[mentalhealth-l] ENEWS: May, 2004 (Vol. 8 #8)

mentalhealth-l at lists.ucla.edu mentalhealth-l at lists.ucla.edu
Fri Apr 30 10:54:55 PDT 2004


ENEWS: A Monthly Forum for Sharing and Interchange

May, 2004 (Vol. 8 #8)

Source: UCLA SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH PROJECT/
      CENTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH IN SCHOOLS

WHAT IS ENEWS? (For those who don't know) This is another link for those 
concerned with
enhancing policies, programs, and practices related to addressing barriers 
to student learning
to promoting mental health in schools.  It augments the other ways our 
Center shares information
and facilitates interchange/networking.

<><><><><><><><>
Feel Free to Forward This to Anyone
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

WHAT'S HERE THIS MONTH

**Emerging Issue
 >Why are Student Support Staff so Expendable?

**News from Around the Country

**This Month's Focus for Schools to Address Barriers to Learning
 >May - Time to Help Students and Families Plan Successful Transitions  to 
a New Grade or a New School

**Recent Publications Relevant to
 >Children's Mental and Physical Health
 >Family, Schools & Communities
 >Policy, Law, Ethics, Finances & Statistics

**Upcoming Initiatives, Conferences & Workshops

**Calls for Grant Proposals, Presentations & Papers

**Updates from the two National Centers focusing on Mental Health in Schools

**Other Helpful Resources

**Training & Job Opportunities (including fellowships and scholarships)

**Comments/Requests/Information/Questions from the Field

<><><><><><><>

To post messages to ENEWS, E-mail them to smhp at ucla.edu

If you were sent ENEWS indirectly, you can be added to our list at no 
charge by sending an E-mail request to Listserv at lists.ucla.edu.  Leave the 
subject line blank and in the body of the message type Subscribe 
mentalhealth-L.

To remove your name from the mailing list type Unsubscribe mentalhealth-L.

<><><><><><><>
**Emerging Issue

 >>>>>>Why are Student Support Staff so Expendable?

As schools struggle to balance dwindling budgets, once again masses of 
student support professionals
are being laid off. Not surprisingly, such professionals find it hard to 
understand why their work is seen
as so unnecessary. We regularly receive requests for help in clarifying how 
to make the argument for
retaining such personnel. (One resource we recommend is the Center's report 
entitled: "Restructuring
Boards of Education to Enhance Schools' Effectiveness in Addressing 
Barriers to Student Learning"
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/boardrep.pdf).  Given the importance of 
this matter, we are asking
everyone to let us know about how the argument has been made successfully 
in any school district.

 >>We look forward to your comments (ltaylor at ucla.edu).   We plan to 
circulate all responses widely and
quickly, as well as posting them on our website's Net Exchange at 
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu.

@#@#@#@#@#

**NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY

 >MORE THAN 380,000 CHILDREN DIAGNOSED WITH MULTIPLE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS
According to Rutgers University's "Latest Findings in Children's Mental 
Health" (Winter, 2004): "Almost a third
of the 1.3 million children in the U.S. mental health system (388,635) have 
been diagnosed with two or more
psychiatric disorders, a condition that makes them significantly more 
difficult and expensive to treat.... The older
the children, the more likely they were to have co-occurring disorders and 
the broader their range of 
problems...."        (Http://www.ihhcpar.rutgers.edu)

 >U.S. FINDS FAULT WITH CHILD WELFARE PROGRAMS IN ALL 50 STATES
"...About 900,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect in 2002, and 
1,400 of them died, according to the
most recent state data, compiled and reported this month by the Department 
of Health and Human Services..."
(New York Times, 4/26/04)

 >RESEARCH ON MEDICATION FOR CHILDREN'S DEPRESSION IS DEPRESSING
The Lancet, Editorial for 4/24/04 states: "...The story of research into 
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
(SSRI) use in childhood depression is one of confusion, manipulation, and 
institutional failure.... Changes
are required at every level of the global health-care infrastructure...."

