Cultural Competence
(NCCC).
Resources and tools
to increase the capacity of
health and mental health programs
to design, implement, and evaluate
culturally and linguistically
competent service-delivery systems.
Materials are available in Spanish.
National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health. A monthly webinar series and presentation materials, an interactive electronic newsletter, conference information,
publications, and other resources about reforming services and building systems
of care for children and adolescents who have or are at risk for mental health
challenges and their families. Publications include
Also see the Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (CECMHC).
- Healthy People 2020. Information about this national health-promotion and disease-prevention initiative of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). View the overview, objectives, and recommended interventions and resources for mental health and mental disorders and substance abuse.
- Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). Information about MCHB's projects and initiatives on behalf of America's women, infants, children, adolescents, and their families. Resources and initiatives include
Maternal and Child Health Training Program. Information about and resources to support university-based centers funded to train the next generation of leaders in maternal and child health (MCH) with an emphasis on interdisciplinary, family-centered, culturally competent care with a population-focused, public health approach. Disciplines include developmental-behavioral pediatrics and adolescent health.
Mental and Emotional Well-Being of Children: A Portrait of States and the Nation
2007. (2010). [Chartbook].
- National Association of Mental Health Planning and Advisory Councils (NAMHPAC). Links to the website for each state and territory mental health planning and advisory council. Includes toolkits, brochures, and position statements to help the councils function more effectively. NAMHPAC is a national association of advocates, parents, and consumers involved with state mental health planning.
- National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD). Information about NASMHPD's technical-assistance programs, publications, data, and other resources that focus on state mental health services, including programs for children, adolescents, and families.
- National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP). Program information and publications about children's mental health. Located at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, NCCP works to identify and promote strategies that prevent child poverty and improve the lives of children and families with low incomes in the United States.
- National Children's Study. Information about this
study to examine the effects of
environmental influences on the
health and development of more
than 100,000 children and adolescents
across the United States, following
them from before birth until age
21. The goal of the study is to improve children's health and well-being and to improve the prevention and treatment of health problems such as behavior, learning, and mental health disorders.
The study is being led by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in collaboration with a consortium of federal government partners.
- Promising Practices Network (PPN) on Children, Families, and Communities. Information about programs and practices that research indicates are effective
in improving outcomes for children, adolescents, and families on topics that include behavior problems and mental health. PPN is operated by the RAND Corporation.
- Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures. Information about research projects that address issues such as career planning and development, foster care, treatment planning, transition policies, electronic health information literacy, and stigmatization in adolescents and young adults with serious mental health challenges. Resources include a webinar series and other training tools, research reviews, articles, fact sheets, and reports.
- Statewide Family and Consumer Networks Technical Assistance Center. Webinars, meeting materials, and publications to support organizational and
infrastructure development for family and consumer mental health support networks.
Topics include children's mental
health. The center
provides technical assistance to Statewide Family Network and Statewide
Consumer Network grantees of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Resources about mental health conditions and substance abuse;
treatment, prevention, and recovery; service delivery and practice
issues; research; data; and grants. Topics include health reform, health
information technology, mental health systems of care, and the specific needs
of military families. Some materials are available in Spanish. In addition
to electronic news services, publications and initiatives include
Mental Health, United States, 2010. (2012). [Report].
Caring for Every Child's Mental Health. Information about and materials to support this communications campaign to stimulate support for a comprehensive system of care approach to children's mental health services. Includes National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day materials and resources about systems-of-care and early childhood mental health.
Resource Center to Promote Acceptance, Dignity, and Social Inclusion Associated
with Mental Health (ADS Center). Information about what works to promote acceptance and social inclusion of
people with mental health challenges in schools, communities, and workplaces.
Includes training tools and resources to help create initiatives to promote social
inclusion. Other resources address language, the media, policy and legislation,
research, education, culture, gender, employment, rural communities, housing,
faith communities, and substance use disorders.
- Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health (TA Partnership). Program and conference information, webinars, reports, an electronic newsletter, and other resources to support local communities in their efforts to successfully develop and implement systems of care to meet the mental health needs of children, adolescents, and families. The TA Partnership is a collaboration between the National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health and the American Institutes for Research with funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
- TeenScreen National Center for Mental Health Checkups. Resources for the early identification of mental illness in adolescents, including
kits for developing a mental health screening initiative in primary care offices,
schools, and community-based programs; evidence-based resources for providing
mental health checkups to adolescents as part of their routine health care;
fact sheets on mental health, depression, and suicide; and a state resource
center with information about adolescent suicide, mental health issues, policy,
and state and federal government contacts. TeenScreen is affiliated with the
Columbia University Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Resources
include
On
the Front Line: How Pediatricians Can Improve Teen Mental Health. (2010). [Webinar, Background materials].
Priorities and Practicalities: Obtaining Payment for Mental Health Services in the Pediatric Office. (2011). [Webinar].
Trends in the Prescription of Antipsychotic Medications to Young Children. (2010). [Webinar].
What Do Health Care Reform and Insurance Parity Mean for Consumers and Families? (2010). [Webinar].
- Think:Kids. Rethinking Challenging Kids. Information about and resources to support this evidence-based approach for helping children with behavioral challenges. Resources are designed for mental health professionals, pediatricians, the leadership and staff of therapeutic facilities, educators, and parents and include an assessment tool, implementation guide, online discussion forums and a blog, training videos, and podcasts. Think:Kids is a program in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Additional Electronic Publications
- Ginsburg S, Foster S, Santoro K, Schoenman J. 2009. Strategies to Support the Integration of Mental Health Into Pediatric Primary Care. Washington, DC: National Institute for Health Care Management Research and Educational Foundation. [Paper].
- Holt W. 2010. The Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Project: Supporting Mental Health Treatment
in Primary Care. New York, NY: Commonwealth Fund. [Case study].
- Kraczkowsky K, Reagin A, Sherrets D. 2009. An Employer's Guide to Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Recommendations for
the Workplace, Health Plans, and Employee Assistance Programs. Washington, DC: National Business Group on Health. [Guide].
- Larson M. 2009. Supporting Transition to Adulthood Among Youth with Mental Health Needs: Action
Steps for Policymakers. Washington, DC: National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth). [Policy brief].
- Lenardson JD, Ziller EC, Lambert D, Race MM, Yousefian A. 2010. Access to Mental Health Services and Family Impact of Rural Children with Mental Health Problems. Portland, ME: Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy. [Report, Research and policy brief].
- Maza C, Krehely J. 2010. How to Improve Mental Health Care for LGBT Youth: Recommendations for the Department of Health and Human Services. Washington, DC: Center for American Progress. [Issue brief].
- Maza C. 2010. Providing a Lifeline for LGBT Youth: Mental Health Services and the Age of Consent. Washington, DC: Center for American Progress. [Issue brief].
- McMorrow S, Howell E. 2010. State Mental Health Systems for Children: A Review of the Literature and Available
Data Sources. Washington, DC: Urban Institute. [Report].
- National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth). 2009. Helping Youth with Mental Health Needs Avoid Transition Cliffs: Lessons from Pioneering Transition Programs. Washington, DC: National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth). [Issue brief].
- National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth). 2009. Successful Transition Models for Youth with Mental Health Needs: A Guide for Workforce Professionals. Washington, DC: National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth). [Issue brief].
- O'Connell E, Boat T, Warner, KE, eds. 2009. Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People: Progress
and Possibilities. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. [Report, webcast, report brief for policymakers, report brief for researchers, and brochure for parents].
- Parisi L, Bruno R. 2010. Dental and Mental Health Benefit: Improvements in CHIPRA. Washington, DC: Families USA. [Brief].
Databases
See the following set of MCH Library resource briefs to identify additional data and statistics, literature and research, and programs about children and adolescents with emotional, behavioral, and mental health challenges.
News and Commentary
- National
Technical Assistance Center for
Children's Mental Health: Data
Matters.
This interactive forum presents a new topic for discussion
each month, often based on current literature. Visitors
can read the article, browse additional resources,
review posted comments, post their own comments,
and access previous discussions to facilitate increased
interaction and discussion
about children's mental health.
Adolescent transition, the medical home model, and
school mental health programs are among the topics
covered.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): SAMHSA News. This bimonthly newsletter offers
news and information about
SAMHSA campaigns and initiatives,
grants, data, treatment updates,
and new publications about substance
use and the prevention and treatment
of mental health challenges.
- Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health: TA Partnership
Newsletter. This bimonthly electronic newsletter contains current child and family mental
health news, research updates, funding opportunities, and event listings.
