The General Assembly’s Commission on Youth has recently published the 5th edition of its Collection of Evidence-based Practices for Children and Adolescents with Mental Health Treatment Needs. From page six of the document:
“Effective mental health treatments which have undergone testing in both controlled research trials and real-world settings are available for a wide range of diagnosed mental health disorders. The Collection 5th Edition is designed to encourage use of these treatments by professionals providing mental health treatments. The Collection 5th Edition is also designed to inform parents, caregivers, and other stakeholders by providing general information about the various disorders and problems affecting children and adolescents.”
The document emphasizes the key role of the family in treatment programs, and also outlines key components of successful treatment programs including:
- Integrated Programming – the “Systems” Approach
- Screening and Assessment
- Individualized Care Planning
- Engagement of Families in Treatment Efforts
- Culturally Competent Service Delivery
The document then provides a concise directly of ‘what works’ and ‘what does not work’ for dozens of child and adolescent mental health conditions. This is a necessarily long document, but it can be searched online or in a pdf version available at the Commission on Youth website.
Click here to view or download the guide.
