Breadcrumb
- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
Promise Neighborhoods
To address the challenges faced by students living in communities of concentrated poverty, Promise Neighborhoods grantees and their partner organizations will plan to provide services from early learning to college and career, including programs to improve the health, safety, and stability of neighborhoods, and boost family engagement in student learning.
Child Trauma and its Effects: Implications for Police
This article describes child trauma and the negative impact it can have on development, and the implications this has for police, especially for those working in poor communities of color. The article also suggests police be trained on the high prevalence of severe childhood trauma in such communities, its effects on the developing child, and its impact on adolescent and adult functioning to increase their capacity to address this major public mental health issue.
OJJDP Releases Research on Youth's Mental Health Needs and Long-Term Outcomes after Detention
OJJDP released four research bulletins based on findings from the Northwestern Juvenile Project, which investigates the mental health needs and long-term outcomes of juvenile detainees:
- Detained Youth Processed in Juvenile and Adult Court: Psychiatric Disorders and Mental Health Needs (PDF, 16 pages)
- Perceived Barriers to Mental Health Services Among Detained Youth (PDF, 12 pages)
- Psychiatric Disorders in Youth After Detention (PDF, 20 pages)
- Violent Death in Delinquent Youth After Detention (PDF, 14 pages)
Video: Safeguarding Children of Arrested Parents Training
This training video shows children telling their own stories about how they were affected by the arrest of a parent, and demonstrates the core principles from the Model Policy for Safeguarding Children of Arrested Parents (PDF, 38 pages), illustrating actions law enforcement officers can take to reduce trauma.
Resource: National Resource Center on School-Justice Partnerships Website
This website serves as a “one-stop-shop” of resources, training, and technical assistance to help school-justice partnerships implement positive school discipline reforms and reduce the school-to-juvenile justice pathway.
Resource: Hidden Consequences: The Impact of Incarceration on Dependent Children
This article summarizes the range of risk factors facing children of incarcerated parents. It also cautions against universal policy solutions that seek to address these risk factors but do not take into account the child's unique needs, the child's relationship with the incarcerated parent, and alternative support systems. Correctional practitioners and other service providers can use this resource to better understand how their communication and collaboration can foster a safety net for children and facilitate successful re-entry for the incarcerated parent.
Resource: Arts-Based Programs and Arts Therapies Literature Review
This literature review (PDF, 9 pages) explores recent research on arts-based programs and arts therapies for at-risk, justice-involved, and traumatized youth. It describes the theoretical foundation that supports the use of these therapies, outcome evidence found in the literature, and model program descriptions. Youth-serving professionals can use this resource to learn about programs that have demonstrated positive impacts on youth. Researchers can use it to understand the current state of research on this topic and to explore how future studies can address how and in which optimal conditions the arts can directly impact youth.
Resource: Arts-Based Programs and Arts Therapies Webpage
This webpage from the Model Programs Guide provides summaries and ratings of arts-based programs and arts therapies for at-risk, justice-involved, and traumatized or victimized youth. Youth-serving professionals and organizations can use this information when looking for interventions to implement.
Resource: Strategies to Build Family and Youth Engagement to Keep Kids in School
This podcast series was produced by the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice with OJJDP’s School-Justice Partnership Program. It explores the challenges that parents and other caregivers of youth with behavioral health needs face regarding school, and how effective family and youth engagement can help overcome these challenges.
Report: Personalized Learning Plans
This brief (PDF, 11 pages) describes personalized learning plans as a high school dropout prevention strategy and provides information on their purpose, prevalence, and implementation in schools.
Resource: Leveraging the Every Student Succeeds Act to Improve Educational Services in Juvenile Justice Facilities
This policy brief (PDF, 12 pages), developed by the American Youth Policy Forum, the National Reentry Resource Center, and the Council of State Governments Justice Center, provides information to state and local policymakers as well as education and juvenile justice leaders about how to use requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act to improve education and workforce outcomes for youth in long-term juvenile justice facilities.
