This is the first comprehensive clinical introduction to using a time-limited mentalizing approach for working with children, ages 5 to 12, who experience emotional and behavioral problems, including anxiety, depression, and relational difficulties. Mentalization-based treatment (MBT) promotes a child's ability to make sense of their own mind, and…

Steven R. Forness is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His research has primarily focused on early detection and eligibility of children with psychiatric disorders for special education services in public schools. As part of an ongoing oral history…

The most efficient and effective framework for organizing mental health services in schools is through a multitiered system of support. This framework typically features three increasingly intense tiers intervention providing a continuum of care for all students in the school, not simply those identified as having a disability. Tier 1 universal…

Effective family-school collaboration is essential for promoting students' success at school, but collaborative relationships must be proactively developed and intentionally nurtured. These relationships are particularly critical when children are struggling behaviorally or emotionally. Strategies for building effective relationships are…

Asian Americans are commonly perceived as the diligent and high-achieving "model minority." This positive stereotype has negative consequences for this ethnic minority group because it trivializes their social and mental health problems. This image of success has made many overlook the true nature of the struggles many Asian American families have…

The Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) was established in 2000 to advise the Scottish Government on the emotional health of the country's children and young people. The second phase, conducted in 2002-2003, involved surveying professionals who provide specialist mental health services to children and young people, and also those who work…

Describes the four steps used by Bethesda Family Service Foundation to help troubled youth break out from the hurt-hate-harm cycle. Healing involves the following steps: (1) Admission and Grieving; (2) Confrontation and Disclosure; (3) Forgiveness and Reconciliation; and (4) Restoration and Healing. Improvement in emotional response can lead to…

Background: This article discusses the importance of screening students in schools for emotional/behavioral problems. Methods: Elements relevant to planning and implementing effective mental health screening in schools are considered. Screening in schools is linked to a broader national agenda to improve the mental health of children and…

Following a brief introduction, this paper focuses on how the Texas Project for Elders, one of ten sites in the country participatng in the National Long-Term Care Channeling Demonstration Project (Channeling), has taken into account the mental health needs of clients and caregivers both in the development and delivery of services. The clients…

This article presents a description of the Child and Adolescent Services Assessment, a self- and parent-report instrument designed to assess use of mental health services by children, ages 8 to 18. The article provides information on interviewer training, coding of data, and psychometric data on clinical samples, and presents a case study.…

This project consists of three interrelated streams which aim to: (1) develop and maintain a national network of mental health service providers, and an easily accessible clearinghouse of relevant information, to facilitate the development of innovative early intervention services across Australia; (2) address challenges in reorienting service…

This article examines the treatment services provided the hostages of the Hanafi Muslims in Washington, D.C. in March 1977. The symptoms of the hostages covered a wide spectrum of modalities and differed in severity and persistence. Treatment interventions followed a primary prevention model using a broad-spectrum behavioral group approach.…

This study was undertaken to develop a comprehensive data base regarding the use of informal social support networks as avenues of help-seeking among Blacks for the solving of mental health related problems. The study population consisted of 451 noninstitutionalized Black adults from Richmond, Virginia, nearly two-thirds of whom were women. The…

Each year, dozens of natural disasters occur, leaving child victims in their wake. Short-term effects on children include such maladaptive behavioral reactions as enuresis, insomnia, crying, vomiting, and phobias. Long-term effects include compulsive behavior, personality changes, chronic anxiety, and nightmares. (JN)

This report of a panel discussion focuses on the design, rationale, and evaluation of the Adolescent Crisis Unit for Treatment and Evaluation (ACUTE), a program of crisis intervention for young adolescents. An overview of the structure of ACUTE's clinical program describes the efficiency of the program in seeing referrals at the time of crisis,…