By:  Gretchen Behimer, Project Director, Clermont FAST TRAC 

In this issue of the FAST TRAC newsletter, the Peer Support Partner program is highlighted.   If you  asked Jean Houston and Brenda Cox , Co-Founders of Families Connected, 3 years ago if they ever thought they would see the day where families, youth and professionals are working together so closely, all for the same purpose, I bet they would have said, “No way.”  This has always been the dream of Jean and Brenda, something that they have worked tirelessly for, but wondered if they would ever see the fruits of their labor.  Well, I believe that they would honestly say that we have come a long way in the last couple of years in regard to having families as an active part of their child’s team and sitting at the table, along with the professionals, giving input and information to workgroups and Family & Children First Council.

It has been a pretty amazing transformation that our county has begun and much of the credit needs to be given to the Peer Support Partners.  So who are the Peer Support Partners, you ask?  They are parents of children with behavioral health challenges.  They have worked to navigate the various systems (i.e. mental health, schools) and have done so successfully.  I like to say that they have “Been there, done that.”  Sometimes this is the best way to provide support to someone else, just by sharing some of the same experiences.

Rebecca Bishop, Peer Support Partner
FAST TRAC

Rebecca was the first person hired by the FAST TRAC System of Care to support families enrolled in the Wraparound process.  She is always looking for information to support families and is open to any type of training and information.

Rebecca is the mother of 7 children.  One of her children is affected by Autism and another has mental health issues.  Rebecca’s husband, James, has battled cancer on two occasions during the past four years and has undergone a bone marrow transplant.

Rebecca states, “Because my family has had so many challenges, becoming a peer support partner appeared to be a good job choice, and believe me it was, although it has really challenged me!    I love working with the families and am always learning something new.  I feel it gives me the opportunity to give back to the community as so much support was given to my family in our time of need.”

By:  Danny Little, Clermont FAST TRAC Youth Engagement Specialist

Youth Voice is about the “perspectives, ideas, experiences, knowledge, and actions of young people” and is very valuable.  It is the agent for change in the way youth are looked at in their community and across the country.  Youth are now respected as important partners – all this because youth had the courage to speak up and use their voice.  FAST TRAC has many opportunities for youth to express and use their voice through workgroups, board meetings, and even sometimes speaking to local, state, or national representatives about things pertaining to youth.  Being a part of the FAST TRAC Youth Group, youth also get a chance to hang out with other youth that they may have something in common with.  For more information on FAST TRAC Youth Groups, email Danny Little, FAST TRAC Youth Engagement Specialist, at dlittle.ft@ccmhrb.org

Clermont FAST TRAC has begun planning for the National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day initiative, My Feelings Are a Work of Art, throughout the month of May 2014.  The initiative raises awareness of children’s mental health needs; demonstrates how children’s mental health initiatives promote positive youth development, recovery, and resilience; and shows how children with mental health needs thrive in the community.

For the last four years, FAST TRAC has provided art supplies and support to youth in community programs and schools to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and to nurture the social and emotional well-being of children through art.  The My Feelings Are a Work of Art activities use art to help youth express their feelings.  Some activities last year included making and painting face masks and Child Focus Wasserman Youth & Adolescent Center’s “The Tree of Progress” where students talked about where they started and how far they have come with their mental health and a full size monster from Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are from Milford’s Siepelt Elementary.  Clermont FAST TRAC had 1,200 children and youth across Clermont County participating in “My Feelings are a Work of Art” activities in May.  Partner sites included:  FAST TRAC Youth Advisory Group, Juvenile Court, Clermont Board of Developmental Disabilities, Genesis School, Boys and Girls Clubs, Child Focus Wasserman Youth and Adolescent Center, Foster Care, Head Start and Bilingual Preschools and various school partners, including Holly Hill, Williamsburg, Amelia and Siepelt Elementary, New Richmond Middle and Live Oaks Vocational School.

“National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day and Mental Health Month is really all about raising awareness that positive mental health is essential to a child’s healthy development from birth,” said Gretchen Behimer, Clermont FAST TRAC Project Director. FAST TRAC is a System of Care initiative of the Clermont County Mental Health & Recovery Board, with the mission to provide a collaborative, sustainable system of care that is family-driven and youth-guided, providing community-based and individualized supports and services that are responsive to the cultural characteristics of Clermont County’s multi-need children, youth and their families, strengthening them with hope and supporting them to lead successful lives.

If your community agency or school is interested in participating in next year’s My Feelings Are a Work of Art activities, which will occur in May 2014, please contact Tara Keith, FAST TRAC Social Marketing Coordinator at 752-1555.

