Behavioral Health – Counseling for Youth & Families

Project Description

The ARPA Behavioral Health Counseling for Youth and Families Program was created to increase access to behavioral healthcare services within schools and/or neighborhoods located in socially vulnerable areas within Harris County. The program aims to increase the capacity of community-based organizations and non-profits in the identification and treatment of behavioral health needs in school-aged youths and their families, increase provision of school-based mental health services, and reduce barriers in accessing treatment through integration of services into primary care and community-based settings.

The Behavioral Health Counseling for Youth and Families is administered by four subrecipients:

  • Communities in Schools (CIS) provides school-based mental health services delivered by licensed and qualified subcontractors and supports students through group counseling.
  • Covenant House Texas provides mental health services to youths, focusing on homeless youths and young parents, LGBTQ+ youths, and victims of human trafficking and domestic or dating violence.
  • Houston Area Women’s Center (HAWC) provides comprehensive services to survivors of family violence in their communities, including individual and group counseling. Services are provided virtually and in-person at our survivor empowerment hubs.
  • Tilman J. Fertitta College of Medicine provides outpatient mental health services for children and families through development of an integrated care model within the UH Health Family Care Center, school-based and in-home care coordination, training opportunities for graduate students and post-doc fellows as well as community-based behavioral health education.

PRIMARY PARTNERSHIPS

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

CIS, HAWC, Covenant House Texas, and Tilman J. Fertitta College of Medicine outreach strategies aim to reach school districts, community colleges, survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and underserved African American and LatinX communities through:

  • Partnerships with elementary and secondary school campuses and administration
  • Referrals from medical, health, and legal partners, as well as law enforcement
  • Participation in community events
  • Local media features
  • Email and social media campaigns

TARGET IMPACT

Target Goals Include:

  • Expand identification of behavioral health needs in school-aged youths
  • Incease capacity within the school setting to address behavioral health and psychosocial issues through Increased staffing or utilization of telehealth
  • Reduce barriers in access to behavioral health treatment

USE OF EVIDENCE & PROGRAM EVALUATIONS

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association Psychiatry have raised concerns over youth mental health. According to the CDC, there was a 24% rise in mental health-related visits to hospital emergency rooms (ER) for children ages 5- 11 and a 31% rise for ages 12-17 in 2020. According to findings published in the CDC’s “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,” there was a 22% spike in ER trips for potential suicides by children ages 12-17 in the summer of 2020 compared to 2019. In Harris County, the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD indicated a 13% rise in new requests for children outpatient care, and 64% of clients needing substance use disorder (SUD) services were ages 4-17 in 2018.

PHOTOS