Child Health & Development Institute (CHDI)

Kudos to CHDI's Brittany C.L. Lange, DPhil, MPH, Ashley Nelson, Kellie Randall, and Jason Lang, along with Penn State's Christian M. Connell, who recently co-authored an article in the Journal of Child and Family Studies reviewing a wide range of child adversity screening measures. The review is a valuable resource for child-serving professionals seeking brief, feasible screening measures for their setting. ??Read the review here: https://loom.ly/l9AjGLY #ACEs #ChildTrauma #TraumaScreening #MentalHealthResearch

Sarah White, LCSW from Child Health & Development Institute (CHDI) and Jules Calabro from Carelon Behavioral Health attended the CT Association of School Based Health Centers Annual Conference yesterday. They provided school-based health center staff as well as other school staff in attendance with information for connecting youth and families to much-needed behavioral health services. They also talked about how to get help in accessing and utilizing these services via the CONNECT program. Did you attend? Did you stop by their table? Let us know if you’re interested in learning more! #CTMentalHealth #SchoolMentalHealth #CHDI #Carelon

November 20th is World Children’s Day, marking the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. At CHDI, we believe all children and youth have the right to high-quality, evidence-based, trauma-informed, culturally and linguistically appropriate behavioral health care - no matter where they live or how much money their families have. ??Learn more about World Children's Day: https://loom.ly/zKIWdvM #WorldChildrensDay #HealthEquity #ChildrensMentalHealth #EvidenceBasedPractice

What exactly do we mean when we talk about the "infrastructure" needed to sustain effective behavioral health systems? In a new article published in this month's npj Mental Health Research, CHDI's Jeffrey Vanderploeg identifies five essential elements of infrastructure in state-level children's behavioral health systems of care: 1. Integrated governance and decision-making structure 2. Structures and processes for blended and braided funding 3. Central point of access for information, referral, and linkage 4. Workforce development, training, and coaching in effective practices 5. Data and quality improvement mechanisms ??Learn more about these elements - and how states can implement them - in the open access article: https://loom.ly/QAnxNbk #MentalHealthResearch #SystemOfCare #StatePolicy

Our President & CEO, Jeffrey Vanderploeg, published an article this week in the Nature Portfolio journal, Mental Health Research, discussing five essential elements of infrastructure in children's behavioral health systems of care. The article is open access - read it here: https://lnkd.in/eWSdn7fj #ChildrensMentalHealth #MentalHealthResearch #SystemsChange #npjMentalHealth

During Transgender Awareness Week, we celebrate the organizations, providers, communities, and families creating safe, inclusive, and supportive spaces for all youth. Sharing resources from The Trevor Project below: ?? For LGBTQ+ youth needing crisis support, The Trevor Project offers a 24/7/365 crisis lifeline: call 1-866-488-7386, text START to 678-678, or chat online: https://loom.ly/OZgR7LM ??A new research brief underscores the importance of family and community support in improving mental health outcomes and reducing the risk of suicide among transgender and nonbinary youth: https://loom.ly/-uIhigk #YouthMentalHealth #SuicidePrevention #ProtectTransYouth #TransAwarenessWeek

Racial, ethnic, and identity-based violence, hate, and discrimination can cause fear and confusion and be a source of traumatic stress for youth. Parents, caregivers, and other trusted adults can help by talking to youth about their experiences and feelings. Although having these conversations may be hard, they are important. Resources to help guide your conversation: ??Resources for Talking about Race, Racism and Racialized Violence with Kids from Center for Racial Justice in Education: https://loom.ly/6Teaefw ??Resource Library from National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) on helping children and youth through various forms of trauma: https://loom.ly/KOF5LJI #ChildrensMentalHealth #YouthMentalHealth

Thank you, school psychologists! ??

Our latest blog post highlights 7 key policy strategies states around the country are using to strengthen, grow, and diversify their behavioral health workforce. We also explore what some of these strategies might look like here in Connecticut. Based on a recent paper published in the September 2024 issue of Psychiatric Services by CHDI's Jason Lang and Aleece Kelly with lead author Michael Hoge and Manuel Paris, Jr. of the Annapolis Coalition on the Behavioral Health Workforce and Yale School of Medicine. ??Swipe through the slides for a quick overview, then read the blog post here: https://loom.ly/c9dAOH8 #StatePolicy #ChildrensMentalHealth #MentalHealthPolicy #WorkforceDevelopment

CHDI's October newsletter is here! Treats in this month's issue include: - Expanding access to substance use care in youth outpatient settings - National recognition for Connecticut's expansion of evidence-based treatments - 7 strategies states are using to address the behavioral health workforce shortage - Free behavioral health resources for providers and schools Plus, we're hiring! Happy Halloween! ?? ??Read it here: https://conta.cc/48raK26 #ChildrensMentalHealth #CTPolicy #SubstanceUseTreatment #SchoolMentalHealth