 >SOME SUCCESSES, MANY SHORTFALLS IN QUALITY OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDED 
AMERICAN CHILDREN
"Quality of Health Care for Children and Adolescents: A Chartbook" notes 
that one-third of children
with asthma don't get appropriate controller medications and three-fourths 
of children with severe
mental health problems don't get evaluation and treatment.
(The Commonwealth Fund, 4/15/04   http://www.cmwf.org)

 >NEW YORK'S SMALL SCHOOLS UNEASY INSIDE BIG ONES
"...critics, including teachers, parents and students at large schools, say 
the city's Department of
Education is paying too little attention to the details of the transition 
(to embedding small schools) and
to softening the disparities in resources and attention between the new 
schools and the old, a particularly
touchy subject when the have-nots were there first.  They wonder whether 
the city's large schools will be
destabilized in the process, dooming them...." (New York Times, 4/14/04)

 >RESEARCH ARGUES AGAINST HOLDING BACK 3RD GRADERS
"Chicago's aggressive nine-year effort to end social promotion ... has been 
enormously expensive while
yielding few benefits, according to two studies released yesterday by 
researchers who have monitored the
effort. The reports found that the strict promotion rules, adopted in the 
1995-96 school year, had not helped
third graders, had sharply increased special education placements for third 
and sixth graders and had led
to a higher dropout rate for students who were forced to repeat eighth 
grade..." (The New York Times, 4/7/04)

(Note: See our website's newly formatted "What's New" Page for a current 
news item posted each week.)

@#@#@#@#
"Supporters and opponents of social promotion are fighting last century's 
war... It is time to rethink the
organization we call school, and with it the very idea of social 
promotion... The solution is genuinely
performance-based instructional grouping...There is no more certain 
evidence than the social promotion
debate that we are still prisoners of time..."
           Denis P. Doyle
           @#@#@#@#@#

**MONTHLY FOCUS FOR SCHOOLS TO ADDRESS BARRIERS TO LEARNING

To aid school staff in planning for the predictable challenges that come 
with the cycle of the school year,
the Center has developed 12 monthly themes for a proactive agenda.  All 12 
months are online at "Ideas
for Enhancing Support at Your School This 
Month"   (http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu).  Below is the theme for May.

 >>>>May - Time to Help Student and Families Plan Successful Transitions to 
a New Grade or a New School

The traditional school year draws to a close: Teachers, students, and 
families appreciate their
work together ... and anticipate the changes ahead. New teachers ... New 
Schools ... New Peer
Groups ... New Opportunities, Challenges, and Stressors.  Transitions are 
truly risky opportunities.
They call for programs that prepare students and their families for the 
transitions and for planned follow
up to ensure transitions are successfully negotiated.  Programs are needed 
that
 >Provide closure related to what the student is leaving behind
 >Enhance articulation between the old and the new
 >Welcome newcomers and ensure they have the types of social supports that
   facilitate positive acceptance and adjustment in the new setting
 >Assess transition success
 >Implement timely corrective interventions when transitions are not 
successful.

Interventions to enable successful transitions make a significant 
difference in how motivationally
ready and able students are to benefit from schooling. See the website 
feature on monthly themes
for enhancing support at your school. It provides examples of empirically 
supported model transition
programs and a Self-Study Survey related to Support for Transitions.

For more information, go to http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu and find the Quick 
Find topics:
 >>Support for Transitions
 >>Transition Programs/Grade Articulation

You will find reference to
 >>"Welcoming and Involving New Students and Families" (a Technical Aid 
Packet)
 >>"What Schools Can Do to Welcome and Meet the Needs of All Students and 
Families"  (a Guide to Practice)
 >>"Support for Transitions to Address Barriers to Learning" (a Training 
utorial)

@#@#@#@#
New Student to teacher:
"I have a message to give you from my last teacher. She didn't write it down,
but she told me to tell you that you're very lucky to have me for a student."
           @#@@#@#@#

**RECENT PUBLICATIONS (IN PRINT AND ON THE WEB)

 >>>>CHILDREN'S MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH

   >National Institute of Mental Health Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD
Follow-up: Changes in effectiveness and growth after the end of treatment 
(2004)
Pediatrics, 113(4) 762-69.

