News Archive

Here you can find all of the content previously featured on our "News" page.

News (archival)

The first issue of the Washington State Girls Group summarizes the focus of the group (to advocate for gender-responsive programming in juvenile justice), and reports the results of a needs assessment concerning training needs in court facilities around the state. The needs assessment was a collaborative effort the Girls Group stakeholders with analyses being conducted by Sarah Walker and Kenyatta Erickson from PBHJP.

22nd Annual Research & Training Center (RTC) Conference - March 1-4, 2009 - Tampa, FL
During the first week of March, several PBHJP faculty and staff traveled to Tampa, Florida where they presented on the Wraparound Process and its effectiveness in working with youth with emotional and behavioral disorders (view pdf). Also presented on was the community-based evidence approach in defining and clarifying the role of family partners within Wraparound (view pdf).

Report on Emotional & Behavioral Disorders in Youth (EBDY)
Eric Bruns Ph.D. and Eric Trupin, Ph.D., have been named co-editors of Report on Emotional & Behavioral Disorders in Youth (EBDY), a quarterly journal published by Civic Research Institute, Inc. The journal is sponsored by the Evidence Based Practices Institute at the Division of Public Behavioral Health and Justice Policy. Its goal is to provide user-friendly information on the latest research findings and developments in the field on addressing emotional and behavioral problems in youth, and to serve as a bridge between child mental health researchers and practitioners. For more on EBDY, including guidelines for manuscript submission and information on ordering the Report, click here.

Newsworthy Legislation (archival)

Parent Participation Bill, SB 5141, proposes funding of a pilot program to increase parental participation in evidence-based programs by providing incentives for parents already involved in rehabilitation of their children.

UPDATE (5/11/09): Senate Bill 5141 is effectively "dead legislation" and will need to be reintroduced in a future session if it is to become eligible for consideration.

UPDATE (4/1/09): Senate Bill 5141 passed the State Senate by a margin of 46 to 0 on March 11th. The bill was passed by the House Committee on Health & Human Services on March 25th and referred to the House Committee on Health & Human Services Appropriations.

UPDATE (2/6/09): Public Behavioral Health & Justice Policy director, Dr. Eric Trupin, provided testimony to Washington State Senate committee members on Senate Bill 5141 on January 23, 2009.

Trupin: Washington State has systematically taken legislative steps - much of it stemming from the work of the committee - to provide support for the central role of familes assuming their primary responsibility in the rehabilitation of their children. This of course...more

Children's Mental Health Services Bill, HB 1373, will improve mental health outcomes for children and the families who care for them by allowing early access to care before problems become too difficult and expensive to treat.

UPDATE (5/11/09): House Bill 1373 was signed into law by the Governer and will become effective on July 26, 2009.

UPDATE (4/29/09): House Bill 1373 made final passage of both the State Senate and House and was delivered to the Governor on April 23rd.

UPDATE (4/15/09): House Bill 1373 passed the State Senate by a margin of 41 to 3 on April 15th.

UPDATE (4/1/09): House Bill 1373 passed the State House of Representatives by a margin of 66 to 29 on March 9th. The bill was passed by the Senate Committee on Human Services & Corrections on March 30th and referred to Senate Ways & Means.

UPDATE (2/6/09): Public Behavioral Health & Justice Policy director, Dr. Eric Trupin, provided testimony to Washington State House committe members on House Bill 1373 on February 3, 2009.

Trupin: Over the past 2 years, our State has taken significant steps in improving mental health outcomes for children and the families who care for them. This is in no small part due to legislation that has recognized the benefits of empowering both service providers and families with knowledge and skill to choose services that are both practical and effective. House Bill 1373 will greatly expand the gains...more

Mentally Ill Offender Bill, HB 1275, will allow courts to take into consideration a person's recent and past behaviors when determining whether he or she should be involuntarily committed for mental health treatment.

UPDATE (5/11/09):HB 1275 appears to be inactive and will need to be reintroduced in a future session if it is to become eligible for consideration.

