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Home My WebLink AboutCASSP Alert November 2013 DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WELFARE, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Bureau of Children’s Behavioral Health Services DGS Annex Complex, Beechmont Building, 2nd Floor, P. O. Box 2675, Harrisburg, PA 17105 Phone: 717-772-7984; Fax: 717-705-8268; E-mail: c-hbicksle@pa.gov Beverly D. Mackereth, Secretary, Department of Public Welfare; Dennis Marion, Deputy Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services; Stan Mrozowski, Director, Bureau of Children’s Behavioral Health Services; Harriet S. Bicksler, Alert Editor Volume 22, Number 11; November 2013 SAFE SCHOOLS/HEALTHY STUDENTS PARTNERSHIP GRANT BEGINS As reported last month, OMHSAS recently was awarded a federal grant of $2 million per year for four years to help create safe and supportive schools and communities. OMHSAS will work in partnership with the Department of Education to implement the grant which will develop exemplary safe and supportive schools in three local education agencies: Penncrest School District, Crawford County; Northeastern School District, York County; and Carbon- Lehigh Intermediate Unit. The State will work with these three school systems and their respective county partners to develop local needs assessment and to implement plans that organize the resources of the schools, child serving agencies, and communities. The planning process will identify ways to decrease bullying, youth violence and criminal behavior as well as to promote the healthy development, social and emotional learning, and academic achievement of all students. There are many programs that have proven outcomes for youth with serious behavior problems. However, what is lacking is a comprehensive multi-tiered framework which brings together service agencies, community resources, schools, and families with a dedicated commitment to fully support the healthy development of young people. Currently, applications are being accepted for project director, co-director and administrative assistance. The postings are available at www.iu1.org/hr/career/pattan- nov13.shtml. Deadline for applications is Nov. 13. FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS VIDEO AVAILABLE ONLINE A presentation prepared by the children’s bureau on “Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders” is available online. The presentation features children’s bureau staff member Deborah Hardy, child psychiatrist consultant Gordon Hodas, and family member Dianna Brocious. It is part of a training series sponsored by Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and co- sponsored by OMHSAS. The presentation gives an overview of the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on an individual over his/her lifetime, intervention approaches, statistics regarding prevalence of FASD in Pennsylvania and recommended actions for the state of Pennsylvania to address the issues. FASD is the umbrella term used to describe the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects may include physical, behavioral, mental and/or learning disabilities with possible lifelong implications. FASD is thought to affect one in 100 individuals in the United States. The videoconference is available at http://medicalmedia.upmc.com/webtrai ning/wpic/oerp/oerp050813/# REMINDER: CHECK OUT THESE REGULAR OMHSAS RESOURCES FOCUS on ECMH factsheets: These are brief reader-friendly discussions of a variety of topics related to early childhood mental health, designed especially for parents of young children and early learning practitioners. A new topic is published each month. The factsheets can be used as handouts for parents or reproduced in newsletters. Sample topics: separation anxiety, temperamental differences, bullying in preschool, the importance of attachment, dealing with loss and change, more development, jealousy. The full list of more than 50 topics is available at http://www.parecovery.org/services_chil d.shtml#focus Children’s Mental Health Matters: These regular columns are written by the children’s bureau’s child psychiatrist consultants, Dr. John Biever and Dr. Gordon Hodas. The columns address contemporary issues in children’s mental health and wellness and help support children and adolescents and their families. Dr. Biever’s columns focus on early childhood, and Dr. Hodas focuses on a range of issue. Sample topics: decreasing stigma and prejudice, trauma- informed care, psychotropic medication, the youth voice, temperament, resilience, keys to an effective parenting style. All columns are available at http://www.parecovery.org/resources_C MHM.shtml COMBINED EDITION: The December and January editions of the Alert will be combined as usual and published near the end of December. PROPOSALS INVITED FOR “PREMIER” CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH CONFERENCE The 2014 Training Institutes sponsored by Georgetown University’s National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health