   >Antidepressant medication in children (2004) B. Vitiello & S. Swedo, The
New England Journal of Medicine, 350 (15) 14891491.

   >Raising a moody child: How to cope with depression and bipolar disorder
(2004) M. Fristad & A. Goldberg, Guilford Press.

   >Depressive symptoms: How do adolescent compare with adults? (2004) R.
Wright, Journal of Adolescent Health, 34(4) 314-323.

   >How can young people's resilience be enhanced? Experiences from a clinical
intervention project (2004)  R. Waaktaar, et al, Clinical Child Psychology and
Psychiatry, 9(2)

   >Assessing the most powerful analysis method for school-based intervention
studies with alcohol, tobacco, and other drug outcomes (2004) J. Janega, et al,
Addictive Behaviors, 29(3) 595-606.

   >Posttraumatic stress disorder and trauma in youth in juvenile detention
(2004) J. Abram, et al,  Archives of General Psychiatry, 61(4) 403-410.

   >Mobilizing trauma resources for children, (2004) W. Harris, et al, 
Presented
at the Johnson and Johnson Pediatric Institute
(http://www.nctsnet.org/nccts/nav.do?pid=hom_main)

   >Predictors of post-traumatic distress in child welfare workers: A linear
structural equation model (2004) C. Regehr, et al, Children and Youth Services
Review, 26(4) 331-346.

   >The potential protective effects of youth assets from adolescent sexual 
risk
behaviors (2004) S. Vesely, et al, Journal of Adolescent Health, 34(5) 356-365.

   >Some reasons that mental health treatments are not technologies: Toward
treatment development and adaptation outside labs (2004) M. Southam-Gerow,
Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 7(2) 186-189


 >>>>FAMILIES, SCHOOL & COMMUNITIES

   >Bullying: implications for the classroom (2004) C. Sanders and G. Phye,
Elsevier (http://books.elsevier.com)

   >Ending social promotion: Dropout rates in Chicago after implementation of
the eighth-grade promotion gate (2004) E. Allensworth, Consortium on Chicago
School Research (http://www.consortium-chicago.org/publications/p69.html)

   >Diffusion of mental health and substance abuse treatments: Development,
dissemination, and implementation (2004) H. Gotham, Clinical Psychology:
Science and Practice, 7(2)

   >No time to waste: Programs to reduce teen pregnancy among middle school-
aged youth (2004) The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and Child
Trends, (http://www.teenpregnancy.org)

   >Smart growth and school reform: What if we talked about race and took
community seriously? (2004) H. Baum, Journal of the American Planning
Association, 70(1) (http://www.planning.org/japa/pdf/baum.pdf)

   >Impact of intensive family support programs: A synthesis of evaluation
studies (2004) C. Dagenais, et al, Children and Youth Services Review, 26(3)
249-263.

   >Social disadvantage and neglectful parenting as precursors to the
development of antisocial and aggressive child behavior: Testing a theoretical
model (2004) J. Knutson, et al, Aggressive Behavior, 30(3) 187-205.

   >The impact of parental problem drug use on children: What is the problem
and what can be done to help?  (2004) M. Barnard & N. McKeganey, Addiction,
99(5) 552-559.

   >The delivery, financing, and assessment of professional development in
education: Pre-service preparation and in-service training (2004) Finance 
Project
(http://www.financeproject.org)

   >Taking advantage of opportunities: Community involvement, well-being,
and urban youth (2004) S. McMahon, et al, Journal of Adolescent Health, 34(4)
262-265.

   >Engaging with families in out-of-school time learning (2004) Harvard
School of Education
(http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/afterschool/resources/snapshot4.html)

   >The family-school partnership: An opportunity to promote the learning
competence of all students (2004) S. Christenson, School Psychology Quarterly,
18(4) 454-482.

   >Stress and physical health: The role of neighborhoods as mediating and
moderating mechanisms (2003) J. Boardman, Social Science & Medicine, 58(12)
2473-2483.