The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, introduced by Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA) September 15, 2008, would “connect and support relative caregivers, improve outcomes for children in foster care, provide for tribal foster care and adoption access, improve incentives for adoption, and for other purposes.” Keep an eye on the progress of H.R 6893 at the Library of Congress website.

UPDATE: H.R. 6893 has become Public Law No.: 110-351 on October 10th, 2008 after passing unanimously in both the House and Senate.

The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 “to require equity in the provision of mental health and substance-related disorder benefits under group health plans, and for other purposes.” This would improve access to mental health care, by making access to it equal to that of other types of health care in health plans. Keep an eye on the progress of H.R 6983 at the Library of Congress website.

UPDATE (4/1/09): H.R. 6983 did not reach the Senate floor and so never became law. Because this resolution was proposed in a previous session of congress, it will have to be reintroduced for debate.

UPDATE (2/6/09): H.R. 6983 passed through the House on September 23rd, 2008 and was received in the Senate for review by committee.

Articles of Interest (archival)

NIMH: History of Childhood Maltreatment Linked to Higher Rates of Unemployment, Poverty. 20 October, 2009. CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News. http://depts.washington.edu/pbhjp/downloads/news/CMHS%20CONSUMER%20AFFAIRS%20E-NEWS,%20OCTOBER%2020,%202009.pdf

"The long-term impacts of childhood maltreatment include higher rates of unemployment, poverty, and use of social services in adulthood, according to a new study by David Zielinski, Ph.D., of the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) Office of Science, Policy, Planning, and Communications..." (Full Article)

Reaction to Escape of State-committed Patient Stigmatizes People with Mental Illness. 24 September, 2009. The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2009937015_guest25stuber.html

"It was a sad day at the Spokane Interstate County Fair last Thursday. If you were reading The Seattle Times, you would think it was because Phillip A. Paul escaped from an outing organized by Eastern State Hospital, where he is committed as a forensic (legal) patient. However, what makes this story sad to me was the misinformed and sensational reaction..." (Full Article)

The Mind of Kalebu. 22 September, 2009. The Stranger. http://www.thestranger.com:80/seattle/the-mind-of-kalebu/Content?oid=2302453

"In the 16 months before he allegedly killed Teresa Butz in South Park, Isaiah Kalebu was accused of threatening to kill his mother, investigated for a suspicious fire that killed his aunt, and warned that he needed to stay on his meds. Sealed and unsealed court documents obtained by The Stranger paint a terrifying portrait of the psyche of the suspected murderer—and reveal major loopholes in the way mentally unstable criminal suspects move through the legal system..." (Full Article)

For Longtime Captives, a Complex Road Home. 31 August, 2009. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/health/01psych.html?_r=1&hp

"Jaycee Dugard has suffered sexual abuse, neglect and emotional manipulation to an extent hard to imagine, according to the charges in the case involving her abduction. But therapists say the biggest challenge facing Ms. Dugard, who was found last week after 18 years in captivity, may be switching families." (Full Article)

Four youth prisons in New York used excessive force. 24 August, 2009. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/nyregion/25juvenile.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

"Excessive physical force was routinely use to discipline children at several juvenile prisons in New York, resulting in broken bones, shattered teeth, concussions and dozens of other serious injuries over a period of less than two years, a federal investigation has found.

A report by the United States Department of Justice highlighted abuses at four juvenile residential centers and raised the possibility that..." (Full Article)

New York's disgrace (Editorial). 24 August, 2009. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/opinion/25tue1.html?ref=opinion#articleBodyLink

"The Justice Department has sued several state juvenile detention systems for subjecting children to neglect and abuse. The department is now threatening to sue New York for the same reasons, and rightly so. A recently completed federal investigation has documented unsafe and, in some cases, heartbreaking conditions in several New York state detention facilities..." (Full Article)

Mentally Ill Offenders Strain Juvenile System. 9 August, 2009. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/us/10juvenile.html?_r=2

