My Feelings are a Work of Art Celebrates Sixth Year

Clermont FAST TRAC celebrated the sixth year of its National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day initiative, My Feelings Are a Work of Art, during May, which is also Mental Health Month. 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.

Clermont FAST TRAC provided art supplies and support to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and to nurture the social and emotional well being of children during special days of “art action” called “My Feelings are a Work of Art.” More than 700 children, youth and adults involved with various agencies and schools across Clermont County participated in the effort to use art to express feelings. Partner sites included: Clermont County Juvenile Court, Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Clermont Recovery Center, Boys and Girls Club in New Richmond, Amelia and Goshen, Child Focus Head Start Preschool and various school partners and special education classes including Genesis School, CEC-South, Batavia Elementary, Williamsburg and Amelia Middle 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 mental health 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.

Opiate Task Force Event

In Clermont County, the consequences of drug addiction are impacting the health and well-being of individuals, families and the community.  Join the Clermont County Opiate Task Force to learn about their work and Response Plan on Tuesday, May 26 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at UC Clermont Student Activities Center at 4200 Clermont College Drive in Batavia.  Speakers include representatives from: The Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Clermont County Coroner’s Office, Clermont County Mental Health & Recovery Board, the Recovery community and an overview of the plan from members of the Opiate Task Force.

May Family Event

Thanks to everyone who supported our day of fun for the whole family featuring local musicians in support of children’s mental health!   The event celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Caring for Every Child’s Mental Health and was held on Saturday, May 9th from 1pm to 5pm at Union Township Veteran’s Park. Cincinnati Music and Wellness Coalition promoted wellness through drumming circles and Moriah Haven, a local singer/songwriter with a background in American Roots music, performed beautifully and is a wonderful advocate for people with Asperger’s.  This event was presented by Clermont FAST TRAC and Families Connected.  Click here for the flyer.

 

Staff Highlight: Justina Pancake

I am Justina Pancake and am the mother of four children, ranging in age from 7 to 19 years old. I have my STNA (State Tested Nursing Assistant) license which has allowed me work in the community in a wide range of homes.

I have two sons and both are challenged by mental health issues. My oldest son has ADHD and my youngest son has Asperger’s and I continue to learn to manage his ever changing interests. My children have brought about many experiences with several agencies in Clermont County.

My family and I participated in and successfully transitioned from Wraparound.   I applied for the position as a Peer Support Partner because I believe my experiences with my children and in the Wraparound process enable me to better support other families.

I have always had a passion for helping people. I am very excited to begin this process and meet other families, as well as, the professionals in the field.

January 2015 Evaluation Update

The Evaluation Team spent most of the fall preparing for the last year of the grant. The Longitudinal Outcomes Study staff put a considerable amount of effort into cleaning up data issues which has resulted in improved quantity and quality of the data for examining effectiveness of the FAST TRAC System of Care. We have also continued to recruit families into the study. To date, we have enrolled 246 participants overall (i.e., approximately 63% of eligible FAST TRAC families). Our target enrollment number was originally 220 so we are quite proud to have exceeded that goal.

As for the Local Evaluation efforts, to date we have examined evaluation data for approximately 246 Wraparound participants, 165 Peer Support Partner (PSP) participants, 114 Transition to Independence Process (TIP) participants, and 1,624 School-Based Mental Health (SBMH) participants. Note that in comparison to past reports, these numbers reflect our Team having established processes for pulling service-specific data out of the national outcomes study dataset (e.g., for PSP participants), as well as using other service-specific data.

In September, we met with each program to discuss and identify needs for this final year. Based on these conversations we then developed a Year 6 work plan. The primary goal of the work plan was to identify ways in which our evaluation team could support each program to become self-sufficient in their own data collection, interpretation, and reporting efforts.

In October and November, a concentrated number of hours were spent reconfiguring and customizing the Wraparound and Peer Support Partner data system called Efforts to Outcomes (ETO) in order to replicate the reports we use to create our quarterly Evaluation Briefs, as well as to assist with data integrity and quality.

In December, we met with PSP leadership and identified steps to help them get prepared to conduct their own evaluation activities post-grant, including collecting, interpreting, and disseminating PSP data. Lastly, we had two proposals accepted for the 28th Annual Children’s Mental Health Research and Policy Conference in Tampa, Florida:

• Effects of Wraparound on Caregiver Strain and Perceived Needs, and;

• Comparison of Service Effectiveness for Youth with Depressed versus Non-depressed Caregivers.

Each proposal was accepted as a 30-minute oral presentation. As always, FAST TRAC Evaluation Briefs describing FAST TRAC evaluation results are available for download at http://clermontfasttrac.org/category/evaluation.  From your UC Evaluation Team… Happy New Year!

Tips for Working with Transgender Persons

In light of the tragic death of Leelah Alcorn, a transgender teen from the Kings school district, who completed suicide, here are some tips in working with persons who identify as transgender for professionals in clinical settings from SAMHSA:

Do:

  • Use the proper pronouns based on their self-identity when talking to/about transgender individuals.
  • Get clinical supervision if you have issues or feelings about working with transgender individuals.
  • Allow transgender clients to continue the use of hormones when they are prescribed. Advocate that the transgender client using “street” hormones get immediate medical care and legally prescribed hormones.
  • Require training on transgender issues for all staff.
  • Find out the sexual orientation of all clients.
  • Allow transgender clients to use bathrooms and showers based on their gender self-identity and gender role.
  • Require all clients and staff to create and maintain a safe environment for all transgender clients. Post a nondiscrimination policy in the waiting room that explicitly includes sexual orientation and gender identity.

