Research and Training Center - Focal Point

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  Focal Point, Special Compilation Issue 2007–2019

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  For this special compilation, we have included a variety of contributions by youth and young adults that originally appeared in Focal Point issues from 2007 to 2019. These first-hand narratives of recovery personalize what might otherwise be seen only in clinical terms, or represented by a mere statistic. By sharing their stories, these young people also offer hope to other young people experiencing similar problems, and their families. This collection portrays the wide range of individual experiences of youth and young adults and highlights common themes.

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  Focal Point, Volume 01 Number 01

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  This is the first issue of a bulletin published by the Portland State University Research and Training Center to Improve Services for Seriously Emotionally Handicapped Children and Their Families.

  The specific thrust of this initial publication is to introduce you to the center and its primary activities. There are three major center projects: Families as Allies, Youth in Transition and Therapeutic Case Advocacy. Each of these projects is described in separate articles in this issue of the newsletter. In addition, we have a lead article by Thomas Young titled "Re-Thinking Emotional Disturbances in Children." This article should be thought provoking and we hope that it will elicit thoughtful responses to the issues raised by Dr. Young.

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  Focal Point, Volume 01 Number 02

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  This issue of Focal Point features the Families as Allies Project, which is designed to promote collaboration between families of children with emotional handicaps and the professionals who serve them. Project objectives include conducting relevant research, developing training curricula and other written materials, and designing and presenting workshops and other training events.

  Included in this issue is a report about an April, 1986 conference held in Portland that involved equal numbers of parents and professionals from thirteen western states. This meeting was one of the first public explorations of our project concepts, and we were very gratified by the positive response of most participants.

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  Focal Point, Volume 01 Number 03

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  Therapeutic Case Advocacy (TCA) is one approach to helping emotionally handicapped children and their families. It is described here as a multi-level model to improve services for this population for two reasons. First, the approach typically requires planned, coordinated activity on three levels: the child and family, the lead organization providing services, and interagency collaboration. Second, the word "model" conveys the idea of what the real thing might look like.

  The model is a preliminary pattern, a plan for guiding the actual process of helping emotionally handicapped children and their families. It is not a recipe. Any actual process of helping guided by this model may vary from that described here according to individual child and family need, organizational capacity, and community context. Nevertheless, there are three core components of this model for helping that, if adopted, would improve services for emotionally handicapped children and their families.

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  Focal Point, Volume 02 Number 01

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  Adolescents with emotional handicaps experience multiple challenges as they leave youth serving systems and attempt to find their place in society. Without adequate preparation or established linkages to the adult system to facilitate this transition, they are bound to become lost until their symptoms dictate intervention. Service delivery efforts must be sensitive to these issues and begin to realistically address the transition needs of this population. A framework which can be used as a guide for developing transition oriented programs and nine integrative principles will be discussed hear as a means to stimulate thinking about the provision of transition services.

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  Focal Point, Volume 02 Number 02

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  Twenty-four parents and professionals from around the country recently attended a training session in Portland, Oregon designed to promote and improve parent/professional collabora tion to better serve children with emotional handicaps. The overall training goal was to provide each of the parent/professional teams with materials and skills they could take back to their regions and share through local workshops. The training workshop was held October 5-9, 1987 on the campus of Portland State University, and was hosted by the Research and Training Center to Improve Services for Seriously Emotionally Handicapped Children and The ir Families.

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  Focal Point, Volume 02 Number 04

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  In the last two decades there has been a movement in the mental health field toward improved services to children and families who are members or" minority populations. Recognized as at risk and underserved, families of minority populations have repeatedly been the subjects of research and demonstration projects. Mental health professionals serving these children and families today are faced with the nagging question: "What constitutes appropriate services for minority clients?" Fortunately, the cumulative results of twenty years of work in this area are now becoming apparent. The knowledge base has grown and models for working cross-culturally have been developed and reviewed in the literature. These models have been given such labels as "ethnic-sensitive practice" (Devore & Schlesinger, 1981), "cross-cultural awareness practice" (Green, 1982), "ethnic competence" (Green, 1982), and "ethnic minority practice" (Lum, 1986). Each of these models has contributed to our understanding of the role of cultural difference in the helping process.

