Tagged with: Mental Health

Growing Mental Health Access Through Systems Change

Six years ago, I sat in a room in Chicago with some of my staff, a funder, and a group of mental health providers, contemplating the dilemma we were facing and decided enough was enough. Since the opening of our Children’s Advocacy Center in 2001, we saw a persistent problem: there simply wasn’t enough mental… Continue Reading

On Staying the Course (of Treatment)

Before I joined the NCA staff, I served as director of a Children’s Advocacy Center, as well as the Director of Behavioral Health for the umbrella agency which was a primary care clinic. As part of my duties to manage the treatment of children suffering from traumatic stress symptoms, I frequently conducted chart audits, and… Continue Reading

Why Does the ‘Evidence’ in Evidence-Based Practice Matter?

Mental health providers at Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) work with highly vulnerable children and youth: those who have experienced and/or witnessed abuse, neglect, homicide, domestic violence, and other interpersonal traumatic events. Many children are remarkably resilient, and some require treatment for their psychological and physical injuries. CACs face significant hurdles to helping these children. There… Continue Reading