This article reports on the role, activities, and lessons learned of a state mental health authority--the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services--in responding to the mental health needs of families and community members following the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Following the introduction, we provide a brief…

The mental health implications of crisis exposure have emerged as a critical and challenging facet of school safety and crisis response, expanding our focus to encompass both psychological and physical safety, as well as prevention and recovery. Best practice reflects this evolution in our understanding and encompasses the continuum of crisis and…

Youth of color are full of promise; they are courageous, intelligent, creative, curious, bold, and resilient. An investment strategy placing them at the center and addressing the structural barriers that keep them locked out of social, emotional, and economic prosperity because of their race/ethnicity, gender, and/or zip code is both fiscally…

Recent violence in schools and on college campuses has brought into sharp focus the need to address mental health issues in educational settings. Getting students with mental health problems the help they need, without stigmatizing mental illness, may help prevent future tragedies. Children with mental health problems face a host of challenges,…

Published evidence indicates there is a growing prevalence of psychiatric illnesses on college campuses, and that approximately one quarter of students may be taking psychotropic medications. But attracting and retaining experienced mental health care professionals to college health settings is a challenging task. The psychiatric pharmacist is one…

Several years ago, the people of Middletown made young children a priority by forming a coalition called Opportunity Knocks. A school-community partnership, Opportunity Knocks includes representatives from local health and social service agencies, early childhood educators, and families, all committed to improving the health and well-being of…

This article explores an approach for better serving the complete health care needs of children, specifically, the efficacy of school-based health centers (SBHCs) to provide a service delivery mechanism capable of functioning as a medical home for children, providing primary care for both their physical and behavioral health care needs. The…

This paper explores the differential development of Connecticut's voluntary Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) projects as they move from grass-roots organizations that are akin to social movements to street-level bureaucracies and finally to managed professionalized agencies. The federal government has identified an appropriate continuum…

This paper describes the Youth Resource Center (YRC) of Glastonbury, Connecticut--a multifaceted treatment facility. The YRC is based on a Systems-Interaction (SI) model of service, which maintains that a system can be changed by intervention at any point in the system; consequently, the same goals can be achieved through various target groups or…

Noting that Connecticut has an extensive network of resources that can support families and the early childhood community, this guide is designed to assist early care and education providers in their efforts to enhance the services to families in their programs and link families with the Connecticut network of resources. The booklet contains…