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  Focal Point, Volume 03 Number 01

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  Cultural competence is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes and policies that come together in a system, agency or professional to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. The word culture is used because it implies having the capacity to function effectively. A culturally competent system of care acknowledges and incorporates - at all levels - the importance of culture, the assessment of cross-cultural relations, vigilance towards the dynamics that result from cultural differences, the expansion of cultural knowledge and the adaptation of services to meet culturally unique needs.

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  Focal Point, Volume 03 Number 03

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  We are concerned about parents who have children with emotional disabilities in need of a range of services -- particularly out-of-home placement -- who have, in countless instances, been required to transfer custody of their children to the state for the sole purpose of obtaining necessary services at public expense. This requirement appears to stem, primarily, from the following: (1) a mistaken belief on the part of the state and local officials that federal reimbursement under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act is available only where legal custody of a child has transferred to the state; and or (2) an attitude that time limited voluntary placement agreements are inconvenient (or disruptive to treatment) and, accordingly, that parental surrender of child custody to the state simplifies matters for states and agencies involved.

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  Focal Point, Volume 04 Number 01

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  Improving collaboration between parents ,family members and professionals has recently become a central theme in efforts to improve services for children c.md adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders. In this issue, conceptual issues and practical applications of parent-professional collaboration are presented. Here, we examine the rationale for collaboration, some common barriers to effective partnership and key elements that enhance a collaborative relationship. Accompanying articles describe a broad array of activities occurring throughout the country to promote collaboration, support parent organizing efforts, and enhance family support policy and practice.

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  Focal Point, Volume 04 Number 02

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  Children Grow Better in Families. This was the slogan on a 1984 poster developed by the Children's Bureau to emphasize the benefits of adoption -- not only to a waiting child, but to the adoptive home itself through the enrichment the new member brings to the existing family system. The slogan rings true for all types of families -- not only those restructured through adoption or remarriage, but those that are formed in more conventional ways. The child welfare system today is heavily invested in family preservation and the philosophy of permanency for children who have been placed outside their own homes.

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  Focal Point, Volume 05 Number 02

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  In this issue of Focal Point we address the special needs of lesbian and gay youth and their families. The United States Department of Health and Human Services' 1989 Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide defines gay and lesbian youth as those who have a primary attraction to members of the same sex for intimate and sexual relationships (4). A variety of explanations have been offered to describe the origins of individual sexual orientation. While homosexuality may involve both elements of nature and nurture, the origins of sexual orientation are generally believed to be established during early childhood (1).

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  Focal Point, Volume 08 Number 01

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  The 103rd Congress has set itself an ambitious agenda. Between now and October, five Congressional committees are to report out their versions of health care reform legislation, from which a single piece of legislation must be written and forwarded to President Clinton for his signature.

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  Focal Point, Volume 08 Number 02

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  There is an increasing awareness of the role culture plays in the delivery of health and human services (10, 30, 32). One recent response in the area of children's mental health has been the emergence of the Child and Adolescent Service Program's (CASSP's) cultural competence model.

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  Focal Point, Volume 09 Number 02

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  Men are increasingly discovering the many joys of active involvement in their children's lives. The special bond between father and child produces measurable, positive effects in regards to a child's self-esteem, gender identity, intellectual growth, curiosity and social skills. Current literature increasingly portrays dads as caretakers, supportive, sensitive and caring. However, this enhanced involvement can be sorely tested when a child has a disability or chronic illness. The dreams fathers have for their child's life, educational, athletic and vocational achievements are threatened.

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  Focal Point, Volume 10 Number 02

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  The federal Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP), launched in 1984, has been an important contributor to the movement to make major changes in the way services are provided to children with severe emotional disorders and their families . The principles underlying CASSP call for community-based systems of care that are comprehensive and emphasize coordination among child-serving agencies, service delivery in the least restrictive environment, full involvement of families, and cultural competence. These principles have been widely accepted in the worlds of child welfare, child mental health, juvenile justice and special education.

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  Focal Point, Volume 11 Number 01

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  In the discussion on the issues of juvenile crime, the nation has ignored the prevalence of mental disorders among youth who commit crimes, and it has failed to provide policy directives on how state systems should respond. With the nation’s attention riveted on youth violence, the issue of prevalence has began to emerge, with the realization that many of the violent acts are committed by a small percentage of young people. Policymakers are beginning to ask questions about the conditions that contribute to a young person’s tendency toward delinquency acts.