By Naomi Garretson, Mother of Stephen

The Clermont FAST TRAC Wraparound process was a great success for our family.  We are now able to work better as a unit and listen to each other more effectively.  Our family has been through other collaborative efforts in several other states.  Finally, after moving here to Clermont County, we really made progress.

I think having people listen to the concerns of everyone in the process made an enormous difference.  Things were not always easy in Wraparound, but the final outcome has been wonderful.  My son is doing amazing in school now and family life has become more typical.  Prior to entering Wraparound, we were a very dysfunctional family and not happy with many things, and I was very defensive of my family’s situation.

Given the fact that we had tried some other things similar to Wraparound, and the fact that they did not work, made it very stressful for me to go into the process again.  However, after many visits we realized that this really was going to be different.  Wraparound gave us the opportunity to have so many people involved that cared about us.  They were involved even when there was no meeting; team members called and checked in with us “just because.”  I had called members of the team frustrated on many occasions and was able to process through the issues much better than I could have before.  Now we use the tools and skills we learned and occasionally help other families with the process.

Written by: Gretchen Behimer

On May 10, 2012, Children’s Mental Health Day, a group of Clermont County families traveled to Columbus to participate in the 8^th Annual Resiliency Ring.  The Resiliency Ring’s focus is to bring awareness to the issue of children’s mental health and the need for continued funding for services through testimonials, awards, and the formation of a human ring around the Capitol Building.  It is estimated that close to 400 people participated this year. Additionally, family members are encouraged to visit legislative offices to advocate for children’s mental health and to put a face and story to the cause.

At the Resiliency Ring this year, Jean Houston was awarded the Resiliency Advocacy & Justice Award.  Jean is co-founder of Families Connected, Inc., a grass roots family advocacy organization.  For years, Jean has worked tirelessly for the children and families of Clermont County.  Jean has a desire to support youth and families in obtaining the services and educational supports that they need to succeed.

Over the last 3 years, Jean has been the Lead Family Contact for the Clermont County Mental Health & Recovery Board’s System of Care, called FAST TRAC, funded by a federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  She has put her heart into developing a family component in the System of Care.  She organizes family educational and fun events that occur at least monthly.  She also developed a Family Leadership Training program and the first group of 18 family members recently graduated from the program.  The intent of the Family Leadership Training is to assist family members in gaining the skills necessary to become effective advocates for their children and to become empowered to work alongside the systems to improve the System of Care.  The families are learning about problem solving, budgeting, and the county systems, among other topics.  The group has really grown in their knowledge and desire to become more involved in the community and has found support in one another.

Jean also formed a family advisory group, which oversees the family-driven efforts in our county and organized a family and youth run conference that occurred on May 5^th.  The focus of the day was resiliency and Jean worked with a local family to tell their story of resiliency.  The daylong conference was the first of its type in Clermont County and the plan is to hold the conference every two years.  Families did all the planning, from determining speakers to lunch to raffles to resource tables.  Additionally, Jean supervises four Peer Support Partners (PSPs) who provide peer to peer support to families engaged in the wraparound process, which is a team-based process with family, youth and professionals as equal partners at the table to collaboratively identify ways to support youth and their family to experience success in their communities, schools and homes.  We hear positive comments about the support PSPs provide to families, not only from the families themselves, but Juvenile Court, Children’s Protective Services and providers.  The goal of the PSP program is to support family members in speaking for themselves, not speaking for them.

We applaud Jean in her efforts to support the families and youth of Clermont County!

By: Jean Houston, FAST TRAC Lead Family Contact

One of the most rewarding endeavors I have undertaken as the FAST TRAC Lead Family Contact is the privilege of organizing and facilitating our Family Leadership Training program. This is an 8 month program for families who have children with mental health challenges to grow their knowledge of systems and confidence in advocating for their child and others, and to expand their support system. 

The 18 women who are participating in the program are enthusiastic, motivated, and bonded.  They have made a difference in the lives of their own families and want to support other families in their community, as well as, beyond.

The group has gone through many exercises to learn more about group dynamics, such as how communication between the “professionals” and “family voice” can be respectfully heard.  They have worked together to complete a task with a targeted result.  Many representatives from Clermont County agencies have visited and shared information about how their agency includes family voice.  The group also spent a full day increasing their knowledge of special education and has reached the level of comfort to share opposing opinions with one another. 

The upcoming session will include discussion about the program and how the families would suggest changing or modifying the program for the next group of family members.  The program will conclude in April 2012, followed by an appreciation celebration.  This group is vital to the planning of Clermont County’s first Family and Youth Conference, which will be held on May 5, 2012 at the Mount Carmel Christian Church. 

Please stay tuned for the next Family Leadership Series coming in Fall 2012.