 >>>>POLICY, LAW, ETHICS, FINANCES & STATISTICS

   >Policy Brief: School & college partnerships   the missing link. (2004)
WestEd, (http://www.wested.org/policy)

   >In defense of our children (2004) E. Garan.  Heinman
(http://www.heinemann.com)

   >Why is teenage pregnancy conceptualized as a social problem?  A review of
quantitative research from the USA and UK.  (2004) C. Bonell, Culture, Health &
Sexuality, 6(3) 255-272.

   >Before and after school care, programs, and activities of children in
kindergarten through eighth grade: 2001 (2004) National Center for Educational
Statistics (http://nces.ed.gov)

   >A balanced school accountability model: An alternative to high-stakes 
testing
(2004) K. Jones, Phi Delta Kappan, 85(8) 584-590.

   >The Foundation for Child Development Index of Child Well-Being, 1975-
2002, with Projections for 2003 (2004) Duke University
(http://www.brookings.edu)

   >Trends in private and public health insurance for adolescents. (2004) P.
Newacheck, et al, The Journal of the American Medical Association 291(10)
1231-1237.

   >Elimination of health disparities in racial/ethnic minority communities:
Developing data indicators to assess the progress of community-based efforts.
(2003) M. Edberg, et al, Evaluation and Program Planning, 26(1) 11-19.

   >The high school sophomore class of 2002: A demographic description (2004)
National Center for Educational Statistics (http://nces.ed.gov)

(Note: the Quick Find topic search menu on our website is updated regularly 
with
new reports and publications such as those listed above.  Currently there 
are over
100 topics with direct links to our Center materials and to other online 
resources
and related centers.  (Http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu) Let us know about 
publications
and reports that should be shared)

@#@#@@
"I told the dean I couldn't go to the detention center
because I have a detention-deficit disorder."
                Aaron Bacall
                     @#@#@#@


**UPCOMING INITIATIVES, CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS

 >Building on Family Strengths: Research and Services in Support of 
Children and
their Families, May 6-8, Portland, OR.  Http://www.rtc.pdx.edu.

 >Family Support America, May 12-15, Chicago, IL
(http://www.familysupportamerica.org)

 >Strength Based Services, May 15-18, Richmond, VA (804-264-9666).

 >Afterschool for All Challenge, May 19-20, Washington, DC
(http://www.afterschoolalliance.org)

 >Making Children a National Priority, June 7-11, Indianapolis, IN
(http://www.cwla.org)

 >Justice for all: Fighting for America's Mental Health, June 9-12, Washington,
DC (http://www.nmha.org)

 >Educating Minds and Hearts: Safe Schools, Healthy Character Development,
Academic Success and Social Emotional Education, July 6-9, NY, NY
(http://www.csee.net)

 >Principles and Practices of Effective Schools, June 21-23, Santa Fe, NM (800-
522-0772, ext 1022.

 >Charting the Course for Our Children's Future, CSMHA's 4th Annual School
Health Interdisciplinary Program (SHIP), August 2 - 6, 2004, Turf Valley Resort
& Conference Center
Ellicott City, Maryland   (http://csmha.umaryland.edu/)

 >The School Mental Health Imperative, CSMHA's 9th Annual Conference on
Advancing School-Based Mental Health, October 7-9, 2004, Dallas, Texas
(http://csmha.umaryland.edu/)

 >Achieving the Promise of Recovery: New Freedom, New Power, New Hope,
October 13-17, Denver, CO (800-776-1286)

 >National Community Education Association, November 10-13, San Diego, CA
(http://www.ncea.com)

(For more conference announcements, refer to our website at
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu.  Go to Contents, then click on Upcoming
Conferences.  If you want to list your conference, please email 
ltaylor at ucla.edu).

@#@#@@#
"I had a handle on life ... but it broke.
                     @#@#@#

**CALLS FOR GRANT PROPOSALS, PRESENTATIONS & PAPERS

 >GRANTS:

** See the "electronic storefront" for Federal Grants at http://www.grants.gov.

 >>U. S. Department of Education (http://www.ed.gov)
 >Training & Information for Parents of Children with Disabilities, Parent
   Training and Information Centers, Deadline 5/26/04
 >Behavior at Elementary Level, Deadline 7/6/04
 >Center on Children Involved in or at Risk of Involvement in the Justice 
System,  Deadline 7/9/04.
 >Safe Schools/Healthy Students, Deadline 7/12/04
 >Mentoring Grants, Deadline 7/12/04
 >Emergency Response Plans for School Safety Initiative, Deadline 7/12/04
 >Policy Issues in Children's Mental Health, Deadline 8/05.

