PPAL PATHFINDER August 2023

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Hello, my friends!

How are you holding up? It’s mid-August. It’s hot. Routines are disrupted. Did you (yes, YOU – not your child) get a break at all this summer?

We hear from parents and caregivers time and time again that getting a break – both physical and mental – is so difficult if not impossible. We often don’t have the needed resources–whether it’s money, family, or baby (kid) sitters. Here at PPAL, we know that even if you do get a break, pushing that boulder of worry out of your body is herculean. I think most of us worry about everything - our children, their future, what comes next, and whether we’re doing enough? The ticker tape in our brain never stops.

You need to take a moment. You need to breath. You must take a moment. You must take a breath (or two, or three). You must if you are to survive. And we want you to survive.

Hide in the bathroom. Hide in a closet. Hide in your car. (Under my desk always seemed tempting to me!). Belt out your favorite song. Dance in your kitchen. Put your phone down. Feel the sun on your face. Eat some ice cream! You are worth it, you need it, and you must do it – for you!

I’d love to hear what you chose to do and how it made you feel. Email me at psager@ppal.net and let me know. In the meantime, I’ll be eating some ice cream!

CONNECT WITH US!

UPCOMING

WHAT TO KNOW, WHAT TO EXPECT: JUVENILE JUSTICE 102

Wednesday, August 16, 12:00 - 2:00 PM

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

Thursday, August 17, 8:00 - 9:15 AM

TRANSITION PLANNING: PARENTAL ROLE AND CHALLENGES

Thursday, August 24, 12:00 - 2:00 PM

THE IEP TEAM: BUILDING SKILLS TO HELP PREPARE FOR YOUR CHILD’S NEXT IEP MEETING

Tuesday, August 29, 9:00 - 11:00 AM

Thursday, August 31, 8:00 - 9:15 AM

's

Spotlight Staff

Meet Candice Gabrey!

What is one interesting fact about you? I have five kids.

What have you been enjoying lately? My kids’ sports. Last weekend, we had 8 baseball and softball games! If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Definitely cereal!

How did Candice Gabrey, our Juvenile Justice Program Manager, come to PPAL? Although Candice holds a degree in criminal justice and a minor in psychology, it was her “...lived experience [that] definitely got me here.” One of her children was diagnosed with autism at age two, and Candice wanted to gain knowledge to better understand her child. She started looking for resources, and found them at BAMSI's Parent Information Network (PIN), a parent support program designed to help families of children and young adults with serious emotional, behavioral, and/or mental health challenges. She loved their support groups and trainings and how they empowered her. As two more of her children received different diagnoses, Candice continued to strengthen her advocacy skills.

When Candice felt ready to apply for a position at PIN, she learned that it was only open to folks living in a different part of the state than Candice. But PIN, recognizing Candice’s many skills, sent her information to PPAL’s Meri Viano, and Candice joined PPAL soon after. Now, Candice loves working for PPAL because, as she said “it’s not just a job, it’s a family ” where she can get the support she needs not just as an employee but as a parent. Candice told us she especially likes “being honest and real and having the hard conversations” with the parents she works with. Candice added that “I really like utilizing my experience to support, to listen, to validate, and to come up with solutions that are not your typical solution.”

To seek support from Candice or PPAL’s family support staff, fill out our Family Support Request Form!

PPAL's phone: (866)815-8122

Family Support Request Form

Ask The Advocate

By Appointment

Book a FREE 30 minute consultation with a member of our team to answer your questions about mental health related special education or school related issues!

Email to set up appointment: parentsupportgroup@ppal.net

The IEP Team: Building Skills To Help Prepare For Your Child’s Next IEP Meeting

August 29, 9:00 am - 11:00 am

Goals and Objectives: with your child’s school

Building and enhancing relationships

Preparing for your next IEP meeting

Writing an effective letter

Sharing “outside the box” ideas

Special Education advocacy tips/tools

Click To Register!

