Links and Resources for Family and Youth

PBHJP Blog:

PBHJP has launched a blog designed to be a place where families, youth, researchers, and mental health professionals can come together to discuss issues related to mental health. We invite anyone and everyone to participate in the discussion! Visit our blog today

Other Blogs with information for youth and families:

Say Ahhh! A Children's Health Policy Blog - This blog, hosted by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, covers more broadly issues around children's physical health including insurance policy, Medicaid, and State and Natuional health policy.

Family Alliance for Mental Health Facebook Group - FAMH manages a Facebook group for parents and caregivers to share information and family experiences through.

Seeds of Change - Online Support and Networking Group - This group is funded partially through a mini-grant from the Mental Health Transformation Project and hosted by the Family Alliance for Mental Health (FAMH)

Organizations that Work with Families:

National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health offers peer-to-peer support blogs and links for families to local chapters, resources for education and information on diagnosis, and links to other resources.

Youth 'N Action is an organization maintained by youth and exists to empower at risk youth as advocates for their education, treatment, mental wellness, and overall health and happiness. This organization helps youth understand their rights and responsibilities in government, participate in fun activities, and support and encourage one another.

Family Alliance for Mental Health provides assistance and support for parents and caregivers of children and youth in Thurston and Mason Counties who struggle with social/emotional issues, lack of peer connections, irregular school attendance, behavior problems, and isolation from friends, family and the community. FAMH facilitates monthly group meetings, individual meetings, provides IEP support and maintains an email distribution list for announcements, resources and training opportunities. FAMH also manages a Facebook group for parents and caregivers, an online support and networking group called Seeds of Change, and information on public policy issues and legislation.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) was founded in 1979 and is the nation’s largest grassroots organization for people with mental illness and their families. It has affiliates in every state and in more than 1,100 local communities across the country (see Washington state’s affiliate, WAMI, below). The NAMI mission is to eradicate mental illnesses and to improve the quality of life for persons of all ages who are affected by mental illness. Members and friends fulfill this mission by providing support, education, and advocacy.

Washington PAVE is a parent-directed organization with goals of independence and empowerment for those involved with special needs children and adults. PAVE can assist in finding community services for a child or adult with a disability, provide support when a parent learns that his child has a disability or chronic health care need, and help transition a child from school to adult life. Its programs include Family Voices of Washington and the Family to Family Health Information Center.

Mockingbird Society mission is building a world-class foster care system through collaboration, innovation and advocacy.

Family Voices of Washington (FV WA) provides assistance to families to help them navigate health care systems for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) in Washington. This assistance is provided through several venues: individual information and support, trainings, and information disseminated through newsletters, listservs, surveys and websites. These activities are supported with funding from the US Department of Education (IDEA Part C) and Centers for Medicaid Services (F2F grant). This year, FVWA plans to train 20 parent healthcare navigators in Thurston County.

John Franz’s Paper Boat is a forum dedicated to changing the metaphor of help; a gathering place for folks who are interested in having a bigger conversation about the way we design and deliver community-based support and assistance.

WADADS (Washington Dads) encourages and educates Dads and their families raising children with emotional, behavioral, and mental health concerns. The WADADS offer two training retreats each year with a variety of speakers and information to help in the care of children and host statewide support groups.

Washington's Mental Health Transformation Project is focused on bringing mental health systems reform to the State. Developed as a result of the national executive order, New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, the Transformation Project seeks to make profound changes in the way services are delivered to mental health consumers in Washington.

Native American Training Institute mission is to empower individuals, families and the community to create a safe and healthy environment so children and families can achieve their highest potential.

Washington Advocates for the Mentally Ill (WAMI) or National Alliance on Mental Illness Greater Seattle mission is to address the unmet needs of individuals with mental illness and their families through advocacy, public education, information and referral, and self-help support groups.
WAMI Support Group Calendar: http://www.nami-greaterseattle.org/support.htm

The Center for Children with Special Needs mission is to improve and promote the health and well-being of children with special health care needs and their families.
List of resources for CSHCN: http://www.cshcn.org/resources/carecoordination.cfm

National Mental Health Information Center for Mental Health Services operates under the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA). The center has a service locator map, hotlines list, and a wide range of helpful articles on a plethora of mental health issues.

AlaTeen is a fellowship of young Al-Anon family group members, usually teenagers, whose lives have been affected by someone else's drinking. AlaTeen is part of national network Al-Anon and Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) organizations.

Children's Village, located in Yakima, serves children with special health care or developmental needs through developmental screening and evaluations, care and resource coordination, family support services, pediatric health and mental health services, and early childhood educational services. In addition, the site contains an updated blog and discussion groups which talk about special health care needs and developmental issues.

The OSEP Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) is a resource for family members, advocates, teacher educators, professional association leaders, model developers, and researchers. PBIS provides capacity-building information and technical support about behavioral systems to assist states and districts in the design of effective schools.

Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is the nation's leading legal advocate for people with mental disabilities. The center seeks to protect and advance the rights of adults and children who have mental disabilities. The center envisions an America where people who have mental illness or developmental disabilities exercise their own life choices and ahve access to the resources that enable them to participate fully in their communities.

Attention Deficit Disorder Resources is a membership driven organization that serves adults and children with ADD/ADHD out of Tacoma, Washington. They have a large collection of online resources for ADD, host live support groups, and bring in experts to talk with members about the disorder.

Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) is the nation's leading non-profit organization serving individuals with AD/HD and their families. CHADD is a membership organization, produces the bi-monthly Attention! magazine, sponsors an annual conference, and hosts the National Resource Center on AD/HD (NRC) which is the national clearinghouse for evidence based information about AD/HD. CHADD has 16,000 members and over 200 local chapters in the U.S. including seven Washington chapters.

Consumer Voices Are Born (CVAB) is a consumer-run organization providing support and advocacy for mental health recovery in Clark County, specifically Vancouver, WA. CVAP operates a mental health recovery center, the "Warm Line" where anyone can call in and talk with a peer who will listen to what you have to say (not a crisis line!), and has an online community which discusses mental health issues.

Crisis Clinic Resource Network is a program of Behavioral Health Resources which offers help in times of need at no cost, 24 hours a day, to everyone in Thurston and Mason Counties. They listen non-judgmentally and offer emotional support and any appropriate resources that callers might need. They also have a comprehensive listing of human and health resources in Thurston, Mason, and Lewis Counties. Crisis line numbers are listed on the CCRN home page.

Learning Disabilities Association of Washington promotes and provides services and support to improve the quality of life for individuals and families affected by learning and attentional disabilities. LDAW is located in Redmond, WA and has an online library about learning disabilities, hosts conferences on a variety of learning disability topics, and has local chapters which host support groups.

Washington State: Office of the Education Ombudsman (OEO) promotes equity in education and the academic success of all students attending elementary and secondary public schools in Washington by providing information to students, families, and communities regarding the school system, promoting family and community involvement in education, helping resolve conflict between families and schools, and by providing policymakers with recommendations to improve the education system.

WithinReach Washington is a non-profit organization working to ensure optimal health for all families in Washington by connecting families to programs, resources, and information they need to help build healthy families.