The Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children’s Mental Health was established in 1984 at Portland State University in Portland, OR, with funding from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education, and the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Center is dedicated to promoting effective community-based, culturally competent, family-centered services for children who are or may be affected by mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders and their families. This goal is accomplished through collaborative research partnerships with family members, service providers, policymakers, and other stakeholders.
The Center’s activities build on family strengths through applied multilevel research and capacity building in the following areas:
The Center collaborates with thirteen other organizations to promote improved services and outcomes for children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders and their families. Together, the partner organizations provide research services, support, and technical assistance to communities across the United States that have received grants under the Center for Mental Health Services' Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and their Families.
The Research and Training Center serves as a national resource on improvement of mental health services to children and families. Major efforts in dissemination and training include:
The Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children’s Mental Health is currently involved in the following research projects:
Voices of Youth and Families: Community Integration of Transition-Age Youth
Principal Investigators: Pauline Jivanjee, Ph.D. and Jean M. Kruzich, Ph.D.
This project is designed to gain understanding of community integration from the perspectives of transition-age youth, young adults, and caregivers, and examine links between the concepts of community integration, youth and family participation in individualized planning, empowerment, the effects of stigma, and recovery and resilience.
Transition to Independence: Outcomes of School-Based Support for Youth with Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities is
Principal Investigator: Pauline Jivanjee, Ph.D.
This project is evaluating a pilot school-based program that assists participants age 18-21 with mental health and developmental disabilities to successfully transition to employment and appropriate levels of independent living and use of adult social services. To achieve this goal, the project model combines mental health support with employment readiness and life skills training.
Achieve My Plan
Principal Investigators: Janet S. Walker, Ph.D. and Laurie Powers, Ph.D.
Achieve My Plan (or “AMP”) develops instruments to assess youth empowerment, youth participation in planning, and perceptions of the utility and feasibility of youth participation in planning. The project also develops and evaluates an intervention to increase the participation of youth and family members in the individualized planning and service process. Finally, the project develops a conceptual framework for understanding how the idea of recovery (as understood with respect to adult mental health) applies to children and adolescents.
Work Life Integration
Principal Investigators: Julie Rosenzweig, Ph.D. and Eileen Brennan, Ph.D.
The Work Life Integration project directly addresses the issue of community integration for the adult caregivers of children and youth with emotional disorders, specifically with regard to their ability to maintain employment. This project is designed to influence the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of human resource professionals, with a view to reducing stigma and increasing the family friendliness of their organizations. Guidance for Program Design: Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Young Children and Their Families in Early Childhood Education Settings.
Transforming Transitions to Kindergarten
Principal Investigator: Beth Green, Ph.D.
This project focuses on the families' experiences of the shift from preschool to kindergarten when children have emotional/behavioral challenges. We are developing and testing a training intervention to increase the capacity of early childhood and kindergarten settings to meet the needs of these children, and a family-driven team-based transition intervention to promote the success of children and their families as they move from pre-school to kindergarten. The project also includes a review of evidence-based practice in the field of mental health consultation. ISP/Wraparound teamwork in practice: An examination of multiple perspectives on team collaboration, functioning, and effectiveness.
Practice-Based Evidence: Building Effectiveness from the Ground Up
Principal Investigators: Barbara J. Friesen, Ph.D. and Terry Cross, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., A.C.S.W.
This project is conducting a case study in partnership with a Native American youth organization and the National Indian Child Welfare Association. The project addresses the need to conduct effectiveness studies of practices that are believed to be helpful, but for which little evidence exists. Promising Practices Initiative.
Data Trends
Principal Investigator: Kris Gowen, Ph.D.
As a part of our participation in the Learning Community partnership, the Research and Training Center at Portland State University collaborates with the Research and Training Center at the University of South Florida to produce Data Trends, a series of one-page briefs addressing current themes, summarizing recent articles, or presenting new developments in the field of children’s mental health.
rtcUpdates
Our e-mail listserv, rtcUpdates will include information about: new research and developments in the field of Children's Mental Health; the RTC's publications, products, research and conference; and topics under discussion in the Forums section of our web site. Visit our home page for more information: http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/
