Person-centered positive supports are about empowering people with disabilities to live lives that fully reflect their individuality and their humanity. They're about using evidence-based positive practices in the service of the needs, values, and goals of the person receiving the support. And they're about promoting quality of life for people in…

Investigation supported in part by Public Health Service Research Grant R-11-MH-0045(04) from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Article examined the Brookside Park Family Life Center, established by the Boston Model Cities Administration, and how it provides comprehensive health and social services to families. (RK)

The paper presents an outline for the development of a community mental health program based on assessment of a first grade population in an urban Negro neighborhood and involving a strategy that places primary emphasis on establishing ongoing community sanction and participation in policy-making. The strategy included the development of a…

A therapeutic technique for dealing with a chronic caller to a suicide prevention center was tested. The two objectives to such a technique were to reduce the frequency of calls made by chronic callers to the suicide prevention service, and to persuade callers to be more specific when discussing their problem. To accomplish these objectives, a…

This background paper on children's mental health indicates that less than one-third of the children who have mental health problems receive treatment. Types of mental health problems are discussed, including intellectual, developmental, behavior, emotional, psychophysiological, and adjustment disorders. Enviromental risk factors of poverty and…

Ninety-three clients were interviewed for their reactions to a community mental health outreach program. The results indicate that for the majority this typical program met their perceived needs. (Author)

The New Jersey Performance Management System (PMS) is a major mechanism used by the leadership of the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Hospitals to contract for, monitor, and manage community mental health services. This paper describes PMS, its components, implementation, and limitations. (Author/LMO)

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.…

Mental health services are often unavailable, inaccessible, or inappropriate for the children and families who need them. In order to implement a more effective system of mental health services to children and adolescents, an adequate system of care must be defined and described, and a policy mandate to implement such a system must be developed.…

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,…

Outcome evaluation assesses the results or benefits of mental health services received by clients or communities by comparing descriptive data on the mental health status of clients at different points in time. It aids clinicians and managers in planning programs and managing clinical services. A mental health center should establish goal-oriented…

This paper presents an overview of the planning, implementation, and evaluation of a mental health continuing education program in rural Virginia. An initial needs assessment found that professionals, paraprofessionals, and volunteers need further training in innovative treatment approaches, community intervention, and prevention strategies. The…

Malcolm Bliss Mental Health Center, through the Outreach Service, provides psychiatric care for the residents of the Model Cities area of the City of St. Louis. The program was started three years ago, but was actually in full operation for about one and a half years. The services to children are a part of the total program and it is difficult to…

This paper is the first of a two-part series on financing early childhood mental health services. It discusses the need for a systemic approach to financing early childhood mental health services and supports and presents a matrix to assist states and communities in the design of comprehensive financing systems. The vertical axis of the matrix…