PPAL PATHFINDER April 2023 Issue

Happy Spring, my friends!

The New England weather is such a great analogy for the life that we parents and caregivers live. Hot one day, cold the next. Up one day, down the next. Prepared for sun, rain instead. Is it going to snow, or not? A lot? Or a little Sounds like a pretty typical day, week, month, or year for us on the mental health journey with our kiddos. Right?

I think for most people, it is terribly hard to live in a constant state of flux. Uncertainty means we don’t participate; we leave early; we change plans; we miss out; we give up jobs, financial security, and sometimes relationships. Uncertainty creates hardships for other family members. Uncertainty drives us to fear of the worst. It simply wears us down to the point of soul crushing exhaustion.

Over the years (my daughters are now 25 and 21), I’ve come to understand that somehow, if my family I and are to survive, we can only do so if we can get comfortable with uncertainty. We have to learn to live with uncertainty and, dare I say, embrace not knowing, not planning, not predicting, and, unfortunately, not always getting what I think my child needs. In Mental Health, there is no certainty. It just doesn’t come with the territory. But that doesn’t mean there is no HOPE. The more we are comfortable with uncertainty, and understand that it is significant in our journey, the more creativity will seep in, solutions will emerge, and freedom will be felt.

Tony Robbins said, “The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the amount of uncertainty that you can comfortably live with.” Let’s band together and help one another settle into a life of uncertainty… a life of great quality, hope, and freedom! PPAL will be beside you on the journey.

well, Pam

Sager

SERIE DE SALUD MENTAL

JUVENILE JUSTICE 101 & 102

ACTIVE PARENTING OF TEENS

PRE-PLANNING FOR A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS: THE ROAD TO READINESS

April 27, 12:00 - 1:30 PM

MOVING FORWARD TO YOUNG ADULTHOOD: SOCIAL SECURITY & SOCIALSECURITY DISABILITY ADVOCACY

April 29, 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Keynote:

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride Through the WorldofChildren’sMentalHealth!

Elizabeth Sweet Mom with lived experience and Public Health Advisor in the Office of Recovery (SAMHSA)

AM Workshops

Just Say "NO" to CRAs!

Marisol Garcia, Esq. Deputy Director Health Law Advocates

Marijuana And The Adolescent Brain

Timothy Wilens, MD Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Mass General Hospital Professor, Harvard Medical School

Talk Saves Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention

Michele Lee Programs Manager, Massachusetts, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)

When Autism and Mental Health Intersect

Featuring A Panel Of Families With Lived Experience

PM Workshops

Caring For Our Children: A Conversation Around Eating Disorders, Body Image, and Self-Esteem

Ally Emig, LCSM, RYT National Alliance on Eating Disorders

5 Steps To Letting Go Of The Past And Moving Forward In Your Life

Dr. Gayl Crump Swaby, Ed.D. President at New Generation Consultants & Associates Associate Professor, Springfield College

Yes, I Am Here

Tavo Sastre Executive Director, Reach Family Services, Inc. Phoenix, AZ

Parenting An Intense Child

Samantha Moe

Certified Parent Coach and Speaker, Samantha Moe and Associates, Minnesota

Cultivating Embodied

Resilience in

Youth

LGBTQIA+ students

Supporting Mental Health and Well-Being of LGBTQ+ Students

Cas Ford Martin, MPPA Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students, Massachusetts Commission for LGBTQ Youth

Jenn Turner, LMHC, TCTSY-F Co-Director, Center for Trauma and Embodiment at JRI

PPAL's Question of the Month

Caregivers maycall family/friends.What theyreallywantisto speakwithsomeone fromthetherapeutic teamorhave someone cometothe home.

Meet

's New Staff

1. What brought you to PPAL?

I found PPAL because of my passion for youth voice. PPAL's and Youth MOVE's commitment to youth voice inspired me, and doing this work within the mental health community got me hooked.

