Improving the Lives of Young People with Serious Mental Health Conditions Through Research & Training
Register for November's Monthly Consultation: "Strengths, Passions, Achievements, and Motivators (SPAM)"
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Date/Time: November 19, 2020, 10am PT / 1pm ET
In this call we will discuss how youth peer support specialists (PSSs) engage in strengths-based conversations with young people, using the framework of "Strengths, Passions, Achievements, and Motivators (SPAM)." Discussing strengths can feel uncomfortable, distressing or phony for youth clients. In this call we will focus on specific techniques that PSSs can use to help ensure a comfortable and engaging conversation that builds both the PSSs' and the youth's awareness and genuine appreciation of the young person's SPAM.
When done correctly, a strengths conversation between a provider and a young person can be a positive and engaging experience, as well as a good opportunity for a provider to find out what a young person finds motivating, enjoyable and worthwhile. The module provides examples of successful ways to talk with young people about their strengths, as well as examples of some not-so-successful ways.
Webinar Recording: "Supporting Youth Peers During COVID-19"
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COVID-19 has changed the way mental health professionals and youth peers serve their populations, and in doing such many providers may be struggling themselves. This webinar covered how organizations can support youth peer staff; supervision strategies for supporting youth peers; and recommendations on how youth peer support specialists can support their youth while maintaining boundaries.
New Study Guide for e-Learning Tools: "Improvables"
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This study guide accompanies the "Improvables" AMP e-Modules, which take the viewer through a video of a real interaction between a provider and a young person, allowing them to stop along the way and explore how the provider's responses can either support or impede the goal of having a youth-driven conversation. The study guide provides questions for discussion and reflection, along with links to additional resources. It is our goal that youth-service providers use these tools as an opportunity to enhance their skills and to reflect on the "improvables" in their own practice.
Tip Sheet: "Telehealth for Transition Age Youth and Young Adults"
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This tip sheet provides options for protecting the emotional safety, privacy and welfare of transition-age youth and young adults while they are participating in virtual mental health care. This list, compiled via consultation with youth peer support specialists, clinicians, and supervisors who work with young people, is intended as a starting point as services evolve to meet the challenges of this new era.
Webinar Recording: "Collaboration Between Youth Partners and Family Partners in Wraparound"
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Youth/Young Adult Peer Support is a relatively new addition to Wraparound. Programs sometimes struggle with understanding how teamwork is best enhanced when there is both a family partner and a youth partner involved. This webinar, which aired April 30, 2020, focused on optimizing the connection between youth and family peer support partners when they are working together on Wraparound teams. It covered key strategies on how to collaborate on addressing common challenges with life scenarios.
New! Monthly Consultation: "Clarifying Your Peer Support Role/s"
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The topic of this call from October 22 was "Clarifying Your Peer Support Role/s." Research has shown that role clarity contributes to employees' work satisfaction and retention. We explored what this means in the context of youth/young adult peer support, and shared resources to help with role clarification. We also asked participants about their priorities for future meeting topics.
New Research Briefs on College Students with Foster Care Histories
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These briefs share findings from two studies by researchers from Pathways RTC on college students with foster care histories and self-identified mental health conditions. One study examined results from a randomized controlled trial of the FUTURES model, a post-secondary support and retention program, while the other study explored the perspectives of these students.
New Journal Article: "Exploring College Student Identity Among Young People With Foster Care Histories and Mental Health Challenges"
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Young adults with foster care histories experience unique barriers to success in postsecondary academic settings, including higher rates of mental health challenges. This study reports the perspectives of college students with foster care histories and self-identified mental health concerns (N=18) about how these factors relate to their post-secondary academic experiences.
Webinar Recording: "Advanced Skills for Youth- and Young Adult-Driven Practice: Recognizing and Managing the Urge to Lead"
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This webinar used videos drawn from real interactions between young people and providers to demonstrate skills and techniques that providers can use to maintain a youth-/young adult-driven approach, particularly in situations where providers are tempted to "lead" the young person to a new perspective, as when the provider fears that the young person is making a bad or risky choice.
New Pathways Comics Study Guide for Pathways Comics Vol. 4
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This new Pathways Comics study guide raises questions for discussion and points for reflection about the events in Volume 4 of Pathways Comics, which explores the topic of drop-in centers as a form of engagement in services. This study guide is intended to help service providers who work with young people with mental health conditions consider how their own initial engagement and continued work with young people can honor their perspective, prior experiences, and ultimately young people's expertise on their own lives.
