Improving the Lives of Young People with Serious Mental Health Conditions Through Research & Training
Upcoming Webinar: "Advanced Skills for Youth- and Young Adult-Driven Practice: Recognizing and Managing the Urge to Lead"
Posted
This webinar will use 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.
Webinar Recording: "Collaboration Between Youth Partners and Family Partners in Wraparound"
Posted
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 Issues of Pathways Comics: Parts 3 and 4 of "Dropping In"
Posted
Pathways comics are created by and for young adults and the people that care about them. In these two new issues of Volume 4, "Dropping In," James and Taylor talk while playing video games, and Zoe explains the concept of peer support.
The newest e-learning tools from Pathways 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. 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.
Webinar Recording: "Decision Points in Your Agency: What to Consider when Working with Youth Peers"
Posted
This webinar, which aired May 4, 2020, focused on important points to consider when hiring or contracting with youth peer support specialists. This includes the pros and cons of partnering with an outside agency, conducting internal hires, considering full or part-time positions, recommended policies and procedures, etc. The webinar was hosted by Maria Hermsen-Kritz and Caitlin Baird, two experienced youth peer support specialists and supervisors.
New Practice Brief and Study Guide: How Youth Partners Can Collaborate with Family Partners in Wraparound
Posted
This pair of documents provides guidance on bridging connections between youth partners and family partners on Wraparound teams. The peer practice brief describes methods of collaboration and tips for addressing common challenges, and provides scenarios for practicing the material during staff training or coaching. The accompanying study guide provides answers to questions introduced in the practice brief scenarios.
These new Pathways Comics study guides raise questions for discussion and points for reflection about the events in Pathways Comics, Volumes 1 – 3. These study guides are 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.
Pathways comics are created by and for young adults and the people that care about them. In this set of issues, James and Zoe take a trip to the local drop-in center to use the computers, and James and Jarvis learn about its other services.