2. What is one interesting fact about you? I sang opera for 5 years!

3. What is one thing you've been enjoying recently?

Recently, I've been watching Daisy Jones & the Six. SO good.

4. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Definitely sushi.

Maria Asaolu Family Support Specialist, Central MA

1. What brought you to PPAL?

Colby Mills Youth Coordinator Youth MOVE MA

PPALISHIRING!

A strong sense of empowerment, family orientation, and the need and want to advocate for children and families

2. What is one interesting fact about you?

I do not like anyone doing any of my chores!

3. What is one thing you've been enjoying recently?

I have been enjoying learning about Active Parenting of Teens and planning for Children’s Mental Health Week!

4. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

My homemade chicken burrito.

Policy Team Update

5 Year Snapshot of Children's Mental Healthcare Reforms in MA

Expedited Psychiatric Inpatient Admission (EPIA) initiative launched (updated in 2022 Roadmap)

2018

Behavioral Health Services for Children and Adolescents (BHCA) launched, expanding access to services that support children in their homes and communities

2019

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Legislation: Massachusetts allotted $400M in mental and behavioral health funding

COVID-19 closes schools in MA

MA introduces the Behavioral Health Roadmap, created with feedback from the community to increase access to behavioral health services across the state, particularly creating the BHHL, BHUCs, and CBHCs

2020

An Act addressing barriers to care for mental health (Chapter 177 of the Acts of 2022), also called the Mental Health ABC Act or Mental Health Omnibus Bill, passes in MA, touching on behavioral health in schools, ED boarding, suicide prevention, and more

2021

Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) launched as part of the Behavioral Health Roadmap

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched as part of a nationwide plan to increase access to mental health supports

Behavioral Health Urgent Care centers (BHUCs) opened

2022

Behavioral Health Help Line (BHHL) launched as part of the Behavioral Health Roadmap

The report “Massachusetts Responds To: The Crisis In Children’s Behavioral Health'' released by MA Assoc of Health Plans (MAHP). It gives an overview of children’s behavioral health services and calls for increased access to services

2023

New IEP process announced, begins Fall 2024

See our next issue for future steps YOU can take to create change!

Behavioral Health Roadmap

Learn about the new services below!

Difficult is not a strong enough word to describe the experience of seeking therapeutic help in Massachusetts, even prior to the pandemic. Recently, the state launched a few new services to help alleviate the crisis! While we are hopeful that these services will eventually help families, it will take some time before they are fully operational.

The goal of Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) is to provide timely, flexible, person-centered, and high-quality mental health and substance use treatment. CBHCs serve people of all ages across the spectrum of need, including those with ASD and IDD. Community Behavioral Health Centers provide short or long term care, medication management, and individualized and specialized care. CBHCs provide telehealth and in-person access to assessments, evaluations, and crisis care, and coordinate care with families’ existing providers and schools. Insurance is not needed to access crisis services from the CBHCs. All other services are available to MassHealth participants, and may be available to private insurance holders. CBHCs are open 8 AM- 8 PM on weekdays and 9 AM - 5 PM on weekends– just one way that CBHCs are working to expand access!

Click here to see which CBHC serves your town!

Contact the Behavioral Health Help Line (BHHL)

CallorText: 833-773-2445(BHHL)

Chat:masshelpline.com

The Behavioral Health Help Line (BHHL) is different from 988 (described below). A joint project by The Department of Mental Health (DMH) and MassHealth, the BHHL's purpose is to connect callers directly to mental health and substance use services. Through the BHHL, callers can access mental health clinicians and peer specialists.

BHHL staff will generally connect callers to services through a "warm handoff," where they stay on the line and make the connection between the caller and the service provider. Importantly for those in our circle, the BHHL is able to support requests for children’s services! The line can be called in a crisis, but it is probably best used to find resources in the community and everything in between. Parents and even youth themselves can reach out to the Behavioral Health Help Line. The BHHL is available to everyone in Massachusetts, regardless of insurance coverage, immigration status, or level of need. Click here for more information.