"The youth, Donald, a 16-year-old, his eyes glassy from lack of sleep and a daily regimen of mood stabilizers, was serving a minimum of six months for breaking and entering. Although he had received diagnoses for psychiatric illnesses, including bipolar disorder, a judge decided that Donald would get better care in the state correctional system than he could get anywhere in his county. That was two years ago..." (Full Article)

Why Juvenile Detention Makes Teens Worse. 7 August, 2009. Time. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914837,00.html

"Parents have always warned teenagers against falling in with the wrong crowd, those kids they consider bad influences. Now a new study of juvenile detention in Montreal adds to the evidence that Mom and Dad may have a point. Researchers found that rather than rehabilitating young delinquents, juvenile detention - which lumps troubled kids in with other troubled kids - appeared to worsen behavior problems..." (Full Article)

Don't Shoot: A Radical Approach to the Problem of Gang Violence. 22 June, 2009. The New Yorker. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/22/090622fa_fact_seabrook

Don't Shoot describes the background and development of a program for crime deterence, called 'Ceasefire', which is directed towards youth who are involved in violent gangs or who themselves have violent behaviors. The program has demonstrated some great successes but at the same time, has experienced major setbacks which speak to the need for rigorous evaluation to determine the context in which the program leads to positive impacts and what, if any, long-term effects remain after Ceasefire (Full Article - requires free subscription).

A follow-up video discussing the Ceasefire project is also available on the New Yorker website.

More Costly Private Model of Foster Care could Save $6.3 Billion in Long Term. 4 June, 2009. University of Washington News.http://uwnews.org/uweek/article.aspx?visitsource=uwkmail&id=50265

"In these times ot trillion-dollar budgets and deficits, $6.3 billion may not seem like much money, but that's what the U.S. potentially could save on each group of adolescents who enter foster care every year. These savings could be achieved by using a more intensive and more costly private model of foster care"...(Full Article)

Sharing the Trials of Recovery. 21 May, 2009. The Seattle Times.http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/jerrylarge/2009244616_jdl21.html

"Tamara Johnson made a lot of mistakes. 'I'm one of those people who has to fall on my butt,' she said, explaining how she came to be a drug dealer when she should have been sitting in a classroom or working an honest job. Johnson was brought to my attention because..." (Full Article)

How Washington Put Therapy on the Menu. Prevention Action News. 14 May, 2009. http://www.preventionaction.org/prevention-news/tomorrows-story/1210

"It can be hard to get even seasoned practitioners to show much interest in individual proven programs, and, when they do, they often suffer from the zeal of the converted: they become obsessed with their discovery to the exclusion of all else. The bigger and potentially more profitable challenge is...(Full article)

A Killer at 16, and Still in California’s Juvenile Justice System Decades Later. New York Times. 25 April, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/us/26juvenile.html

"...Mr. Schmidt is 37, the oldest defendant ever in California’s juvenile justice system. Just 16 when he molested and drowned a 3-year-old girl while high on methamphetamine, he has been in juvenile facilities for two decades, sometimes alongside teenagers who were not yet born when he was convicted." (Full Article)

Dr. Eric Trupin, division head of Public Behavioral Health and Justice Policy was interviewed for the following Seattle Times editorial:
No stigma in seeking care as added stress and strain take a toll. The Seattle Times. 10 Apr. 2009. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2009020620_editb12stigma.html

"People tormented by anger and resentment and acting out that despair with violence against domestic partners and family members need to know that help is available. No stigma exists in seeking help. Violent public outbursts are all the more disturbing for the general population because they cannot be explained or controlled. A productive response is to be aware of the stresses suffered by those around us, and guide them toward help..." (Full Article)

Missouri system treats juvenile offenders with lighter hand. New York Times. 28 Mar. 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/us/27juvenile.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

"Missouri and other states are using new approaches in the juvenile justice system to try to stem the flow of adults behind bars. Missouri managed to cut its adult population from 2005 through the first half of 2007 by applying techniques from the Missouri Model. The reforms have begun to have a national impact, with" (Full Article)