As the new school year approaches, learn to tackle disciplinary issues, IEP or 504 meetings, and much more through PPAL’s workshops and 1-to-1 support!

School Problem Solving Clinic

Every Monday by Appointment 1:00 - 3:00 PM

PPAL’s FREE and CONFIDENTIAL school problem solving clinic for parents, caregivers, and family members across Massachusetts.

Get one-on-one support for a wide range of concerns including

* School discipline issues

* School resource officer questions

* Child Requiring Assistance (CRA)

* Bullying

* Dos and Don’ts when going to court

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

Email to set up appointment: parentsupportgroup@ppal.net

Multicultural Outreach Team Updates!

This month, PPAL's Multicultural Outreach Coordinator Johana Rodriguez visited Boston's Chinatown and met with the community to introduce PPAL in various places, including a martial arts studio! Where will Johana go next? Stay tuned for next month's newsletter!

Johana also met with the Partners for Youth with Disabilities (PYD), based out of Boston. They spoke about the impact of additional disabilities on top of mental health needs, specifically sensory loss such as visual impairment/ blindness.

Sensory Loss & Mental Health: Do You Have A Story To Share?

Sensory loss is the overarching term for a variety of disabilities including full or partial visual impairments, as well as hearing loss/deafness and deaf/blind folks. Just like anyone else, individuals with sensory loss may experience challenges with mental health. Sensory loss complicates the experience and diagnosis of mental health.

Is this your experience with your child?

Please contact PPAL to let us know how it's going!

Did you know that in addition to English and Spanish, we also have staff who speak Haitian Creole and Cape Verdean Creole?

Want to learn more about PPAL and family mental health? Contact us at info@PPAL.net, or by visiting our website at PPAL.net!

What Is Psychosis?

PPAL meets with M-PATH and you should too!

PPAL’s whole team met with Dr. Emily Gagen and her team from Massachusetts Psychosis Access and Triage Hub (M-PATH) this month with the goal of learning more about psychosis in order to support more families experiencing it. While some PPAL staff have lived experience in this area, we wanted to ensure that all of our staff are working from the same basic, factual, stigma-free information. M-PATH is a great resource! We were glad to learn more about this important resource in the community.

So, What Is Psychosis?

M-PATH is a free service that is committed to helping individuals, families, and providers who are concerned about early psychosis to access the support they need when they need it. M-PATH is a referral and consultation service available to anyone concerned about early psychosis for themselves, their loved one, or their client. We are an experienced team who specializes in working with youth, young adults, and families experiencing early psychosis.

M-PATH is a part of the Brookline Center for Community Mental Health.

-https://www.brooklinecenter.org/centers/mpath/

Psychosis can be a scary word, especially when it is used in pop culture. Often, people misunderstand what psychosis is and why it occurs. Psychosis, itself, is not a diagnosis. Psychosis is a term that describes a number of experiences that cause distress, may be disorienting, and make it challenging to tell what is real and not real. Because psychosis can carry significant stigma, people often wait before seeking support. M-PATH wants you to know that early diagnosis, treatment, and support is critical when dealing with psychosis!

If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these symptoms, please contact PPAL or M-PATH as soon as possible.

Feeling like your mind is playing tricks on you.

Seeing or hearing things others do not.

Worrying that others may be out to harm you.

Worrying about troubling beliefs.

Isolating from friends or family.

-https://www brooklinecenter org/centers/mpath/

Juvenile Detention: How is MA Doing?

The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) is a national group working "to reform the use of detention in the juvenile justice system JDAI’s mission is to ensure that “the right youth is in the right place for the right reasons ”

This July, JDAI updated and re-released the JDAI Measuring Equity In Juvenile Detentions Data Dashboard.

The goal of the Dashboard is to bring JDAI collaborators, system stakeholders, and members of the public up to date, accurate data about detention trends across the Commonwealth.

The Dashboard is interactive and allows users to filter and compare the data across a number of categories, including race, age, and county. Training on how to navigate the data dashboard will be offered by JDAI in the fall.