While Not Part Of The Roadmap, The 988 Suicide And Crisis Lifeline Is Also Available

Massachusetts’s version of the nationwide 988 emergency call system, 988 connects callers to people trained to talk with those in emotional distress. 988 was created nationally to ensure equal access to crisis support. 988 is designed to support a caller who is in emotional distress and provide a listening ear until the caller feels safe. 988 may also be able to connect them to community resources. If the caller has broader support needs, they may be connected with the BHHL. If the caller is in danger of harming themselves or others, 911 may be called.

Contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline:

We want to hear from you!

Please contact PPAL about your experiences with CBHCs, the BHHL, and 988. Collecting your experiences helps PPAL advocate for change on behalf of all families!

Call or Text: 988

Chat : 988lifeline.org

Phone: (866)815-8122

Email: info@ppal.net

Website: PPAL.net

Children's Mental Health Week

Each May, PPAL recognizes Children's Mental Health Week (CMHW). This year, CMHW is May 7th - 13th. The theme is ACCEPT, ADVOCATE, ACT- Because Awareness Is Not Enough!

YOU'RE INVITED!

Friday, May 5th 11:00 AM

Join us at the Make Way For Ducklings sculpture located in the Public Garden near the corner of Beacon Street and Charles Street.

Mrs. Mallard, Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack will be dressed up in GREEN to show their support for Children's Mental Health!

We are busy around the state collecting proclamations from towns, asking locations to light up green, and participating in events in the community.

Take Action!

Download the Children's Mental Health Week Toolkit!

Juvenile Justice Team Update

Cultivating a School-to-Possibility Pipeline

PPAL Fireside Chat

On March 29th, the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) held its 2nd Summit on Disrupting & Eliminating the School-to-Prison Pipeline (S2PP) in Massachusetts and PPAL was there! The Summit attendees were largely teachers and school administrators dedicated to providing alternatives to the S2PP. Meri Viano, PPAL’s Associate Director and mom with lived experience, presented a workshop on Coalition Building (a favorite topic of PPAL’s!) Meri was joined by other experts who spoke about, among other topics, the impact of diverse educators, school discipline, and literacy– specifically, early and accurate identification of and intervention in literacy issues.

Most importantly, youth and young adult voices were woven throughout the event, giving a platform to their advocacy and creativity, and providing educators an opportunity to listen and learn from those directly affected by school discipline. The youth panel, consisting of three teens speaking from their lived experience, was particularly impactful. The panelists highlighted the harmful effects of police at school, and how youth who are struggling are often labeled as “behavior problems,” encountering discipline rather than accessing support. Asked how they would change the way schools were run, the youth panelists said they want to be heard by school staff and administration. They spoke about the importance of compassionate educators who value their students’ point of view and are able to provide a listening ear. It’s a good reminder for us to ASK before we ACT!

featuring PPAL families discussing their experiences with the juvenile justice system

Youth MOVE Updates

Youth MOVE MA helps the Massachusetts Library Association move toward supporting visitors with mental health needs

Colby (he/they), PPAL’s Youth Coordinator for Youth Move MA, represented youth voice on a webinar panel with the Massachusetts Library Association (MLA). The MLA was interested in how to better support visitors with mental health needs. Colby spoke to the importance of youth voice (a passion of theirs!) and how cultivating youth voice within all aspects of the community promotes emotional wellbeing. Youth shared recommendations with the Massachusetts Library Association about using library space for mental health and LGBTQIA+ support groups, making connections to community organizations like PPAL, supporting food banks, and other ways to support mental health. Youth shared some of their favorite books on promoting mental and emotional health. In particular, Colby recommended Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach and You Are Here by Thich Nhat Hanh. You might want to check them out!

Want to learn more about Youth MOVE?

