Mental Illness Awareness for Community Partners

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Mental Illness Awareness for Community Partners

• Kristen Anderson, Oregon Family Support Network
  (OFSN)
• Deputy Kevin Rau, Marion County Sheriffs Office
• Kathy Ahrendt, Marion County Health Department
• Building on Family Strengths Conference 2007

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Background

• Kris Was working for her local police and fire
  dispatch center, and was an active
  volunteer/family advocate for improving
  childrens mental health
• She was asked to create a training to help
  telecommunicators better understand people with
  mental illness and how to improve encounters

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The word began to spread

• A local school district asked if a similar
  training could be prepared for mainstream
  teachers and other school staff
• A child welfare worker then asked if a training
  could be made for foster parents
• A church asked if their parishioners could
  receive more information about mental illness and
  how they could help make a difference

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Crisis Intervention Team Training (CIT)

• Kevin was asked to research and develop a CIT
  training for Marion County
• First CIT training in Spring 2006
• 40 hour program
• Classroom Education, Site Visits, Role Plays,
  Consumer/Family Panel

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Custom-Made Presentations

• Kathy was interested in helping non-clinical
  staff better understand and improve relationships
  with their clients
• We used templates to create the desired message
  and to provide situational communication skills
  practice

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The Templates

• All templates begin with slides aimed at
  developing empathy

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In order to help get rid of the stigma

• Statistics help put the numbers of people
  impacted in perspective

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Basic Brain Biology
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Types of Mental Illness (List)

• Schizoaffective disorder
• Anxiety Disorders
• includes Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD),
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),
• Attachment Disorders
• And Phobias
• Conduct Disorder (CD)
• Personality Disorders

• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD)
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Tourettes Syndrome
• Bipolar Disorder (BP)
• Depression
• Eating Disorders
• Schizophrenia

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Types of Mental Illness (Brief Summary)
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Depression Summary Stands Alone

• Due to differing symptoms due to age and the
  current media attention and community interest
  in children with depression

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These diagnoses were chosen due to their
frequency and because many community members have
misperceptions about many of these illnesses
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Types of Treatment

• There is a national trend to improve mental
  health and addiction services for adults,
  children, and their families
• New terms regarding this shift
• System of Care
• Wraparound
• Consumer-Driven
• Family-Driven
• Youth-Guided
• Services will be community-based
• Using evidence-based practices
• Designed for the individual consumer

• Culturally Competent
• Traditional
• Medication
• Therapy and Behavior Modification
• Non-Traditional
• Supportive Employment
• Supportive Housing
• Mentoring
• Peer-Peer Counseling/Support
• In-Home Services
• Educational Services
• Caregiver Respite
• Mobile Crisis Response
• Psychiatric Service Animals

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Types of Treatment in Closer Detail
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People always have lots of questions about
psychiatric service animals
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Be prepared to give examples of coping skills,
and emphasize how different things work for
different people
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Slight Differences for Each Targeted Audience
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For Education Personnel
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Particular Elementary Aged Issues
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Pre-Teen and Teen Issues
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Suicide Risks

• These warning signs should trigger a mental
  health evaluation referral as soon as possible.
  The ways to support are suggestions for in the
  educational setting

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Other things that may be noticeable at school

• Dual Diagnosis Slide In All Other Templates, Too

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Supports in the Classroom

• Help students develop good organization skills
  (ie. keep an assignment planner, at home to do
  list, daily/weekly HW tracker)
• Allow for approved activities when hyper/agitated
• Remind/allow a student to review/repair sloppy
  work product
• Review instructions with student, be sure
  comprehends assignment
• Praise positive behavior and good work product
• Praise small success/change
• Include social skills in curriculum

• Have a safe place or person in school student
  can go to when overwhelmed, anxious
• Try to reduce triggers for obsessive/compulsive/ex
  plosive behaviors
• Highly structured environment
• Clear expectations
• Consistent rules
• Immediate feedback
• Accept sadness/anxiety/phobia these feelings
  and perceptions are real to the student. They
  will not just snap out of it
• Prepare students for transitions
• Prepare students for new situations/changes in
  routine

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General Information For Foster Parents

• The template for foster parents is very similar
  to the one for educators, using the same or
  slightly modified behaviors and supports slides

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For Emergency Responders
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For Dispatch Personnel
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And More
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For Responders What They May Be Facing
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In order to better assist, responders need to
know local resources
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Be prepared to spend quite a bit of time on
building understanding for when responding to
children. Most training officers have had
focuses on adults
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The most frequent complaint I have heard from
consumers is not being treated with respect
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For Members of the Community Evolving Practices
and Policies

• These are Oregon specific slides, you will need
  to change to fit your community, whether you are
  working under a system of care grant or
  legislative action

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Focus on System of Care principles and how those
changes are taking place locally

• Be sure to change templates to match your local
  family organizations and local policies
• If you are advocating for local policy change,
  you can use Oregon as an example of places where
  these changes are being implemented

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More Policy and System of Care Changes

• Again, be sure to change the template slides so
  that they reflect what is happening in your local
  community

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Be sure to include specific ways that community
members can support (/time)

• Be sure to include specific organizations that
  need support and how to contact each organization
• Be sure to list national organizations as well as
  local affiliates/chapters

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More than Awareness Successful Strategies

• Communication Skills and Practice

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Communication Techniques Emphasis on Empathy,
Positives, and Personal Feelings
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Communication Practice and Review
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All templates end with what we are striving for

• Improved treatment
• Improved outcomes
• Healthy and productive members of the community

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Close with Resources and Information

• Please take and use these templates for
  stigma-busting and breaking down barriers within
  your local community
• Be sure to change them in order to reflect your
  local community culture, policies, and resources
• Included on computer disc
• Powerpoint Templates for
• Educators
• Emergency Services
• Foster Parents
• Community Members
• Bonus Material
• Communication Skills
• Curriculum Guide
• In Powerpoint, view on notes page
• Brochure in Word
• Workshop Evaluation Form
• Workshop Certificate of Completion