 >>Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(http://www.samhsa.gov)
 >National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Child and
   Adolescent Mental Health Cooperative Agreement, Deadline 5/21/04.
 >Youth Transition into the Workplace Grants, Deadline 5/27/04
 >Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Substance Abuse State
   Infrastructure Grants, Deadline 6/3/04.

 >>Administration for Children and Families (http://www.acf.hhs.gov)
 >Compassion Capital Fund Targeted Capacity Building Program, Deadline 5/19/04

 >>American Psychological Association (http://www.apa.org/apf)
 >Request for proposals for research-based programs on violence
   prevention and intervention. Deadline 8/15/04.

 >>National Institute of Health (http://grants1.nih.gov)
 >Effectiveness, Practice, and Implementation in CMHS's Children's
   Services Sites (PA-04-019) Deadlines June 1, October 1.

(Note: If you want to Surf the Internet for Funds, go to 
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu.
Click on Quick Find, scroll down Center Responses to FINANCING AND
FUNDING.  Provides links to funding sources and our Quick Training Aid on
Financing Strategies to Address Barriers to Learning).

 >>CALLS FOR PAPERS

 >Proposals for the National Schools Boards Association conference in San Diego
5/05.  Submit presentation proposals online at http://www.nsba.org/conference.
Deadline 6/7/04.

 >Proposals for National Multicultural Conference, Los Angeles, 1/27/05. Send
proposals to lvazquez at nmsu.edu.  Deadline 7/9/04.

@#@#@#@#
"It was impossible to get a conversation going: Everybody was talking too 
much."
                                              Yogi 
Berra
@#@#@#@#

**UPDATES FROM THE TWO NATIONAL CENTERS FOCUSING ON
MENTAL HEALTH IN SCHOOLS

^   ^    ^    Updates from our Center at UCLA

** Spring Quarterly hardcopy Newsletter in the mail and online

   >>Feature article: "Diversity and Professional Competence in Schools...a
mental health perspective."  (Includes an outline of general arenas relevant to
practitioner competence and a number of online resources for professional
development in this area.)

   >>Other articles:
 >>>an example of legislation to include a "Comprehensive Pupil Learning
Support System" in the state education code;

 >>> Obesity and Mental Health and the implications for the current public
health focus and it's impact on schools and students;

 >>>a look at one state's implementation of a student learning support
system and resource teams;

The Newsletter insert is our annual impact evaluation form requesting feedback.
We hope to hear from you.

If you are not receiving this free resource, let us know so we can put you 
on the mailing list.

** Outreach Campaign to School Boards

 >The Center Report: "Restructuring Boards of Education to Enhance Schools'
Effectiveness in Addressing Barriers to Student Learning" will soon be sent 
to the
Presidents of District School Boards in every state. As school boards are 
making
difficult decisions about budget cutting, this document is designed to 
provide a
stimulus for thinking about the importance of learning support and using 
existing
resources more effectively.  If there is someone you want to be sure 
receives this
report, please email ltaylor at ucla.edu.  The mailing will also include 
information
on the Summits for New Directions for Student Support as we begin to create
readiness in states planning state Summits and provide follow up to states that
have begun to implement the New Directions Initiative.  If you want to 
review or
download the School Board Report, go to
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/boardrep.pdf. For info on the Summits
initiative, go to http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu.

** Resources online related to the President's New Freedom Commission on
Mental Health as it applies to Mental Health in Schools

   If you click on "About Mental Health in Schools" on our the homepage of our
website, it will take you to a newly formatted array of options.  One of these
focuses on the New Freedom Initiative as it applies to Mental Health in 
Schools.
You will find:
 >"Integrating Agendas for Mental Health in Schools into the 
Recommendations of the
    President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health"
 >"Resource Synthesis to Help Integrate Mental Health in Schools into the 
Commission
    Recommendations" (links to online resources)
 >"Gap Analysis of the Resource Synthesis" (provides directions to the areas
    most pressing for research and resource development
 >"Mental Health of Children and Youth: The Important Role of Primary Care 
Health Professionals"
 >"Mental Health of Children and Youth and the Role of Public Health 
Professionals"
 >"Youngsters' Mental Health and Psychosocial Problems: What are the Data?"