Youth MOVE Massachusetts, the Massachusetts chapter of Youth MOVE National, is a youth and young adult-driven, peer-led youth program that supports the engagement of youth and young adults with lived experience in various systems (including mental health, juvenile justice, education, and child welfare) to use their experience in these systems to make change. By participating in the program, youth gain the skills and support they need to advocate for themselves in their own lives, maintain their stability in the community, and learn how to support others going through similar challenges. Youth MOVE rocks!

WE CANNOT ALWAYS BUILD THE FUTURE FOR OUR YOUTH, BUT WE CAN BUILD OUR YOUTH FOR THE FUTURE -FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

Are you a young person looking to find your tribe, get involved, connect with your community and use your voice? Reach out to Youth MOVE or PPAL. We’d love to have you!

YMM Youth Advocates tabling at a community event

Click to on a title to learn more

Multicultural Outreach Updates

PPAL Collaborates With The Possible Zone, Boston Public Libraries And More!

PPAL continues its collaboration with The Possible Zone, a Bostonbased after-school entrepreneurship program for high school students from under-resourced communities. PPAL will work with The Possible Zone to present a mental health acceptance event in June.

Learn more!

The Multicultural Outreach Team has been working with the Boston Public Libraries, doing virtual and bilingual presentations for Boston families. In-person events may be coming this summer - stay tuned! The Team also continues to attend various system of care meetings to share PPAL’s mission of supporting families in mental health, and to provide free, one-to-one support to Spanish- and Haitian Creolespeaking families across the state in their native languages.

Do you know what “Systems of Care” are? Systems of Care is a nationwide initiative born in the 1980’s to create partnerships among various child health and welfare organizations and agencies within each state for the purposes of creating a broad, integrated process to meet the multiple needs of families and children, including physical, mental, social, emotional, educational, and developmental needs. MA has several Systems of Care groups that meet regularly. PPAL attends and will continue to vigorously advocate for true integration of services for the whole child and family!

PPAL IS HIRING A MULTICULTURAL OUTREACH SPECIALIST!

Do you know a parent, family member, or individual with lived experience in children’s mental health who would excel at bringing together people from diverse communities? Someone who is outgoing, inclusive, and committed? Click to find out more!

SpanishLanguage WorkshopSeries

PPAL’s Multicultural Outreach Team has been busy building connections and busting stigma! We offered our second Spanishlanguage mental health series in March - four of PPAL’s most popular workshops taught in Spanish over the course of a month. The Team plans to continue running the series in April and beyond. Find more information and sign up here.

CONNECT WITH US

No sign up required for most groups. Groups that do require registration or booking include an email but are not clickable

TUESDAY

Ask The Advocate VIRTUAL / PHONE BY APPOINTMENT

parentsupportgroup@ppal.net

School Problem Solving Clinic

VIRTUAL / PHONE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY 1:00 PM- 3:00 PM juvenilejustice@ppal.net

Grupo de Apoyo Hispano

CLICK

Click support groups to get zoom link unless otherwise indicated

Parents Raising LGBTQIA+ Children VIRTUAL 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

Parent Support Group

VIRTUAL 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM

Parents of Transition Aged Youth (PTAY)

VIRTUAL

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

PPAL.net/events/

Grandparents Connections

VIRTUAL 2nd Thursday each month 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Grandparents Connections

North Central MA Family Support Group IN PERSON & VIRTUAL 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

FRIDAY

Coffee and Connections

VIRTUAL 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Support Group for Lynn Families IN PERSON For families and children

*Pre-Registration Required Email Dalene: ptahsw@verizon.net

Sibling Support Program

VIRTUAL

1st Thursday each month

*Pre-Registration Required emily.rubin@umassmed.edu 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Parent Support Group

VIRTUAL 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Every Other Friday 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

13 (866) 815-8122

PPAL's Beth Bergstrom and family share their story with Boston 25 in "Kids in Crisis: An in-depth look at youth mental health in Massachusetts"

.

y compasses toward growth. We must let go of the life we had planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us.”

Joseph Campbell