Guidance for Talking to Children About Community Violence and the Texas School Shooting |
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This month our nation witnessed two devastating acts of community violence. First the racial violence in Buffalo, New York, followed by the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. As adults it is difficult to process these acts and even harder to explain it to children.
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Sharing Local Resources this Mental Health Awareness Month |
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Many websites support children's mental health and it can be difficult to navigate them all. The Plan4Children.org resource page acts as a hub linking families and caregivers to key services, supports, and resources in Connecticut and beyond.
The website also lays out the State of Connecticut's vision, plan, and current work for creating a behavioral health system that effectively meets the behavioral health needs of kids in Connecticut. This work is being carried out through the Connecting to Care initiative and Behavioral Health Plan implementation efforts. Learn more.
CHDI serves as the Coordinating Center for the Connecting to Care initiative and is helping coordinate the implementation of Connecticut's Behavioral Health Plan for Children.
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WSHU Radio Discusses Children's Mental Health with CHDI's Jeffrey Vanderploeg |
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Children's mental health was a key issue this legislative session as the state emerged from the pandemic. Tom Kuser, host of the The Full Story on WSHU Public Radio, talked with Jeff Vanderploeg about the increased funding for children's mental health and what he hopes to see as a result. They also discussed Jeff's recent CT Viewpoints article, "Reimagining Connecticut's Behavioral Health System for Children," which outlines three key issues he urged lawmakers to address during this session to improve Connecticut’s system of behavioral health services. The interview is the fourth segment in the May 6, 2022 show, "The Connecticut state budget is finalized. What's in it for residents?" Listen to the show.
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CHDI's Jeana Bracey Discusses the "State of Social Emotional Learning in Connecticut" in New Podcast |
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The State of Social Emotional Learning in Connecticut was discussed in the most recent UConn Collaboratory on School and Child Health (CSCH) podcast. CHDI's school mental health expert Dr. Jeana Bracey emphasized social emotional learning as a foundation for well-being and healthy development and its role in supporting students during the current behavioral health crisis. The podcast was hosted by CSCH's Sandra Chafouleas and Helene Marcy and featured panelists:
- Jeana Bracey, Associate Vice President of School and Community Initiatives, CHDI
- Michelle Doucette Cunningham, Executive Director of the Connecticut After School Network and founder of the Social Emotional Learning Alliance of Connecticut
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Zachary Munroe, Assistant Principal at Maple Hill Elementary in Naugatuck·
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#CrisisTalk Article Features Connecticut's Youth Mobile Crisis Services |
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Many communities are investing in mobile mental health services to address behavioral health crisis needs as an alternative to emergency departments and law enforcement. A recent #CrisisTalk article, "Youth Mobile Response: A Tool for Decriminalizing Mental Health," discusses the link between Mobile Crisis, schools, and preventing juvenile justice involvement. It also highlights Connecticut's statewide youth Mobile Crisis Intervention Services for its success in stabilizing young people and diverting them from the juvenile justice system. Schools partnering with Mobile Crisis through Connecticut’s School-Based Diversion Initiative saw a decrease in school arrests ranging between 40 and 100 percent, depending on the school. The article is based on a Center for Law and Social Policy report on youth mobile crisis services which profiled Connecticut's program as a model for other states.
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14th Annual Evidence-Based Practice Conference Addresses Equitable Care and Behavioral Health Workforce Well-Being
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The 14th Annual Connecticut Evidence-Based Practices Conference began this month with the theme "Supporting the Workforce to Strengthen Outcomes and Equitable Care." The keynote by Dr. Stan Huey reviewed research on the efficacy of evidence-based treatments for ethnically and racially diverse populations, followed by a session led by Dr. Sharon Hoover on promoting the well-being of the behavioral health workforce.
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Dr. Stan Huey Discussed the Efficacy of EBTs for Minority Populations in Keynote |
Dr. Huey shared "what we know" from research is that evidence-based treatments work for all kids across racial and ethnic backgrounds. The research is less clear about the benefits of "cultural tailoring" of EBTs.
