This study examines the use of family education and support (FES) services within community-based mental health systems. Using data from the national evaluation of the Children's Mental Health Initiative (CMHI), 2,853 caregivers and their children ages 6 to 18 years from 39 communities participated in this study. The findings indicated that during…

Results indicated that the 959 blacks compared to a 10 percent random sample of 1,190 whites (a) represented a different group of clients in demographic characteristics, (b) were no more likely to receive inferior forms of treatment programs, (c) saw paraprofessional rather than professional personnel, and (d) failed to return after the initial…

Describes the implementation of a collaborative discharge planning program for a chronic psychiatric population. Emphasizes the importance of good communication between patient and professionals. Presents a case example. Findings suggest more substantial involvement of patients in after-care programs is needed. (Author/JAC)

Examines how community mental health practitioners are likely to implement services for improving community-based care of the chronically mentally disabled. Describes a scale for administrators to assess practitioner orientations and thereby anticipate compliance problems. Suggests ways administrators may alleviate these problems. (Author)

Discusses the use of public television as a means of providing mental health outreach services for the community. Describes a weekly program, "The Black Family," broadcast in Jacksonville, Florida, which focused on family relationships, social issues, and mental and physical health, using a call-in format that allowed viewer participation. (JAC)

Presents a nonbureaucratic model of mental health service delivery: the Family Life Center in Columbia, Maryland. Describes services through three programs: a counseling service, community services, and an information and referral service. Professional volunteers work with clients referred by counseling coordinators. Discusses implications for…

Results of a national survey on mental health services for adults with mild mental retardation, completed by 156 directors of psychological services at community health centers, indicated that adults with mild mental retardation were not frequent consumers of community mental health services and received differential treatment when provided with…

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 study examined the utilization rate of behavioral health services by children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) over a 6-year period and compared this rate to the expected number of children with ASD in TennCare, Tennessee's managed care Medicaid program. Analysis of TennCare patient data found the rate at which children with ASD received…

An intervention designed to address barriers to access to children's mental health services for low-income families was implemented in three Oregon counties. Paraprofessionals provided families with information, emotional support, and tangible assistance. Families in the intervention group (n=96) were significantly more likely to initiate…

This document is part of a series of monographs on community-based services for children and adolescents who are severely emotionally disturbed. The series is the product of a national study of community-based service approaches which identified over 200 programs serving emotionally disturbed children and included visits to several programs…

Block granting disburses mental health funds largely at the discretion of state mental health authorities, and state priorities typically focus on the most severely ill persons. Rural centers may suffer because multipurpose programs responding to a wide range of community needs are excluded from the mental health service delivery concept. (JHZ)

This document is part of a series of monographs on community-based services for children and adolescents who are severely emotionally disturbed. The series is the product of a national study of community-based service approaches, which identified over 200 programs serving emotionally disturbed children and included visits to several programs…

A pilot system of individualized and rurally compatible community-based alternatives to residential and institutional treatment settings for seriously emotionally disturbed children was evaluated. The results indicate that this intensive, community-based, service-delivery system appears to improve children's behavioral and emotional functioning,…

Traditional mental health service systems are examined in terms of factors limiting their effectiveness, theoretical biases that have shaped them, and their assumptions. Alternative community-oriented approaches are then presented and analyzed. Finally, a new mental health role, the Liaison Specialist, is described. The Liaison Specialist attempts…