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  Focal Point, Volume 12 Number 01

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  Much of the family member involvement that is happening at the state and local level is due, at least in part, to the efforts by the federal government to institutionalize family involvement in policymaking. In 1985 Child and Adolescent Service System (CASSP) staff added a family goal to the program. This goal translated into a requirement that state applications for CASSP funds describe how families would participate in service planning efforts at the child and family, program, and system levels. In 1986 Congress passed the State Mental Health Services Comprehensive Plan (Public Law 99-660), which mandated family member participation in the development of state mental health plans. Public Law 99-660’s mandate continues today through the Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration Reorganization Act (Public Law 102-321).

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  Focal Point, Volume 13 Number 01

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  This issue of Focal Point examines the ways in which families with employed caregivers and children with emotional and behavioral disorders manage to meet the demands of employment and family responsibilities. Finding a fit between the demands of work and family life is a struggle for every employed mother and father. For parents whose children have emotional, behavioral, or mental disorders, meeting this challenge can prove extremely stressful, particularly since supportive services are notably lacking. Although Fernandez has estimated that 10% of all employed parents have at least one child with a disability living in their homes, there has been little research on the perceptions of employed parents of children with mental health concerns about the ways in which work and family responsibilities can fit together.

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  Focal Point, Volume 14 Number 01

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  FROM THE EDITORS. It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the premiere collaborative issue of Focal Point. The joint effort between the Center For Effective Collaboration and Practice and the Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children’s Mental Health exemplifies a larger partnership initiative put forward by the Center for Mental Health Services’ (CMHS) Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program. The goal of an enhanced partnership is to promote improved services that lead to better outcomes for youth and their families. Along these lines we hope you find the fruits of our interagency collaboration positively reflected within the pages of this issue. Finally we extend our heartfelt thanks to you for the helpful feedback you provided in the reader’s survey. Information from your responses was incorporated into this version of the bulletin.

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  Focal Point, Volume 14 Number 02

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  Young people are assuming more, and more empowered roles in systems of care. They participate actively in planning for their own services and treatment, setting policy, and evaluating programs. This issue includes a discussion of resources that have been developed to help in the process of developing youth-adult partnership in these areas.

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  Focal Point, Volume 15 Number 01

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  Transitions are difficult for all of us, but for children and youth with emotional and behavioral challenges, transitions are often both more difficult and more frequent than for their peers. Even “normal”, age-defined transitions such as the transition to kindergarten or the transition to independent living are often extremely difficult for children and youth with emotional and behavioral challenges, and for their families or other caregivers. Transitions—accompanied by the disruption of routine and the need to interact with unfamiliar people—are precisely the types of situations that are often most unsettling and stressful for these children.

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  Focal Point, Volume 15 Number 02

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  This issue of Focal Point begins from the idea that enrichments, far from being frivolous, are instead essential. The joy and meaningfulness which enrichments provide make a direct, positive contribution to quality of life. What is more, enriching experiences add to our reserves of strength and purpose, and these reserves in turn enable us to adapt, cope, recover and even thrive in the face of challenges and stresses. Specifically, this issue of Focal Point looks at research related to sources of enrichment, and at innovative programs that promote enrichment and achieve positive outcomes for children with emotional and behavioral challenges, and for their families.

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  Focal Point, Volume 16 Number 01

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  Strengths-based practice is not just about supporting consumers as they identify and use their own positive capacities and assets. It is also about finding community assets which help link the consumer to these potential informal and community supports. For many people—consumers and providers alike—there is a great appeal to the idea of building an individual’s strengths while drawing on the community to build a supportive, individualized network of relationships and involvements. Yet when it comes down to planning and providing services and supports for children with emotional and behavioral disorders and their families, it is often difficult to see whether the desire to use a strengths-based approach has actually led to anything different from services as usual.

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  Focal Point, Volume 16 Number 02

  Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

  The articles in this issue describe a variety of strategies communities have used to systematically engage the perspectives of family and community members. With these strategies in place, family and community members have the opportunity to play a central role in making and monitoring concrete action plans for increasing cultural competence.