** State Summits on New Directions for Student Support   If you would like to
explore having a Summit for New Directions for Student Support in your state,
please let us know (ltaylor at ucla.edu).

**Update on CA legislation for a "Comprehensive Pupil Learning Support
System."  We continue to work with the assembly as this bill (AB 2569) advances
through the political process.  Access the current version of the bill at
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/summit2002/ab2569.pdf
The bill's intent is to use existing resources more effectively, rather 
than request
new funding. As such, it provides an important model for other states to 
consider
adapting.

If you have information on work that is advancing the concept of a system of
student learning supported designed to enhance student success in schools by
addressing barriers to learning, please let us know so we can include it in
answering the oft asked question "Where's It Happening?"  (Ltaylor at ucla.edu)

Contact us at SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH PROJECT/
CENTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH IN SCHOOLS
UCLA Department of Psychology
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563
Phone (310) 825-3634; Toll Free (866) 846-4843; Fax (310) 206-8716
Email: smhp at ucla.edu
For more information go to the Center website: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu

^   ^   ^ FOR UPDATES FROM OUR SISTER CENTER, "Center for School
Mental Health Assistance," see their website at http://csmha.umaryland.edu or
contact Mark Weist, Director, CSMHA, University of Maryland at Baltimore,
Department of Psychiatry, 680 W. Lexington St., 10th fl., Baltimore, MD 21201.
Phone (888) 706-0980.  Email csmh at umpsy.umaryland.edu

@#@#@#@
Mom: "Why did you get a zero on your test?"
Heather: "That's not a zero.  It's a full moon.  The teacher ran out of stars."
                                         Amber Roberts

@#@#@#@#@#@#@#

**OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES

**Mental Health/Substance Abuse/Health

 >Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's updated
Directory of Drug, Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs provides information on
thousands of programs. (Http://www.samhsa.gov)

 >National Institute of Health, Curriculum Supplement Series, for grades 7-8:
Understanding Alcohol: Investigations into Biology and Behavior
(http://science.education.nih.gov/customers.nsf/MSAlcohol?OpenForm)

 >Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma, (U. S. Department of
Health and Human Services, SAMHSA, Center for Mental Health Services)
http://www.adscenter.org (800-540-0320).

 >Teaching Young Children in Violent Times, Educators for Social Responsibility
(http://www.esrnational.org)

 >Child Care and Early Education Research Connections
(http://childcareresearch.org)

 >Institute for Mental Health Initiatives
(http://www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/imhi/index.cfm)


**Parents, Schools, Communities

 >Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy (http://www.excelgov.org)

 >Tools for School-Improvement Planning
(http://www.annenberginstitute.org/tools/)

 >Role of Principal Leadership in Increasing Teacher Retention: Creating a
Supportive Environment (http://www.advocatesfored.org/principalstudy.htm)

 >Positive Parenting for Adolescent Health "Shoulder to Shoulder" campaign
(English and Spanish) http://www.shouldertoshoulderminnesota.org

 >Early Childhood Education bibliography
(http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/fine/resources/bibliography/ece.html)

 >Head Start Performance Standards on Family and Community Partnerships
(http://www.ecqnet.org/ecq/HeadStart/perfstand/showps.cfm?SiteID=105)

 >Creating Partnerships, Bridging Worlds: Family and Community Engagement
(http://www.turningpts.org/guides.htm)

 >Center for Parent Leadership (http://www.centerforparentleadership.org)

 >Volunteer Management Capacity in America's Charities and Congregations: A
Briefing Report (http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=410963)

(Note: for access to a wide range of relevant websites, see our "Gateway to a
World of Resources" at http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu).