Don’t:

  • Call someone who identifies himself as a female he or him or call someone who identifies herself as male she or her.
  • Project your transphobia onto the transgender client or share transphobic comments with other staff or clients.
  • Make the transgender client choose between hormones and treatment and recovery.
  • Make the transgender client educate the staff.
  • Assume transgender women or men are gay.
  • Make transgender individuals living as females use male facilities or transgender individuals living as males use female facilities.
  • Allow staff or clients to make transphobic comments or put transgender clients at risk for physical or sexual abuse or harassment

New Leadership Training is Coming Febraury 2015

A new series of  learning opportunities for families is available.

In the past, we have provided three series of Family Leadership Trainings which were held on Saturdays.  Over time, we have realized it is hard for families to get away for a whole day consistently, even with childcare being provided. This series will offer an opportunity for families to participate in the training through webinars, as well as, on site with the presenters.

The training curriculum will be based on developing the skills needed to self-advocate or to support other families, serve on boards, or other venues to represent parent  interests. Many parents within the wraparound process have expressed the desire to support other parents based on experiences with  their own Peer Support Partner (PSP).  This training will provide information to make a transition into the role of a Peer Support Partner or other advocacy position easier.  Training is based on skills PSPs have found necessary to support families in areas such as communication and listening skills, importance of notetaking, awareness of body language of team members, identifying their goals and problem solving skills.

The series will offer an opportunity to increase a variety of skills, such as identifying supports and resources, recognizing and acting on crisis situations and understanding and participating in writing a safety plan, also helping children to self-advocate. Many family situations require out –of- the box thinking, and we will look at some of the issues that have led to major changes (legistative or new programs) for families because they realized  the need was not their’s alone. Belief and culture; what is the difference?  Recognizing your own culture and beliefs is a first step to valuing others and working with families based on their culture and beliefs. One of the most significient learning experiences we will cover is the importance of confidentiality and boundaries.  Why some rules pertaining to those areas are vital to the success of providing peer support services.

A retreat will kick off the series as in the past because it provides participants an opportunity to come together to develop the trust  needed to work as a group.  The retreat session will be  a four hour day set on a Saturday.

If your interest is to further develop your self advocacy skills and/or would like to be a  future support to other families in a role of peer support, please  join other parents  to acquire this information developed through the experience of those who are presently in that position.

Please contact us if you have an interest.  An application will be mailed to you. This is a no cost program and child care will be provided.  2 hour sessions will be held twice a month. Certificates will be provided for each session.

Jean Houston, Lead Family Contact

Families Connected of Clermont County-

2040 Hwy 50 (Wildey Center), Batavia, Ohio 45103

513-732-5034/ Fax: 732-0796

 

January 2015 Youth Update

Last month we began our first cooking class. The youth involved gained the ability to prepare traditional breakfast foods and learned some of the basics to cooking on the stove. This month we are learning how to make Mexican food. We want to welcome you to our next class. Also, we are looking for youth who have leadership potential to participate on the Youth MOVE Advisory Board. The Advisory Board plans meaningful trainings and events. Youth can expect to gain meeting and organizational skills and help spread mental health awareness. If you or anyone you know may be interested in either the cooking class, Advisory Board, or any other FAST TRAC youth event, please contact Danny Little by phone 513.354.1307 or email dlittle@gcbhs.com

 

2014 My Feelings are a Work of Art Reception and Gallery

Children’s artwork created from My Feelings are a Work of Art projects were displayed at the Eastgate Mall.  An art gallery reception was also held.  This was Clermont FAST TRAC’s fifth year participating in the National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day initiative, My Feelings Are a Work of Art, during May, which is also Mental Health Month.  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.  Click here for a video of the art gallery reception.

Clermont FAST TRAC, a system of care initiative of the Clermont County Mental Health & Recovery Board, provided art supplies and support to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and to nurture the social and emotional well being of children during special days of “art action” called “My Feelings are a Work of Art.”  More than 800 children and youth and 200 adults involved with various agencies and schools across Clermont County participated in the national effort to use art to express feelings.  Partner sites include:  FAST TRAC Youth Advisory Group, Juvenile Court, Clermont Board of Developmental Disabilities, Clermont Recovery Center, Milford Success Academy, CEC-South, Boys and Girls Club, Child Focus Wasserman Youth and Adolescent Center, Head Start and Bilingual Preschools and various school partners, including Amelia, Holly Hill, Willowville, Boyd E Smith, McCormick, Pattison, Meadowview and New Richmond elementary schools, special education classes and Amelia Middle 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.

 

Staff Highlight- Lee Ann Lindroth

photoLee Ann Lindroth, Wraparound Coordinator

After graduating with a BA from Bowling Green State University, I returned to the area I grew up in Butler County and have spent the majority of my career working there. I began as an Abuse, Neglect and Dependency Case Manager at Butler County Juvenile Court. Through the years, I have worked as a Caseworker for Butler County Children Services Children Services, a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for Butler County Parachute, and a Wraparound Facilitator with the Butler County Family and Children First Council. I moved to Chicago in 2012 and returned to school full time at Loyola University Chicago. While attending school, I interned at Proviso Leyden Council for Community Action as a Clinical Social Worker, and at the Coalition of African, Arab, Asian, European and Latino Immigrants of Illinois as a Development Associate. Being a Wraparound Facilitator was my favorite position because it allowed the space for families to be unique, have a voice, and for everyone to think outside of the box. I am in the process of completing a paper with one of my Loyola professors about Wraparound facilitation strategies, and recently conducted a workshop about Wraparound at the International Association of Social Work with Groups Annual Symposium.    I look forward to working in the Clermont County Community and sharing my passion of the Wraparound process.

 

PSP Family Brief 2015