-https://www.mass.gov/info-details/measuring-equity-in-juvenile-detentions

Below and on the next page are some infographics from the Dashboard. We encourage you to check it out yourself. You can click the visuals to go directly to the Dashboard. Remember, it's interactive!

Length of Stay: The number of days (for a particular detention stay) a youth is in detention prior to posting bail or release by the court. from JDAI Dashboard Key Terms

and Families (DCF) involvement means that, at the time of their admission to detention, a youth has an open case in the juvenile courts with DCF - either a Care and Protection order or a Child Requiring Assistance matter.

from JDAI Dashboard Key Terms

Reasons Our Youth Are Held Without Bail

We know that involvement in the juvenile court system is difficult-- many of us at PPAL have been there! Please reach out to us at info@PPAL.net if you are looking for support.

PPAL's Police Pocket Guide

Tools to help police and families partner together when youth are in crisis.

This summer, the Juvenile Justice team has been busy finalizing, publicizing, and distributing the Police Pocket Guide, or PPG. The purpose of the PPG is to raise awareness of the prevalence of mental health challenges in youth and show the positive difference an educated first responder can make in diverting youth from jails or hospitals. The Police Pocket Guide was developed to provide law enforcement officers, legal professionals, and other first responders with specific tools, techniques, and resources on responding to and working with youth with mental health needs and their families. It includes information on various mental health disorders and medications, specific tips on working with these youth, and national and state resources.

PPAL has mailed the guide to every police department in the state - 354 departments to be exact! In addition to the PPG, each packet includes an intro letter, an infographic, and kids’ mental health data. PPAL will do a free training on the PPG for any police department that asks - make sure your local police department contacts us!

PPAL's Police Pocket Guide hopes to…

Raise awareness of

o Mental health concerns in youth

o Family experience

Provide first responders resources to share with families about

o 24/7 crisis supports

o Local resources

Share tips on

o Approaches for calming

o Understanding risk

o Explaining to families the role of police, next steps, and psychiatric evaluations

We know that mental health challenges are not always apparent when police are called for a youth in crisis

The Police Pocket Guide contains the following information:

What Families Need Police to Know

Is there a Way to Understand Behaviors?

Understanding the Family Experience

What Helps Improve Safety for Youth

Suicide Prevention

Police Pocket Guide Resources for Families/ First Responders

o Additional resources

Why PPAL created the Police Pocket Guide

At PPAL, we work to create a better world for our children, support our communities, and focus on the importance of families. The effect of racism and racial trauma on our children’s mental health is real. We know that the disparity in getting care for children in communities of color shows up every day.

Now more than ever, we continue to pursue meaningful and enduring change to overcome acts that would threaten to corrode the fibers of our community. As we work to build, protect, and support our communities, there’s no better tool than our collective power. We stand ready to listen and work with individuals and organizations to create a more just world.

PPAL created this guide with assistance from Wayside Youth and Family Support Network in 2001. A grant from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health paid for development and printing. The 2008 revision and printing were funded by grants from the Boston Foundation and the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership. The most recent version was funded by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health.

Big thanks go to project consultant Bekah Sager, who has been gathering behind-the-scenes info, including a list of Massachusetts’ School Resource Officers (SROs), principals, and school districts.

Check Out Our Support Groups!

We frequently host special guest speakers on topics of interest to families in our community.

Our Central MA Support Groups have been hosting some exciting guests! This past July, one of our North Worcester County groups was excited to welcome Making Opportunity Count, which gave a presentation on financial literacy, including differentiating between needs and wants and budgeting.

On August 8th, the Winchendon group welcomed Colby Mills and the Youth Advocates from Youth MOVE Massachusetts to talk about youth mental health and supporting the youth voice.

Mark your calendars:

Visit page 22

for more information about groups!

On August 28th the Gardner PTAY group is hosting Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson and State Rep Jonathan Zlotnik, who will come to listen to families about mental health needs and learn how they can help.