Each issue also
contains articles that feature innovative and promising activities from system-of-care communities around the country.
- Think: Kids. Rethinking Challenging Kids. Presents a set of online discussion forums and a blog to foster communication among professionals and parents about how to understand and help children with
behavioral challenges.
Resources for Families
Resources for Schools
Resources on Specific Conditions
- MCH Library: MCH Organizations Database. To identify resources about specific conditions, type the name of the condition
in the keyword field of the database
search form. Click on Search MCH Organizations to get your results. For a more general search
of government, professional, and voluntary mental-health-related organizations,
type "mental health" in the keyword field of the database search form. Click on Search MCH Organizations to get your results.
- MedlinePlus: Mental Health and Behavior. Links to information in English and Spanish about a wide range of emotional,
behavioral, and mental health challenges affecting families. Also see Drugs, Herbs and Supplements to learn about prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, and herbal remedies.
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Resources about the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders in children
and adolescents including research news, information about clinical trials,
and publications in English and Spanish about specific disorders.
- Also see Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Special Topics
Early Childhood
- Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (CECMHC). Online tutorials, self-assessment tools, and resource guides to help Head Start
programs build a strong mental health foundation for program staff and enrolled
children and families. Includes a tutorial about recognizing and addressing
trauma in the
early care and education setting, evidence-based strategies for teaching young
children with challenging
behavior,
ideas for promoting social and emotional development in the classroom and at
home, and audio clips of relaxation exercises
in English and Spanish to promote staff wellness. CECMHC is part of the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development (GUCCHD). Resources include
- National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC). A collection of resources about early childhood mental health, social-emotional development, and challenging
behaviors. Topics include early identification, home visiting, intervention with young
children, federal legislation and initiatives, and systems of care and funding
for children's mental health services. Includes contact information for state agency staff responsible for implementing the early childhood provisions
of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and for Department of Education–funded early childhood projects.
NECTAC is the national early childhood technical assistance center supported
by the Department of Education (ED).
- Project LAUNCH. Program information and resources to plan, implement, and evaluate this initiative
aimed at improving the systems that serve young children and address their
physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and behavioral growth. Mental health
consultation, home visiting, developmental screening and assessment, family
strengthening, integrating behavioral health into primary care, and substance
abuse prevention are addressed. Project LAUNCH, a grant program of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is administered by the National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention.
- Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children (TACSEI). Teaching tools, training materials, issue briefs, and research syntheses for early childhood educators, health professionals, administrators, and families about evidence-based practices to address social skills and challenging behavior in young children. The center is funded by the Department of Education.
- Zero to Three. A wealth of research-based resources to promote early childhood mental health by supporting and strengthening families, communities, and those who work on behalf of infants and children from birth to age 3. Topics include challenging behavior, child maltreatment, impact of trauma, mental health screening and assessment, and building early childhood systems.
- Lyman DR, Holt W, Dougherty RH. 2010. State Case Studies of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Systems: Strategies
for Change. New York, NY: Commonwealth Fund.
- Also see the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) report, Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Young Children in the Child Welfare System: What Every Policymaker Should Know (2010) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) brief, Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Young Children and Their Families (2010).
Inappropriate
Use of Seclusion and Restraints
- Alliance
to Prevent Restraint, Aversive
Interventions and Seclusion
(APRAIS). Fact sheets, articles, position
papers, and other resources for families, educators,
and policymakers about the
risks of using aversive interventions,
restraints, and seclusion
and the benefits of using
positive behavior supports
to respond to or control
the behavior of children
and adolescents in schools, treatment programs, and
residential facilities. Includes
steps parents can take to
protect their children from abusive interventions. Led by TASH, APRAIS is composed of members from leading disability advocacy organizations.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Seclusion and Restraint. Action plan, guide, issue briefs, reports, and other resources about promoting alternatives to the use of seclusion and restraint in mental health and behavioral health services.
- Kutz GD. 2009. Seclusions and Restraints: Selected Cases of Death and Abuse at Public and Private
Schools and Treatment Centers. Washington, DC: Government Accountability
Office (GAO). [Report].
- National Disability Rights Network (NDRN). 2010. School Is Not Supposed to Hurt: Update on Progress in 2009 to Prevent and Reduce Restraint and Seclusion in Schools. Washington, DC: National
Disability Rights Network (NDRN). [Report].