Study finds most adolescents sent to group homes still involved with drugs/crime seven years later. 19 Mar. 2009. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-03/rc-sfm031909.php

"Most adolescents referred to long-term group homes in Los Angeles County after being charged with a serious offense reported they were still involved with crime or drugs seven years later, according to a new RAND Corporation study. The bleak findings suggest there is a need to improve juvenile justice rehabilitation programs, according to the report published online by the American Journal of Public Health..." (Full Article)

US Investment in Children Held Up as Textbook Example. Prevention Action. 24 Feb. 2009. http://www.preventionaction.org/prevention-news/washington-s-investment-children-held-textbook-example-uk/1043.

"Arguments about value for money, which have persuaded US legislators to favor a portfolio of proven programs as a safe long-term investment in improving outcomes for vulnerable children, were being given an extensive airing in UK government circles this week. Source of the latest counsel is Steve Aos from the Washington State Institute for Public Policy who was in London for..." (Full article)

Program & Policy Reports (archival)

Washington State Department of Early Learning (2008). Report to the Governor and Legislature. Olympia, WA: Author.

Included in this report is a section that provides data, summaries and evaluation of the three child care consultation pilot projects funded by the Legislature with intent to provide child care providers with resources to help with care for infants and young children with behavioral problems. Additionally, this report contains the child care consultation pre- and post-training surveys for parents and care givers.

Evidence-Based Practice Institute (2008). State mental health comparison report: Innovative practices. Seattle, WA: Division of Public Behavioral Health & Justice Policy, University of Washington.

One component of House Bill 1088 was a request by the State Legislature for the Evidence Based Practices Institute (EBPI) to complete a report identifying innovative practices being implemented in other states. This report was designed to ascertain whether we in Washington State could benefit from strategies being developed elsewhere in improving mental health services for children.

What's New in Emotional & Behavioral Disorders in Youth (EBDY) (archival)

Spring 2009 - Visit EBDY for more information

Teacher-Child Interaction Training: Overview, Outcome, and Sustainability
by Aaron Lyon, Karen Budd, & Rachel Gershenson

Fitting Treatment to Context: Washington State's Integrated Treatment Model for Youth Involved in Juvenile Justice
by Henry Schmidt III & Robert Salsbury III

Sustaining a School Mental Health Program Started Through the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Federal Grant Initiative
by Robert Schmidt, Kathryn Seifert, Mark Weist, & Christianna Andrews

Faculty Publications (archival)

Articles of Interest:

Barth, R., Dorsey, S., Farmer, E., Green, K., Landsverk, & Reid, J. (2008). Current status and evidence base of training for foster and treatment foster parents. Children and Youth Services Review, 30(12), 1403-1416.

Bruns, E.J. & Hoagwood, K.E. (2008). State Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice for Youth, part I: Responses to the state of the evidence. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 47, 369-373.

Bruns, E.J., Hoagwood, K.E., Rivard, J.C., Wotring, J., Marsenich, L., & Carter, B. (2008). State implementation of evidence-based practice for youths, part II: Recommendations for research and policy. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 47, 499-504.

Bruns, E.J., Leverentz-Brady, K.M., & Suter, J.C. (2008). Is it wraparound yet? Setting fidelity standards for the wraparound process. Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research, 35, 240-252.

Bruns, E.J. & Walker, J.S. (Eds.) (2008). A Resource Guide to Wraparound. Portland, OR: National Wraparound Initiative, Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children’s Mental Health, Portland State University. (Available at www.wrapinfo.org)

Dorsey, S., Elbogen, E., Farmer E., & Mustillo, S. (2008). Caseworker assessments of risk for recurrent maltreatment: Association with case-specific risk factors and re-reports. Child Abuse & Neglect, 32, 377–391.

Dorsey, S., Farmer, E., Barth, R.P., Greene, K.M., Reid, J., & Landsverk, J. (2008). Current status and evidence base of training for foster and treatment foster parents. Children and Youth Services Review, 30(12), 1403-1416.