Now Available: Children's Mental Health Awareness Day Webcast
The 2015 Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day national event recorded webcast is now available. The event highlighted the needs of youth and young adults with mental or substance use disorders and their families, while demonstrating how these needs can be best met through integrated care. The event also introduced cutting-edge community strategies for integrating behavioral health care with primary health care, education, and child welfare.
Is it ADHD or Trauma Symptoms?
This podcast describes how children exposed to traumatic events can exhibit symptoms that overlap with ADHD and, in some cases, could result in inaccurate diagnoses. It also provides suggestions for ways to talk about impulsive and disruptive behaviors with school staff and pediatricians to make sure that children receive the services they need.
Behavioral Health Equity Barometer
The “Behavioral Health Equity Barometer” (PDF, 20 pages) report is a one-year snapshot of the state of behavioral health of youth and adults by demographics and insurance status. Highlights of the findings show there are gaps in treatment for some behavioral health conditions among racial/ethnic minority populations and people without health insurance.
Quick Guide for Clinicians Based on TIP 57: Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services
This resource equips care providers and administrators with information on caring for people who have experienced trauma or may be at risk for developing trauma stress reactions. It addresses prevention, intervention, and treatment issues and strategies.
You Make SAMHSA Rock!
In this blog post, SAMHSA's Pamela Hyde announces her resignation and recounts SAMHSA’s accomplishments and its federal partners during her tenure.
IOM Recommendations Reflect Importance of Improving Quality of Behavioral Health Services
As highlighted in a recent blog post by HHS officials, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a new report, “Psychosocial Interventions for Mental and Substance Use Disorders.” The report is a result of a collaboration to identify key steps to ensure individuals receiving mental health and substance use services receive evidence-based, high-quality care. It details the reasons for the gap between what is effective and what is currently practiced, and it offers recommendations for how best to address this gap. It proposes a framework to establish standards for psychosocial interventions. The HHS blog post addresses how SAMHSA, ASPE, and other HHS agencies will implement the recommendations in the report.
2014 NSDUH Report on Mental and Substance Use Disorders
SAMHSA’s 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health report shows progress in reducing substance use, especially among adolescents. However, it also indicates that adolescents are experiencing higher levels of depression than in past years.
How We Talk about It Matters
This blog post describes the Resource Guide for Reporting on Behavioral Health: How You Talk About It Matters, which provides information to the media about mental illness and substance use disorders. It also includes tips and supporting facts that can help ensure representations of mental illness and substance use disorders are fair, balanced, and accurate.
Handbook for Recovery after a Suicide Attempt
A Journey Toward Health & Hope: Your Handbook for Recovery After a Suicide Attempt is available to order or download from the SAMHSA Store. This booklet helps people who have attempted suicide take their first steps toward healing and recovery. Tools and stories in the booklet come from first-hand experiences of individuals who have survived a suicide attempt and their supporters.
Traumatic Stress and Suicide after Disasters
This report highlights research on disasters (PDF, 21 pages) and their relationship to traumatic stress, suicide rates, and suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts. It examines rates of suicide and suicidal thinking and behaviors following disasters as well as the populations that may be at risk for traumatic stress and suicide after disasters.
Sports and Mental Health
This blog post describes the benefits of participating in sports, as well as the risks. It highlights many of the programs and resources available to support athletes who may be struggling with mental illness or substance abuse.
Suicide and Race
This blog post highlights recent research which found that from 1993 to 2012, school-aged suicide trends stayed constant, but suicide incidence in black children significantly increased. The post describes the need for more research into risk and protective factors for African American children and the experiences that put them more at risk for depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. It also provides resources for individuals who want to learn more about suicide prevention or who may know someone who is at risk of harming themselves.
Blog: Everyday Trauma in our Communities: A Critical Mental Health Issue — A Public Health Crisis
This blog post describes the impact of experiencing and/or witnessing violence or traumatic events and the effect it can have on mental health and daily functioning. The post also highlights SAMHSA’s efforts to better understand how communities respond to violence and protect the safety and well-being of citizens.
Resource: Anniversaries and Trigger Events
An anniversary of a disaster or tragic event can renew feelings of fear, anxiety, and sadness in disaster survivors. This resource provides tips for survivors and their families for coping with renewed stress as an anniversary approaches or when trigger events suddenly occur.