Meeting the Needs of Youth in Transition: Recommendations for Systems Reform

• By: Ashley Brody, MPA, CPRP Vinny Sceri Search for Change, Inc.
• January 1st, 2019
• adolescents, education and employment, mental health, social services, system coordination, trauma, vocational rehabilitation, youth in transition
• 1749    0

Adolescence is commonly defined as a period of transition between childhood and adulthood with distinct physical and psychological challenges that must be successfully navigated en route to maturity. One of these challenges is so deeply embedded in this period of development that it found its way...

Championing a Hidden Health Crisis: Childhood Sexual Trauma

• By: Rebecca Costa, LCSW-R WellLife Network
• January 1st, 2019
• brain development, childhood sexual abuse, consent education, emotional impact, grooming, parental guidance, prevention strategies, trauma
• 1486    0

The contemporary English writer, Julian Barnes once wrote “Memories of childhood were the dreams that stayed with you after you woke.” Sadly so, for many children those memories of childhood are not laced with adjectives such as happy, trusting, innocent, precocious, fresh, sensitive, fanciful,...

Social Isolation: A Solution-Focused Approach

• By: Elisa Chow, PhD David Kamnitzer, LCSW-R Institute for Community Living (ICL)
• July 1st, 2018
• case management, depression, serious mental illness, social determinants of health, social isolation, substance use, supported housing, trauma
• 2110    0

Doris has been living in her studio apartment in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn for the past 15 years. She obtained this apartment after finding herself homeless following the breakup of her marriage and other stressors she was experiencing. Doris is quite humble as she describes how her...

Understanding Co-Occurring Disorders

• By: Arlene González-Sánchez NY State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS)
• January 1st, 2018
• behavioral health integration, co-occurring disorders, evidence-based therapy, integrated treatment, mental health disorders, screening and assessment, substance use disorders, trauma
• 2155    1

For decades, we have talked about substance use and mental health conditions as “co-occurring.” We have incorporated it into our language, for example, saying that a person “needs a co-occurring program.” Sometimes the term takes on a life of its own, prompting providers to view treatment...

“I’m Not Strong – I’m Steel” Life and Recovery with Co-Occurring Disorders

• By: Juan Richie John Dennis Justin Michael Tanya Eugene Services for the UnderServed (S:US)
• January 1st, 2018
• acceptance, addiction recovery, co-occurring disorders, mental illness diagnosis, stigma, substance use, trauma, treatment and rehabilitation
• 1376    0

You may have heard it before: acceptance is the first step in recovery. Nothing could be truer, as was made abundantly clear as each of us shared our histories together in a discussion about Behavioral Health News “Understanding and Treating Co-Occurring Disorders” issue. Trauma leading to...

Consumer Perspectives: Supported Housing is Key to Our Recovery

• By: Cheryl Sharon Monique Christopher Joseph Andrea Selena Flora Services for the UnderServed (S:US)
• October 1st, 2017
• housing stability, mental health services, peer support, recovery from mental illness, social determinants of health, substance use disorders, supported housing, trauma
• 1395    0

This article is part of a quarterly series giving voice to the perspectives of individuals with lived experiences as they share their opinions on a particular topic. The authors of this column facilitated a focus group of their peers to inform this writing. The authors are served by Services for...