May is Mental Health Awareness Month
For 65 years, Mental Health America (MHA) and their affiliates across the country have led the observance of May is Mental Health Month by reaching millions of people through the media, local events, and screenings. SCY partners with Mental Health America Illinois (MHAI) to spread knowledge and awareness of ways to advocate for mental health resources and services specifically in Illinois. The 2014 May is Mental Health Month theme is “Mind Your Health.” MHA’s goals are to build public recognition about the importance of mental health to overall health and wellness; inform people of the ways that the mind and body interact with each other; and provide tips and tools for taking positive actions to protect mental health and promote whole health. While a growing body of research shows that mental health services are effective in reducing violent behavior, access to mental health services for youth is dangerously low. Between 2009 and 2012, Chicago cut roughly $187 million from state-sponsored mental health programs, just over 30% of its mental health budget. Furthermore, six of Chicago’s 12 mental health care facilities have been closed, including facilities on the South Side where a large percentage of Chicago’s most violent crime occurs. According to an analysis of information collected by SCY Partner Communities in Schools Chicago (CISC), an organization that connects Chicago Public School students with needed programs and services, there is a significant gap between the need for mental health support at Chicago’s public schools and the resources available. During the 2010-2011 school year, 105 schools, or 64% of the CISC network, identified mental health services as a top priority for supporting students. In 2011, CISC surveyed its network and discovered that 70% of its network said that at least half of their students needed mental health services addressing self-esteem, 54% of its network said that at least half of their students needed mental health services addressing anger management, 92% of its network said more than 10 students at their school would benefit from a therapist providing school-based counseling, and 80% of respondents think that mental health issues are impacting classrooms now more than three years ago. CISC illustrates the challenging reality that although school staff and administrators are becoming more aware of the need for mental health resources, the current demand far outweighs the supply. Research can be utilized to elevate arguments for one of SCY’s Focus on Five priorities: Equitable Access to High Quality Mental Health Services. For example, a report compiled by Illinois Children’s Mental Health Task Force entitled, “Children’s Mental Health: An Urgent Priority for Illinois” found that early prevention and intervention efforts can save significant state costs, a significant number of Illinois children experience serious mental health problems, many mental health problems are largely preventable or can be minimized with prevention and early intervention efforts, children’s social and emotional development is an essential underpinning to school readiness and academic success, and a comprehensive, coordinated children’s mental health system can help maximize resources and minimize duplication of services. In order to enable access to mental health resources, SCY works closely with various organizations within its engaged network to advocate for policies that ensure adequate high-quality services be made available in Chicago. One example of such an organization is Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership (ICMHP). Since 2003, with a relatively small amount of funding, ICMHP has been able to create significant statewide impact by implementing a comprehensive system of programs, services, and supports that promotes the importance of children’s mental health. ICMHP has reached more children at younger ages and earlier stages of need, reduced fragmentation of services, and enhanced interagency collaboration by serving children and youth in their homes, schools, and communities. In 2013, ICMHP established an advocacy committee in which SCY is an active participant. Some recent achievements of ICMHP include: over 5,185 students and 389 educators and families were served by school mental health programs focused on early intervention and wellness promotion; 2,557 clinicians monitored the clinical outcomes of over 35,000 children and adolescents; over 86% of center-based providers and 93% of family child-care providers reported an increase in their understanding of children’s challenging or concerning behaviors and that they are better able to care for those children; and 15 parents were certified as Certified Family Partnership Professionals (CFPP) through gaining skills in working with other parents who have children with mental health concerns. Especially relevant to SCY’s policy priority to ensure that Chicago youth have equitable access to high quality mental health services is ICMHP’s School Age Policies and Practices Committee, which, among other achievements, has developed Guidelines for School-Community Partnerships; developed a three-tiered model for school-based mental health; created a report with recommendations based on previous research; created the template used by school districts throughout Illinois to develop policy statements; established the Illinois Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Standards; and is developing a new work plan based on current needs of school-age children. In light of the pressing need for increased access to mental health resources for youth in Chicago, participate in Mental Health Month and check out MHA’s resources for what individuals and organizations can do, or download their general toolkit!