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Focal Point

Winter 2008 Issue: "Workforce"

The complete issue or single articles from this issue are available for download in PDF format. To view PDF files you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed, available as a free download from Adobe.

Focal Point: Research, Policy, and Practice in Children's Mental Health: Workforce. 22(1) Winter 2008 (ENTIRE ISSUE).
Walker, J. S., Gowen, L. K., & Aue, N. (Eds.)

This issue of Focal Point explores how the increasing emphasis on using evidence-based practices and a "system of care" approach is driving changes in jobs and roles related to children's mental health. Articles in the issue describe how agencies and providers of services and supports have responded to these changes by creating new types of positions or by redefining existing roles. The articles also focus on training and other workforce development activities that are required to support these kinds of changes in the workforce. Download PDF

Workforce: Filling New Roles in Transforming Mental Healthcare Systems.
Walker, J. S.

The introduction to the Winter 2008 issue of Focal Point describes how the increasing emphasis on using evidence-based practices and a "system of care" approach is driving changes in jobs and roles related to children's mental health. This article also describes how the skills required for staff working within either mode (system of care or evidence-based practice) are in many ways similar, and suggests that strategies for workforce development focus on building these core competencies. Download PDF

Direct Support Services in Children's Mental Healthcare.
Penrod, T.

Direct support is a highly individualized set of services provided in the home and community of the child and family being served. This article describes the role of the direct support provider: to focus on "treatment by participation" in order to help children with complex needs develop positive roles within their communities. Download PDF

Direct Support: How it Works.
[Interview with] Brian, Ruth, & Scott.

This article includes a series of first-person accounts that tell about how one family worked with a direct support worker. Brian, a 14-year-old with mental health challenges; Ruth, Brian's mother; and Scott, Brian's direct support provider, tell how they worked together to increase Brian's ability to handle his emotions and help his mother and father parent with confidence. Download PDF

Implementing "Incredible Years": Reflections on Changes in the Clinician's Role in an Evidence-Based Practice.
Drinan, C.

"Incredible Years" is a program aimed at promoting behavioral and emotional well-being in young children. This article examines the transition to this evidence-based practice from a clinician's perspective. Download PDF

Implementing "Incredible Years": Implications for Supervisors and Administrators Working with an Evidence-Based Practice.
Falkenstern, K.

Implementing "Incredible Years": An Evaluation Perspective on an Evidence-Based Practice.
Limpens, M., & Magnuson, L.

Family Partners in Systems of Care and Wraparound.
Osher, T., & Penn, M.

Family Partners are peer supporters and advocates for family members who lack experience in navigating the mental health care system. This article details the role filled by family partners in wraparound. Download PDF

Changes at The Bridge: Promoting Family Voice in Residential Treatment Programs.
Crowley, M., & Bishop, N.

This article relates the story of one human service agency's transition from traditional treatment programs to practices based in a system of care philosophy. Download PDF

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: A Developing Profession
Allen, M. D., Brennan, E. M., Green, B. L., Hepburn, K. S., & Kaufmann, R. K.

The growing number of children who experience emotional or behavioral problems, along with the increasing rate of expulsion of young children from preschool, has created demand for early childhood mental health consultation (ECMHC). This article supports the need for ECMHC in a changing children's mental health field. Download PDF

It Takes a Village: MST from Multiple Perspectives.
Jernigan, K. N., & Buchanan, E.

Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is an evidence-based practice that treats youth with mental health challenges who have serious behavioral problems. This article describes how MST operates, and includes clinician, supervisor, and family perspectives. Download PDF

MST Family Member Perspective: "It's the Encouragement that Helps the Most".
Cantrell, C. [Interview with] Melissa.

Melissa describes her family's experience with the MST program. Download PDF

Outcomes: Starting at Home.
Kanary, P., & Shepler, R.

This article describes how Ohio's Department of Mental Health implemented state-level strategies to meet workforce needs driven by transformations in the children's mental healthcare system. Download PDF

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2008 Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children’s Mental Health, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon.

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