- Also see the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical report, Maltreatment of Children with Disabilities (2007).
- Also see the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children (TACSEI) issue brief, Preventing the Use of Restraint and Seclusion with Young Children: The Role of Effective, Positive Practices (2011).
Juvenile
Justice
Military Families
- National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN): Military Children and Families. Resources for families, educators, and health and social services professionals about family functioning and support and stressors related to relocation, parental separation during deployment, family reunification and reintegration, and traumatic grief.
- National Military Family Association (NMFA): Mental Health Care. Information and resources about military deployment and its effect on the mental
health of military family members and on the well being of children. Includes toolkits for adults who work with children and adolescents whose parents are in the military. Also includes information about accessing mental health care in TRICARE, the Department of Defense worldwide health care program for uniformed service members, retirees, and their families and survivors.
- Zero to Three: Coming Together Around Military Families. Information and resources for professionals and families about the needs of infants and children from birth to age 3 whose parents are experiencing military deployment, reunification, and relocation.
- See the federal interagency policy committee report, Strengthening Our Military Families: Meeting America's Commitment (2011).
- Also see the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) brief, Trauma Faced by Children of Military Families: What Every Policymaker Should Know (2010).
Parental Depression and Other Mental Health Concerns
- Mental Health America (MHA): Strengthening Families. A series of fact sheets about parents who have mental health conditions.
- National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACoA). Resources for health and social services professionals, educators, clergy, and families about children and adolescents affected by parental alcohol and drug addiction.
- National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW). Online training tutorials, literature reviews, reports, federal and state policy
tools and legislation, and other resources for health, social services, and
court professionals and legislators about systems and practice for families
with substance use disorders
who are involved
in
the
child welfare
and family
judicial
systems. Topics include families with substance use, mental health conditions,
and co-occurring disorders. NCSACW is a service of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
- Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. 2009. Maternal Depression Can Undermine the Development of Young Children. Cambridge, MA: Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. [Working paper].
- England MJ, Sim LJ, eds. 2009. Depression in Parents, Parenting, and Children: Opportunities to Improve Identification, Treatment, and Prevention. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. [Report, executive summary].
- Santoro K, Peabody H. 2010. Identifying and Treating Maternal Depression: Strategies and Considerations for Health Plans. Washington, DC: National Institute for Health Care Management Research and Educational Foundation. [Issue brief].
- See the MCH Library knowledge paths Depression During and After Pregnancy and Maternal Distress in the Perinatal Period and Child Outcomes.
- See the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) data briefs, Children Living with Substance-Dependent or Substance-Abusing Parents: 2002 to 2007 (2009) and Substance Use Among Young Mothers (2011).
Related MCH Library Resources
- Adolescent Violence Prevention knowledge path (Includes Violent Crime Victims section), family resource brief, school resource brief
- Autism Spectrum Disorders knowledge path, family resource brief, school resource brief
- Bullying resource brief
- Child Maltreatment resource brief
- Children and Adolescents Exposed to Violence resource brief
- Children and Adolescents with Special Health Care Needs knowledge path, family resource brief, school resource brief
- Community Services Locator: An Online Directory for Finding Community Services for Children and Families knowledge path
- Intimate Partner Violence knowledge path, family resource brief
- Medications resource brief
- Reaching Out to Children and Youth Following Disasters resource brief
- Screening resource brief
- Sleep in Infants, Children, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women knowledge path, family resource brief, school resource brief
- Social and Emotional Development in Children and Adolescents knowledge path,
family resource brief, school resource brief
- Suicide Prevention resource brief
- Tobacco, Alcohol, and Substance Use in Children and Adolescents resource brief
Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Health Challenges in Children and Adolescents:
Knowledge Path, 3rd ed. (July 2011). (Updated: January 2013).
Author: Susan Brune Lorenzo,
M.L.S., MCH Library.
Reviewers: Lauren Agoratus, M.A., Family Voices and Family-to-Family Health Information Resource Center at the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network of N.J.; Olivia Pickett, M.A., M.L.S., MCH Library; Judi Siegel, L.I.C.S.W., Children's Hospital Boston; Sandy Swan, M.L.S., M.P.H., C.H.I.S., Phil Johnson Historic Archives and Research Library.
Editor: Ruth Barzel, M.A., MCH Library.
