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Our research is designed to promote the transformation of mental health care by increasing knowledge of supports, services, and policies that:

Take our Focal Point Survey and Enter a Drawing for a $25 Gift Card!
Are you a Focal Point reader? If so, we invite you to take a 3-minute survey to let us know what you think. We will use the data from the survey to help us improve the quality of our work, and to demonstrate to our funders that our activities have a positive impact. Your responses will be anonymous. At the end of the survey, you will have the chance to enter into a drawing for a $25 e-gift card to Amazon.com. Contact Nicole Aue at aue@pdx.edu with questions or concerns regarding the survey.

RTC Impact Surveys
Many of you have received--and responded to--invitations to participate in surveys about how useful you found our Center's publications, presentations, conference and technical assistance. Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill out one or more of the various surveys over the last year or so. This month, we compiled an informal report on some of the findings. Now you can read about the results of the Impact Surveys.

New Video on Youth Participation in Planning
In their own words and with stories from their own lives, youth describe what it feels like not to have any say in the plans that are made for their treatment, care, education and future. These young people, all of whom have been the focus of numerous multi-system plans, also describe the rare occasions when they were encouraged to participate meaningfully in the planning process, and how those experiences left them feeling hopeful and motivated. Caregivers and providers contribute their perspectives as well, speaking about how positive experiences with youth participation in planning helped them overcome their prior fears and skepticism about including youth voice in the planning process. This video was conceived and created by AMP project advisors--youth, caregivers, and providers--in collaboration with RTC staff.

New Evaluation Tool Kit for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
For states, communities, agencies and programs investing in early childhood mental health consultation and committed to quality data. This web-based resource combines a brief review of the literature and current research addressing the effectiveness of early childhood mental health consultation with guidance for designing and implementing program evaluation. It will help states, communities, and programs increase their capacity for high-quality evaluation of early childhood mental health consultation in community-based settings.

New Featured Discussion: "Youth Participation in Planning Meetings?"
In their own words and with stories from their own lives, youth describe what it feels like not to have any say in the plans that are made for their treatment, care, education and future. Join our Featured Discussion and weigh in on how you feel about youth participating in -- and sometimes even leading -- the meetings that determine what lies next.
Share your views on our Discussions page.

New Youth Participation Research Summary, Handbook, and Quiz

Human service and educational agencies and systems often convene teams to work collaboratively on plans for serving children or youth. Unfortunately, it is often true that these plans are created for youth, with little input or buy-in from the young people themselves. The latest publication in the "youth participation" series, Involving Youth in Planning for Their Education, Treatment, and Services: Research Tells Us We Should Be Doing Better, summarizes available research indicating that involving youth meaningfully and successfully in planning for their own future is possible and provides benefits for youth and their families. You may order 5 or more printed copies of the 12-page booklets for $0.95 each (includes shipping) via our Publications page, or you can download the PDF.

Another recent publication, Best Practices for Increasing Meaningful Youth Participation in Collaborative Team Planning, shares some information about how to create plans with youth, so that youth will see the plans as a means to help them move towards important life goals. You may order 5 or more printed copies of the 8-page booklets for $0.75 each (includes shipping) via our Publications page, or you can download the PDF.

Does your organization support meaningful youth participation in collaborative team planning? A recent 14-item Self-Assessment Quiz can help you identify your organization's strengths regarding youth participation, as well as areas in which you can do more. You may order 5 or more printed copies of the Quizzes for $0.35 each (includes shipping) via our Publications page, or you can download the PDF.

Spanish Version of Wraparound Process User's Guide Now Available!

The "Manual de Usuario del Proceso del Wraparound (Asistencia Integral)" is a professionally translated version of the "Wraparound Process User's Guide," originally published in English. This guide from the National Wraparound Initiative (NWI) provides a comprehensive description of what a family can expect from the wraparound process, and is intended for use in any community that uses a wraparound process consistent with the NWI guidelines. You may order printed copies of the Spanish (or English) Wraparound Guides for $1.25 each (includes shipping and shipping insurance) via our Publications page, or you can download the PDF.

New Publications/Tools from the RTC:

--Family perceptions of participation in education planning.

--Starting points for communities developing new transition programs for young people with mental health difficulties.

--Studying family participation in system-of-care evaluations: Using qualitative methods to examine a national mandate in local contexts.

--Grounded theory and backward mapping: Exploring the implementation context for wraparound.

--Introduction to the Youth Self Efficacy / Empowerment Scale - Mental Health (YSES-MH) and the Youth Participation in Planning Scale (YPP).


Search our Publications page by title for more information.

The RTC makes its products accessible to diverse audiences. If you need a publication in an alternative format, please contact the Publications Coordinator.

ADHD Increases Likelihood of Eating Disorders - Adolescent girls with ADHD are at a substantially higher risk of developing eating disorders than their peers, a new study finds.

National Survey of Substance Use and Mental Health: Every State is Impacted - This report offers a state-by-state summary and analysis of underage drinking, illicit drug use, and psychological distress rates across the country in 2005-2006. View the press release or download a PDF version of the report.

Engaging Students is Key to Reducing Classroom Misbehavior - An article from the UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools newsletter highlights the tie between misbehavior and student disengagement in the classroom. The authors cite Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, as well as student motivation and opportunities to promote social and emotional learning and mental health as useful strategies for combating disengagement.

Report Recommends Increased Awareness of Socio-Emotional Health for Youth Aging out of Foster Care - This report, based on interviews with 29 young adults who had recently aged out of foster care, finds that, despite a network of friends and family members, youth lack reliable emotional support. The report advises that child welfare policies and practices devote more attention to supporting this aspect of well-being.

“Lack of Coordination” Cited as Challenge for Federal Investments in Foster Care System - A new report from the National Council on Disability examines factors behind the poor outcomes of youth with disabilities in the foster care system—particularly the challenges facing older youth. It also identifies a lack of coordination among Federally-funded systems and provides recommendations for improvement.

Peer-to-Peer Survey Presents Voices of Homeless Youth - This report, from the California Research Bureau, offers a glimpse into the lives of homeless, transient youth as reported through a unique series of peer-to-peer interviews.