The family navigator model is a peer-based, flexible approach to supporting families in which a child has a health or developmental challenge or disability. This guide is designed to support education agencies and school leaders interested in building or enhancing a family navigator program. Family-driven, youth-guided, culturally responsive support is a guiding principle of this document. It includes: an overview of the model; special considerations for schools; guiding principles and best practices; practical tools for developing a program; and links to more than 30 national and Pacific Southwest-specific resources. This guide was developed by the Pacific Southwest MHTTC in partnership with Millie Sweeney, MS, from the Family-Run Executive Director Leadership Association (FREDLA).
Pacific Southwest Mental Health Tech. Transfer Network (MHTTC) (SAMHSA)
Ethical Considerations and Strategies for Improving Shared Decision-Making in Civil Commitment and Involuntary Hospitalization
This webinar explores civil commitment law through the lens of civil liberties for young adults of transition age. We consider the ethical tensions between a provider or family member’s desire to help a young person experiencing serious mental illness and the young person’s autonomy. Presenters will discuss the importance of shared decision making and will provide strategies for improving the process of civil commitments for youth and their families.
Creating Trauma-Informed Policies: A Practice Guide for School & Mental Health Leadership
Creating compassionate policies is a cornerstone strategy of educational leadership. This guide provides a deep dive into developing, implementing, and evaluating trauma-informed and compassionate school policies. It highlights four “choice points” for education and mental health leadership: Names & Definitions, Platforms & Levers, Approach, and Match Process to Product. This guide is designed to be hands-on! Each choice point comes with examples, guiding questions for leadership, and practice suggestions to help policy come alive.
School Mental Health Crisis Leadership Lessons: Voices of Experience from Leaders in the Pacific Southwest Region
To help schools navigate our current crises and prepare for future crises, the Pacific Southwest MHTTC asked educators and school mental health leaders in Region 9 to share their experiences in leading school systems, communities, and sites through crisis. These leaders shared: what did they wish they knew at the time of crisis? What have they learned? What did they take with them? The “School Mental Health Crisis Leadership Lessons” guide provides an overview of the crisis continuum; explores the intersection between school crises and school mental health leadership; and examines each component of the school crisis continuum (readiness, response, recovery and renewal) by learning from voices of experience from the field.
Building Virtual Communities to Support Grieving Youth and Families During These Uncertain Times
OUR HOUSE, a grief support center, shares lessons learned wading through the challenges of supporting families on overwhelm during COVID-19. They teach how they addressed JW Worden’s Tasks of Mourning using interventions that can be facilitated by volunteer group leaders via an online platform. They share the magic that can happen when you create virtual spaces with intention for children to connect and support one another around their grief and losses, in spite of Zoom fatigue and physical distance.