On October 16, join the Gardner PTAY group to see TED talker Kelley Lynn for a presentation on grief.

CRAs - Just Say No!

Sometimes the best parents and caregivers have CRAs filed on their child. Sometimes parents and caregivers are advised or pressured by schools, hospitals, and other places to file the CRA themselves. CRAs are often described as a way to access resources to support the child - but this is not how it usually turns out. PPAL advises parents to stop, think, and ask for help before filing a CRA.

What is a CRA?

By Robin Richardson, PPAL Family Support Specialist and Communications Specialist

A CRA, or "Child Requiring Assistance," is a case in which parents, guardians, or school officials ask the court to help supervise a child. A CRA means court involvement. CRAs do not offer any other pathways to services - if a CRA is filed for a child, the court will be involved in their life.

A CRA can be filed by a parent or guardian or by the school district the child attends. Words you might hear connected to CRAs include "stubborn child" (a child who doesn't obey their parents or teachers) and "habitually truant" (a kid who often misses, avoids, or can't attend school).

Should I file for a CRA on my child?

No!

A CRA can lead to a parent losing the right to make decisions about their child, to DCF (the Department of Children and Families) getting involved in their life, and to a potential loss of custody

A CRA gets your child into the court system - and it can be hard to get them out

With few exceptions, all the help a child might get through a CRA can also be accessed without a CRA

Data shows that kids of color (especially latinx kids) are sometimes treated differently from white kids in juvenile courts If you are the parent or caregiver of a child of color, be particularly careful about getting them involved with the courts due to racial and ethnic

What can I do instead of filing a CRA?

Reach out to PPAL! Our "Juvenile Justice Basics" training helps parents learn about the dangers of getting kids involved with the courts. We also offer free one-to-one advice and can connect you with all kinds of support for both you and your child. Find us at ppal.net, email us at info@ppal.net, or call us at (866) 815-8122.

Call your health insurance company and ask what services might help your child. For mental health needs, ask about wrap-around services, known specifically as CBHI (when covered by MassHealth) or BHCA (when covered by private insurance). Other possible services include an intensive outpatient program and/or a partial hospitalization program.

Find mentors - For your child, try to find someone who has experienced themselves what the child is going through. Your local YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters program can help. So can a “therapeutic mentor,” one of the services available through CBHI/BHCA (mentioned above). You can also find a mentor for yourself, such as a Family Partner (also through CBHI/BHCA) or a Family Support Specialist, like those at PPAL.

Remember that parents are the experts on their child’s needs. Parents have a wealth of information regarding their child’s strengths, challenges, history, and past treatments. They are also able to ensure that their children receive culturally appropriate care and treatment.

Court Involvement: Know Your Rights and Your Child’s Rights!

If you cannot afford an attorney for your child, one will be appointed to represent your child at no cost. An attorney will be appointed to represent you, also free of charge, if the judge considers removing the child from your custody.

You have the right to attend all court hearings. You have the right to a language interpreter and/or a sign language interpreter if you do not speak or understand English. You have the right to have another court review the decisions a Juvenile Court judge makes on your case.

If your child has Native American / American Indian heritage, notify the Clerk magistrate’s office the first time you are in court. If you lose custody of your child, their tribe must be notified, and every effort must be made to place your child with relatives or other members of the tribe.

Watch out for racial and ethnic disparities in court. According to The Sentencing Project, Black youth are more than four times as likely to be detained or committed in juvenile facilities as their white peers. And national data show that Black youths and other youths of color are more likely than white youths to be arrested, referred to court, and placed outside of their homes (for example, in detention or in a foster care placement) after sentencing (Hockenberry and Puzzanchera, 2020; Sickmund, Sladky, and Kang, 2021). In MA, latinx youth often experience more significant disparities than black youth.

What If I Already Filed A CRA? What If Someone Else Files On My Child?