Dorsey, S., Mustillo, S.A., Farmer, E., & Elbogen, E. (2008). Caseworker assessments of risk for recurrent maltreatment: Association with case-specific risk factors and re-reports. Child Abuse & Neglect, 32(3), 377-391.

Walker, J.S., Bruns, E.J., & Penn, M. (2008). Individualized services in systems of care: The wraparound process. In B. Stroul & G. Blau (Eds.). The System of Care Handbook: Transforming Mental Health Services for Children, Youth, and Families. Baltimore: Brookes.

Bruns, E.J., Walrath, C.M., & Sheehan, A.K. (2007). Who administers wraparound? An examination of the training, beliefs, and implementation supports for wraparound providers. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 15(3), 156-168.

Dorsey, S., Forehand, R., & Brody, G. (2007). Coparenting conflict and parenting behavior in economically disadvantaged single parent African American families: The role of maternal psychological distress. Journal of Family Violence, 22(7), 621-630.

Kinney, L.M., Bruns, E.J., Bradley, P., Dantzler, J., & Weist, M.D. (2007). Sexual assault training of law enforcement officers: Results of a statewide survey. Women and Criminal Justice, 18, 81-100.

McDonell, M.G. & McClellan, J.M . (2007). Early onset schizophrenia. In E.J. Mash & R. Barkley (Eds.), Assessment of Childhood Disorders, Fourth Edition, (pp.526-550). New York: Guilford Press.

McDonell, M.G., Rodgers, M.L., Short, R.A., Norell, D., Pinter, L., & Dyck, D.G. (2007). Clinician integrity in multiple family groups: Psychometric properties and relationship with client and caregiver outcomes. Cognitive Therapy & Research, 31(6), 785-803.

Trupin, E. (2007) The mental health needs of young offenders. In C.L. Kessler and L.J. Kraus (Eds.) Evidence-based treatment for justice-involved youth; (pp. 340-367). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Bruns, E.J., Rast, J., Peterson, C., Walker, J., & Bosworth, J. (2006). Spreadsheets, service providers, and the statehouse: Using data and the wraparound process to reform systems for children and families. American Journal of Community Psychology, 38(3-4), 201-212.

Bruns, E.J., Suter, J.C., & Leverentz-Brady, K.M. (2006). Relations between program and system variables and fidelity to the wraparound process for children and families. Psychiatric Services, 57(11), 1586-1593.

Lee, T., & DeRobertis, M., Overview of the FIT Treatment Model, Focal Point: Research, Policy, and Practice in Children's Mental Health: Corrections, Summer 2006, Portland State University.

McDonell, M.G., Short, R.A., Hazel, N.A., Berry, C.M., & Dyck, D.G. (2006). Multiple family group treatment for outpatients with schizophrenia: Impact on psychiatric service utilization. Family Process, 45, 359-373.

Trupin, E., Investigation and Litigation in Juvenile Justice, Focal Point: Research, Policy, and Practice in Children's Mental Health: Corrections, Summer 2006, Portland State University.

Walker, J.S. & Bruns, E.J. (2006). Building on practice-based evidence: Using expert perspectives to define the wraparound process. Psychiatric Services, 57(11), 1579-1585.

Bruns, E.J., Lewis, C., Kinney, L.M., Rosner, L., Weist, M.D., & Dantzler, J.A. (2005). Clergy members as responders to victims of sexual abuse and assault. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work, 24(3), 3-19.

Bruns, E.J., Suter, J.S., Force, M.D., & Burchard, J.D. (2005). Adherence to wraparound principles and association with outcomes. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 14, 521-534.

McDonell, M.G., Rodgers, M.L., Short, R.A., Norell, D., Pinter, L., & Dyck, D.G. (April, 2005). Measuring clinician behavior and its relationships to patient and family outcomes in a family psycho-education and support intervention for schizophrenia. International Congress on Schizophrenia Research Biennial Meeting, Savannah, GA.