##########

**TRAINING AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES

<Project Coordinator>
Illinois Children's Mental Health Partnership, Chicago. Masters degree plus 3
years experience with collaborations (Gaylord Gieseke, Voices for IL Children,
208 S. LaSalle, St, Suite 1490, Chicago, IL 60604)

<Associate Director Child Research>
The Trauma Center, Brookline, MA. Ph.D. in Psychology required plus two years
postdoctoral experience. Contact spinazzola at traumacenter.org.

<Internships>
Institute for Mental Health Initiatives, George Washington University,
Washington, DC. See http://www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/imhi/academic/intern.cfm

<Research>
Part-time research interviewers, East Boston Family Study, Revere MA. Contact
gretchen.biesecker at channing.harvard.edu.

(For more information on employment opportunities, see
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu.  Go to Contents, scroll down to 
Jobs.  Following the
listing of current openings, you will see links to HRSA, SAMHSA, and other
relevant job sites.

##############
"It is not enough just to do your best or work hard.  You must know what to 
work on."
   W. Edwards Deming
   ##################

**COMMENTS/REQUESTS/INFO/QUESTIONS FROM THE FIELD

In response to last month's emerging issue: Obesity and Mental Health
Implications

   "Awareness of weight and nutrition started when people realized we have an
obesity epidemic. However, naming obesity as the problem carries myriad
difficult mental health implications . . . as named in the newsletter.
The discussion among school health coordinators and others in New England is
shifting toward promoting healthy nutrition rather than fighting obesity. 
There are
lots of normal weight youth who are undernourished from eating high sugar, fat,
and salt in junk and fast food. As the effort shifts to promoting healthy 
nutrition,
obesity can become a background issue rather than the foreground. Obesity 
will be
impacted, but in a more positive way."

THIS IS THE END OF THIS ISSUE OF ENEWS

Below is a brief description of our Center at UCLA.  For more see our 
website at http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu.

Who Are We?

Under the auspices of the School Mental Health Project in the Department of
Psychology at UCLA we established a Center for Mental Health in Schools in
1995. The Project and Center are co-directed by Howard Adelman and Linda
Taylor. The UCLA Center is one of two national centers funded in October,
1995, by the Office of Adolescent Health, Maternal and Child Health Bureau
(Title V, Social Security Act), Health Resources and Services Administration
(Project #U93MC00175). Both Centers were refunded in October, 2000, for a 5
year cycle with Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's
Center for Mental Health Services joining HRSA as a co-funder. As sister
Centers, the Center at UCLA and the one at the University of Maryland provide
support (training and technical assistance) for mental health and psychosocial
concerns in schools.

Our group at UCLA approaches mental health concerns from the broad
perspective of addressing barriers to learning and promoting healthy 
development.
Activities include gathering and disseminating information, materials,
development, direct assistance, and facilitating networking and exchanges of
ideas. We demonstrate the catalytic use of technical assistance, internet
publications, resource materials, and regional and national meetings to 
stimulate
interest in program and systemic change.

Specific attention is given to policies and strategies that can (a) counter
fragmentation and enhance collaboration between school and community
programs, and (b) counter the marginalization of mental health in schools. 
Center
staff are involved in model development and implementation, training and
technical assistance, and policy analysis. We focus on interventions and range
from systems for healthy development and problem prevention through treatment
for severe problems and stress the importance of school improvement and
systemic change. There is an emphasis on enhancing collaborative activity that
braids together school and community resources. The Center works to enhance
network building for program expansion and systemic change and does catalytic
training to stimulate interest in such activity. We connect with major 
initiatives of
foundations, associations, governmental, and school and mental health
departments.

Evaluations indicate the Center has had considerable impact in 
strengthening the
network of professionals advancing the field of mental health in schools and in
changing policies and practices.

For more information about the Center or about ENEWS, contact
Center Coordinator Perry Nelson or
Center Co-Directors Howard Adelman and Linda Taylor at:
UCLA School Mental Health Project/Center for Mental Health in Schools
Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563
Phone (310) 825-3634; Toll Free (866) 846-4843; Fax (310) 206-8716
email: smhp at ucla.edu; Website: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/private/mentalhealth-l/attachments/20040430/fcb01c37/attachment-0001.htm


More information about the Mentalhealth-l mailing list