will take place July 16-20, 2014, in Washington, DC. The theme is “Improving Children’s Mental Health Care in an Era of Change, Challenge and Innovation: The Role of the System of Care Approach.” Proposals are invited to appeal to a wide range of individuals, including state and local policy-makers and administrators, providers and clinicians, family members and youth, and individuals from other child-serving agencies. The deadline for proposals is Nov. 22, 2013. More information and a link to the proposal form are available at http://gucchdtacenter.georgetown.edu/T rainingInstitutes.html MORE RESOURCES Top Ten Free Mental Health Apps for Smartphones, useful for personal mental health and for professionals to refer to clients; http://ow.ly/qoqK7 Bibliography of Family Involvement Research (2011), from the Harvard University Family Research Project; http://ow.ly/qor7o Baby Facts, from Zero to Three; the basic facts about infants and toddlers in the United States. National information: http://ow.ly/qorL0. Pennsylvania-specific facts (click on state on map): http://ow.ly/qorZh Resources for Parents on Understanding Trauma, from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network; http://ow.ly/qosg5 Bullying and Suicide, results of a study of middle-school students, confirming that “involvement in bullying in any capacity is linked to increased risk for suicidal ideations and behavior,” especially for children who both bully others and are victims of bullying; free articles from the Journal of Adolescent Health, November 2013: http://ow.ly/qousu. National Girls Institute, federally-funded partnership between the National Council on Crime and Delinquency and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; research-based training and resource clearinghouse to advance understanding of girls’ issues and improve program and system responses to girls in the juvenile justice system; http://www.nationalgirlsinstitute.org/ CONFERENCE/TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES Nov. 15-17, 2013: “Children’s Mental Health Matters: Increasing Awareness and Improving Services,” Grand Hyatt, Washington, DC. 24th Annual Conference of the Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health, Washington, DC. More information at http://conference2013.ffcmh.org/ *Nov. 16, 2013: “Navigating the Special Education Maze in a Time of Shrinking Resources: Obtaining Appropriate Services for Kids with LD, ADHD and Emotional/ Behavioral Issues,” Holiday Inn Harrisburg East, Harrisburg. Sponsored by the Learning Disabilities Association of Pennsylvania. More information at www.ldapa.org/wkspandconf.html Dec. 4, 2013: “Selective Mutism and Social Anxiety: A Great Paradigm for Innovative Treatment,” Doylestown Health and Wellness Center, Warrington. Sponsored by Foundations Community Partnership. More information at www.fcpartnership.org *Dec. 11, 2013: “Treatment of Juvenile Sex Offenders,” videoconference sponsored by Office of Education and Regional Programming, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. More information at www.wpic.pitt.edu/oerp. Feb. 23-25, 2014: “One Student at a Time,” 24th Annual PA Association of Student Assistance Professionals Conference, Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College. More information at www.pasap.org. Mar. 3-6, 2014: 26th Annual Children’s Mental Health Research and Policy Conference, Hilton Tampa Downtown Hotel, Tampa, FL. Sponsored by the Department of Child and Family Studies, University of South Florida. More information at http://cmhtampaconference.com/ April 9-10, 2014: “Inspiring Hope— Fostering Success,” Sheraton Harrisburg- Hershey Hotel, Harrisburg. Sponsored by the PA Council for Children, Youth and Family Services. More information at http://pccyfs.org/Spring_Conf.html April 22-23, 2014: Pennsylvania Family Group Decision Making Conference, Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey. Sponsored by the Office of Children, Youth and Families and Others. April 23-25, 2014: “Supporting Young Children’s Social Emotional Development,” 11th Annual National Training Institute on Effective Practices, Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort and Golf Club, St. Petersburg, FL. Sponsored by the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention. More information at http://nti.cbcs.usf.edu/ *July 16-20, 2014: “Improving Children’s Mental Health Care in an Era of Change, Challenge and Innovation: The Role of the System of Care Approach,” National Training Institutes of National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health, Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, Washington, DC. Proposals invited. More information at http://gucchdtacenter.georgetown.edu/T rainingInstitutes.html Note: Additional children’s mental health training is available from Drexel University; University of Pittsburgh Office of Education and Regional Programs, and Philadelphia Child and Family Therapy Training Center, (*new listing this month)