Roll, J. M., & McDonell, M. G. (March, 2005). A role for contingency management in the treatment of adolescent substance use disorders. National Institute of Drug Abuse: Adolescent Substance Use Disorders Conference.

Turner, A. P., Larimer, M. E., Sarason, I. G., & Trupin, E. W. (2005). Identifying a negative mood subtype in incarcerated adolescents: Relationship to substance use. Addictive Behaviors, 30(7), 1442-1448.

Dorsey, S., Farmer, E. & Mustillo, S. (2004). Intensive home and community interventions. Child Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 13, 857– 884.

Hazel, N.A., McDonell, M.G., Short, R.A., Berry, C.M., Rodgers, M., Voss, W.D., et al. (2004). Impact of multiple-family groups for outpatients with schizophrenia on caregivers’ distress and resources. Psychiatric Services, 55, 35-41.

McDonell, M.G., & Dyck, D.G. (2004). Multiple family group treatment as an effective intervention for children suffering from psychological disorders. Clinical Psychology Review, 24, 685-706.

Trupin, E.W., Turner, A.P., Stewart, D., & Wood, P. (2004). Transition planning and recidivism among mentally ill juvenile offenders. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 22(4), 599-610.

McDonell, M. G., Short, R. A., Berry, C. M., & Dyck, D. G. (2003). Burden in schizophrenia caregivers: Impact of family psychoeducation and awareness of patient suicidality. Family Process, 42, 91-103.

Stewart, D. & Trupin, E.W. (2003). The clinical utility and policy implications of a system-wide mental health screen of juvenile offenders. Psychiatric Services, 54, 377-382.

Trupin, E.W. & Richards, H. (2003). Seattle's mental health courts: Early indicators of effectiveness. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 26(1), 33-53.

Wasserman, G.A., Jensen, P.S., Ko, S.J., Cocozza, J., Trupin, E., Angold, A., Cauffman, E., & Grisso, T. (2003). Mental health assessments in juvenile justice: Report on the Consensus Conference. Adolescent Psychiatry, 42(7), 752-763.

Trupin, E.W., Stewart, D., Beach, B., & Boesky, L. (2002). Effectiveness of a dialectical behavior therapy for incarcerated female juvenile delinquents. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 7, 121-127.

Selected Past Presentations/Trainings (archival)

How to Implement DBT Comprehensively and as Part of Existing Public Sector Treatments - Kate Comtois, Ph.D.
June 15th, 2009: 8:30-10:00am
Click for Details

Matching Evidence-Based Practices to the Problems of Children, Youth, and Families - Shannon Dorsey, Ph.D. & Suzanne Kerns, Ph.D.
May 15th - 8-9am (Friday)
More information

Parent Empowerment Program (PEP) Training - Sherilin Rowley & Kevin Fenstermacher, PhD
March 7-8, 14-15, 21-22, 2009
North Thurston Public Schools District Administration Building - Lacey (Olympia), WA
More Information

SAFE Washington (SAFEWA) Partners Meeting
March 18, 2009 - Pierce Co. Human Services Building - Tacoma, WA
Dr. Trupin & Dr. Bruns gave a presentation to SAFEWA Partners on the status of children's mental health in Washington, current PBHJP/EBPI projects, and the case for evidence based practice.
View the presentation

Evidence Based Practice Seminar for Behavioral Health Practitioners Serving Children and Youth - Western Washington
March 13, 2009
Lacey (Olympia), WA
~ For PowerPoint slides and other documents from the seminar Update on Evidence Based Practice, please visit our Service Provider Resources page

Motivational Interviewing Training - Dave Stewart, PhD
February 20 & 27, 2009
Skokomish Tribal Nation, WA
More Information

MST Services’ 2008 Network Partner Conference
October 22 - 23, 2008
(Wednesday - Thursday) and
Optional Post-Conference Workshops October 24, 2008 (Friday)
More Information

Behavioral Health in Primary Care: Evidence-Based Skills for Busy Clinicians
September 19, 2008
2700 24th Ave E
Seattle, WA
More Information

Events