Seek help! PPAL can support you and your child if mental health is involved. PPAL can also connect you with legal support. Learn about the court process. You'll need to know the dangers of getting kids involved with the courts, and how to act once you are there. PPAL's tip sheet on "What to Expect When you Bring Your Child to Court" can help.

Learn to communicate to the court the positive steps you are taking at home. In other words, share what you've been doing to help your child. For example, you could talk about your work with PPAL, any counseling your family is doing, sibling support groups the other children in your home are attending, and so on. If your child has been unable to attend school, point out what they are doing during the school day, including any restrictions on the use of electronics.

If you need help with next steps, reach out to PPAL!

Youth Move MA's Monthly Group

Youth MOVE MA continues to hold a monthly Youth Group, and the most recent meeting, on August 1, was a great one. Youth Group is a safe and supportive place for young people to come and talk freely about what is on their minds. This month’s youth group was planned and led by two passionate youth advocates. All Youth group meetings start off with icebreakers and playing small games so that participants can get to know each other better. Then we move on to a discussion topic; this month the youth advocates chose anxiety.

We had an open discussion about what anxiety means to us, how we cope with it, some causes of it, and some of the ways to best support someone who struggles with it. Everyone is welcome to participate in these open conversations and share as much as they feel comfortable saying. This is a time to respectfully share our opinions and sometimes even stories of our struggles with mental health. played a game. We great youth group others.

Statewide Young Adult Council

The Statewide Young Adult Council (SYAC) is a subcommittee of the MA State Mental Health Planning Council (SMHPC) and serves as an advisory board to the SMHPC and the Department of Mental Health's (DMH) Transition-Aged Youth (TAY) Initiative.

Brings together youth, young adults, and providers to provide advice to the Department of Mental Health (DMH) and other young adult service organizations - ultimately creating a cohesive, supportive network of families, peers and service providers throughout the Commonwealth;

Seeks to inspire hope and recovery among youth/young adults across the state;

Empowers youth/young adult voices within DMH;

Encourages young people to advocate for themselves and to assist them in making their own choices/decisions with transitional life skills, including education, employment, housing, and healthcare;

Works together to find equality and advocate for all youth/young adults.

Who can attend SYAC meetings?

SYAC welcomes youth and young adults (age 16+) in MA to participate in meetings!

When are SYAC meetings?

SYAC meetings are currently held on the 3rd Tuesday of every month from 2:00-3:30pm.

Where are SYAC meetings?

Due to COVID-19, SYAC meetings are currently held VIRTUALLY via Zoom. For meeting information or to be sent a calendar invite, please contact Colby Mills at cmills@ppal.net.

SYAC…

PPAL's Question of the Month

July 2023 Results

Parents Are Saying...

Services and Supports that Would Help Most During Summer Months Are:

If you need help from PPAL right now, request family support here or call us toll free at (866) 815-8122.

PPAL's Question of the Month

Curious About Past Question Of The Month Results?

Whatwouldhelpmostduringsummer?

What’syourexperiencewiththe988Suicide& CrisisLifeline?What arefamiliessaying?April2023

How was school this year?

What are families saying? June 2023

What helpsduring acrisisat home?

What arefamiliessaying? March2023

Parent/Caregiver Support

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

School

parentsupportgroup@ppal.net

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Create & Connect Parent Support Group VIRTUAL 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM

Parents of Transition Aged Youth (PTAY) VIRTUAL 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

CLICK FOR MORE INFO!

Click support groups to get zoom link unless otherwise indicated

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

Grandparents Connections VIRTUAL 4th Thursday each month 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Sibling Support Program

VIRTUAL

1st Thursday each month

*Pre-Registration Required emily.rubin@umassmed.edu 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Caregiver Support Group

VIRTUAL 5:00 - 7:00 PM

PPAL.net/events/

FRIDAY Family Connections VIRTUAL 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Support Group for Lynn Families

IN PERSON For families and children

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

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

Massachusetts Psychosis Access and Triage Hub