Despite the complexity of his research findings on cultural tailoring, he shared actionable recommendations for clinicians and providers to deliver effective and culturally responsive care.
Click here for a full summary of Dr. Huey's keynote address.
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Dr. Sharon Hoover Shared Resources for Behavioral Health Provider Well-Being |
Dr. Hoover presented data on how the pandemic has strained children’s behavioral health providers and organizations. The field is experiencing staffing shortages and challenges that have taken an emotional toll on providers.
Dr. Hoover shared the free online resource ProviderWellBeing.org, which promotes individual provider and organizational well-being. It includes an individual course and an organizational well-being assessment.
Click here for a full summary of Dr. Hoover's session.
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About Connecticut's Annual EBT Conference
CHDI organizes the annual conference as part of our work with the State of Connecticut to disseminate and sustain evidence-based behavioral health treatments for children. The conference consists of 18 virtual workshops from local and national experts tailored for children's behavioral health providers, policymakers, school administrators, and professionals in child-serving systems. The EBP Conference is made possible with funding from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) and Judicial Branch Court Support Services Division (CSSD). Presentation recordings will be made available for future viewing. If interested in viewing a recorded workshop, please contact Christine Hauser at chauser@uchc.edu.
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CHDI Staff Joined NAMI Walks Your Way Connecticut 2022
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For Mental Health Awareness Month, CHDI entered a team in NAMI Walks Your Way Connecticut 2022. The 5K walk around Bushnell Park in Hartford was hosted by the Connecticut chapter of the National Association of Mental Illness (NAMI CT) on Saturday, May 21. Several CHDI staff and their families represented CHDI’s team to raise awareness for mental health. NAMI Walks Your Way Connecticut 2022 raised $192,448 from 102 teams and 686 participants.
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CHDI Welcomes Beth Zweibel and Katie Newkirk to Our Staff |
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Beth Zweibel, MA, Contracts Specialist
Beth Zweibel, MA, joined CHDI this month as our new Contracts Specialist. She has over two decades of experience in grants and contracts processing, monitoring, and compliance. Prior to CHDI, Beth served as Grants and Contracts Manager at The Salvation Army's Southern New England Divisional Headquarters in Hartford and chair of the United Way of Connecticut's FEMA/Emergency Food and Shelter Program State Set-Aside Committee. Beth holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Brandeis University, a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Tufts University, and a Master's Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Connecticut's Department of Public Policy where she was awarded induction into the Nu Lambda Mu International Honor Society.
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Katie Newkirk, PhD, Senior Associate
Katie Newkirk, PhD, joined CHDI as a Senior Associate working on performance improvement in children's behavioral health. In this position, she will help lead the data analysis and quality improvement reporting for several community-based children's behavioral health initiatives. Prior to joining CHDI, Katie served as a Postdoctoral Associate at Yale School of Medicine. She has a PhD. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and an MA in Community Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University. Her research has focused broadly on mental health in the context of family relationships across the lifespan. She is a Licensed Psychologist with clinical specialties in perinatal maternal mental health and integrated behavioral health. Katie has clinical experience in community mental health centers and medical settings.
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Join Our Team
Vice President for Finance and Operations - CHDI is seeking a Vice President for Finance & Operations to lead the financial operations of the organization, provide operational and administrative support for the organization's programs and activities, and serve as an active member of the Senior Management Team helping to develop and implement the organization’s vision, mission, and strategy.
Data Analyst - CHDI is seeking a data analyst to work on Project AWARE/School Mental Health projects related to performance improvement and dissemination of evidence-based practices in children’s behavioral health. The data analyst will be responsible for developing and implementing standardized data collection and reporting procedures and practice development activities to support quality improvement projects in school- and community-based children’s behavioral health.
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Visit our website to view job descriptions and learn how to apply. Follow @CHDICT on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
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Child Health and Development Institute
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The CHDI logo is a registered trademark.
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