Focus Area 8: Mental Health Basics
5. Connecting Youth To Appropriate Resources

The previous sections provided you with a better understanding of how you can recognize when a young person might be struggling with a mental health concern. Now what?

There are many different resources available. Which would best help the youth you are working with become an informed self-advocate and get the right type of help?

Before discussing professional resources available, it should always be remembered that family members can be a great resource in connecting youth to the services they need. This includes parents and extended family. Most interventions work best when family can rally around the youth to make appropriate changes. Two things to keep in mind:

• While there are times when safety is a concern with parental relationships, most of the time it is more beneficial to get parents involved than to leave them out of the process. If possible, don’t be a barrier to that.
• There are often extended family members who are important to the youth. Getting an aunt, uncle, or similar relative involved can increase the network of support outside of professionals.

Families often need professional help to intervene with their youth and may not know where to turn. Where can you find these resources?

IN SCHOOLS

Schools are full of professionals trained to help young people. Asking who the youth talks to at school (or who others talk to) can be a good way to gain access and bring those folks into the circle.

The roles of the professionals in a school differ from school to school, as well as district to district. This overview may differ in your area but will still provide useful guidance in general:

School-based  Mental Health Service Provider	What They Offer
School Psychologist	Usually focus on testing and assessments (e.g. learning disorders, appropriate level of care and programming, etc.). Can be a resource for families to get assessment batteries done for access to additional academic supports.
School Counselors	Usually focus on class schedules and college admission assistance. Can be helpful as a gateway into available resources in the school or through the school system. May lead support or psychoeducational groups and see students on an individual basis for personal issues or support.
School Social Workers	Usually focus on developing and executing educational supports (e.g. IEPs, 504 plans). May lead support groups or meet with students individually, but are generally not involved in “treating” a mental health concern. Due to their focus area, they are often aware of environmental issues that may impact the mental well-being of a youth (e.g. homelessness, abuse history, etc.).
School-based Therapists	Provides mental health treatment to students with limited access to care outside of the school building.

IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Available community-based resources will depend on the area where the youth lives. There are resource-rich areas (these tend to be highly populated urban and suburban centers) and there are also areas with few to no resources within reasonable travel time (often more rural areas). 

Mental Health/Counseling Clinics

Mental health clinics and counseling clinics can be in youth centers or hospitals, while others can be stand-alone agencies in the community. Each mental health counseling center is unique; services provided will vary, as will the costs. Many counseling clinics are fee for service, meaning clients either pay out of pocket or bill insurance for each session.

Most clinics employ multi-disciplinary practitioners and specialists, which enables them to address various types of disorders and provide various treatment options. Some clinics offer psychoeducational, treatment, or support groups. Some clinics offer assessments and testing.

Other Community Resources and Programs

Each community will typically have an array of mental health resources available, to provide a number of different services. Some of the types of other community providers and services are:

Resource	Services Typically Available
Specialty Clinics	Treatment of specific disorders such as ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, sexual violence, addiction, etc.
Hospitals	Usually used in emergency situations for safety or chemical health interventions where a youth stays in a unit until they are stabilized. The youth will be discharged with a plan involving next steps for support. Some hospitals may also offer outpatient therapy or residential treatment.
Day Treatment Programs	A youth attends for a portion of the day to attend group and individual therapy that address a mental health concern, in addition to academics. Most youth in day treatment live at home (or with a family member) while attending day treatment.
Intensive Treatment Programs	Includes programs such as Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) or Functional Family Therapy (FFT) which involves frequent sessions with both the youth and their family members. Includes involvement with school and with county workers. On-call crisis de-escalation and intervention services.
Residential Treatment Programs	Varies depending on the concern addressed (e.g. anxiety, substance abuse, eating disorder, co-occurring disorders, etc.). Length of stay varies from short term (e.g. 28 days) to long term (multiple years).

YOUR LOCAL COUNTY

County resources are referral only; you can only access them through a county system (e.g. corrections, human services, or child protection). This typically involves a youth being assigned a county social worker, a probation officer, or case manager who can then provide a referral to specific county-contracted programs or agencies that can provide appropriate services to the youth. 

MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS

Both mental health professionals and medical practitioners work with youth who are struggling with mental health issues. Ideally, both should be part of the youth’s support system. They have differing career preparations and specific scopes of practice, with medical practitioners being the only ones who can prescribe medication.

Licensed Mental Health Practitioners

Licensed mental health practitioners are professionals who have advanced degrees in the mental health field. Though each orientation is unique and has a different focus and lens, Marriage and Family Therapists, Professional Counselors, and Social Workers can all do clinical mental health work with clients and can have similar therapeutic roles.

Each requires at least a master’s degree in their respective areas. All have the same required amount of post-degree supervised hours of practice to obtain their license.

Most licensure tracks offer an intermediate license that allows for clinical practice under supervision until a full clinical license is obtained. Exact licensure varies by state, but the following are examples of licensed mental health professionals:

• Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC)
• Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
• Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT)
• Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW)
• Licensed Graduate Social Worker (LGSW)
• Licensed Psychologist (LP)

A licensed psychologist is usually a PhD level professional. However, requirements have changed over time so the need for a PhD depends on when the degree was obtained. 

Medical Practitioners

Included among medical practitioners are:

• MD: Medical Doctor (e.g. family practitioner, internist, pediatrician)
• DO: Doctor of Osteopathy
• Nurse Practitioners
• Psychiatrists (a medical doctor specializing in the treatment of mental illness)

As previously stated, medical practitioners are the only professionals who may prescribe medication. While a family’s primary care physician or pediatrician may prescribe medications to help a youth with their mental health struggles, the physician in some cases may decide to refer the youth to a psychiatrist.

A youth’s therapist generally works in concert with the physician prescribing the medication.

• The therapist may identify a possible need for medication to achieve therapeutic outcomes and refer the youth to a physician or psychiatrist.
• Sometimes the medical practitioner will prescribe medications specific to the mental illness and refer the youth to a therapist for additional support.

A challenge in many communities is the shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists. As a result, getting an appointment can be difficult.

A youth worker has an important role to play as a member of a whole community of support available to young people. You will be a more valuable resource for young people and their families when you take the extra step to become familiar with all the different resources available for youth in your community.