Resources: Youth
Identifies and describes the following 7 drug policy priorities for the first year of the Biden-Harris Administration: expanding access to evidence-based treatment; advancing racial equity issues in drug policy; enhancing evidenced-based harm reduction efforts; supporting evidence-based prevention efforts to reduce youth substance use; reducing the supply of illicit substances; advancing recovery-ready workplaces and increasing the addiction workforce; and expanding access to recovery support services. Outlines next steps for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to coordinate with other federal agencies to address drug policy priorities.
Provides resources for parent training and information centers and community parent resource centers across the U.S. which support families of children with disabilities in effectively participating in their child's education and development. Offers information and training to families, professionals, and other organizations by providing access to a resource library, a directory of parent centers, an online database of experts, webinars, and other resources on a variety of topics, including mental health and trauma-informed care.
Supports Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in efforts to increase the number of racial and ethnic minority students entering behavioral health fields, including careers related to the treatment of substance use disorder (SUDs) and co-occurring mental health disorders (COD). Helps students discover and access behavioral health as an area of study and behavioral health career opportunities. Raises awareness of inequities and health disparities among minority and marginalized communities affected by substance use and mental illness.
Operates 13 tribally and federally operated residential treatment facilities located across the U.S. to address substance use disorder (SUD) and/or co-occurring mental health disorders (COD) among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth and their families at no cost. Provides a range of education and culture-based prevention initiatives, evidence-based and practice-based models of treatment, family strengthening and recreational activities designed to help AI/AN youth overcome challenges related to mental health and substance use. Promotes holistic, culturally responsive care that integrates clinical services with traditional healing, spiritual values, and cultural identification in a substance-free residential environment to support AI/AN youth in achieving their treatment goals and leading healthy, resilient lives.
Offers information on the principles of the assertive community treatment (ACT) model, which provides time-unlimited, community-based services for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) who experience or are at risk for concurrent substance use, frequent hospitalization, homelessness, involvement with the criminal legal system, and psychiatric crises. Discusses current issues and challenges as well as strategies for successfully implementing ACT in communities. Describes examples of ACT implementation for specific underserved populations, including individuals with criminal justice involvement, people in rural areas, youth, older adults, and immigrants.
Consists of a network of 10 regional resource centers, a central coordinating office, a National Hispanic and Latino MHTTC, and a National American Indian and Alaska Native MHTTC that provide support to individuals and organizations working in the mental health field. Aims to raise the knowledge and skill base of the mental health workforce and promote the implementation of new and evidence-based practices for a full range of mental health prevention, treatment, and recovery services. Offers a variety of education, training, and resources on a variety of topics related to mental health, including rural mental health; early childhood, youth, and young adults; suicide prevention; culturally informed practices; population-based approaches; and more.
Offers a national overview of data on adolescent treatment courts in the U.S. and a map-based court locator tool that allows users to search for adolescent treatment court programs in each state. Includes the location, contact information, and key program details for each treatment court.
Provides information and resources to raise awareness of the impact trauma, violence, and bullying can have on the behavioral health of children, adolescents, and families. Seeks to enhance treatment and services for trauma-exposed children and adolescents. Includes information and resources on traumatic stress, treatment options, and advice for families, caregivers, child health and welfare professionals, and others about how to help and respond to child traumatic stress.
Offers training and technical assistance to mentoring practitioners and programs seeking to implement and operate mentoring programs to achieve positive outcomes for justice-involved youth. Provides youth mentors with information, tools, program, and training materials to support the use of evidence-based practices and innovative models designed to increase the quality and effectiveness of various program types, including group, peer, school-based, or web-based mentoring. Promotes mentoring as an important approach to support youth safety and well-being, prevent or decrease their involvement with the justice system, and reduce crime.
Offers access to national and state-level survey data on the health status of children in the U.S. Includes data on children ages 0-17 and examines factors related to the well-being and healthcare needs of children, including accessing and using healthcare services, family relationships and health, school and after school activities, and neighborhood characteristics. Includes data on physical and mental health conditions, health insurance type and status, healthcare access and utilization, specialty care, nutrition, health activities, and more.
Describes opportunities and resources related to mentoring, including relevant research, programmatic grants, training and technical assistance, and publications. Aims to increase access to effective mentoring services for youth in hopes of reducing youth substance use, aggression, depression, and criminal behavior while improving self-esteem, academic performance, and peer relationships.
Provides tools, publications, and other resources for schools to provide services, support, and interventions to address opioid and substance misuse for students and their families. Includes information on substance use and related trauma among students. Discusses implementing positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) to improve school climate and reduce substance use.
Provides tele-consultation, training, technical assistance, and care coordination using telehealth to help providers integrate behavioral healthcare services into pediatric primary care. Supports the use of telehealth and other technologies to improve the ability of providers to diagnose, treat, and refer children with mental health conditions. Seeks to increase access to treatment and referral services for children and adolescents with behavioral health conditions in rural and underserved areas.
Fact sheet detailing a 6-step planning process to help schools and institutions of higher education develop or update emergency operation plans (EOPs) to address potential threats and issues resulting from opioid misuse and abuse. Discusses the 5 mission areas of preparedness for opioid-related emergencies and the effects of the opioid crisis on school-aged children, young adults, and school safety. Includes links to additional resources and information to aid in the development of school EOPs, and programs and activities to address an opioid overdose.
Lists policy briefs, working papers, journal articles, and other publications on children and adolescent health in rural areas published by federally-funded Rural Health Research Centers. Includes links to upcoming and archived webinars on the topic and other related research projects.
Summarizes research describing differences between rural and urban populations with opioid use disorder (OUD) including youth, young adults, and pregnant women. Includes statistics describing the impacts OUD has on both rural and urban emergency department visits.
Provides an overview of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) efforts to address the challenges incarcerated and justice system-involved individuals face when attempting to seek treatment for and recover from mental illness and substance use disorder (SUD). Seeks to increase access to behavioral health services, minimize costs, and other consequences related to the unnecessary and repetitive incarceration of people with behavioral health issues. Discusses strategies to identify individuals with mental illness and SUD, implement diversion programs, enhancing reentry services, evidence-based practices, screening and assessments, and more.
Offers information and resources on challenges faced by children and youth, such as those related to bullying, mental health, substance use, and violence. Highlights several Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) programs for educators and parents, including Project AWARE, Trauma-Informed Services in Schools (TISS), and the campaign "Talk. They Hear You."
Details a school-centered pilot project that examined implementing strategies to prevent youth substance use and risky sexual behaviors in high-risk rural communities in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Highlights efforts to address related issues of HIV, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), teen pregnancy, and high-risk substance use through education, primary prevention, and early detection screening. Program activities included implementing new health curricula, partnering with health departments and community drug-free coalitions, and developing and distributing informational products and video campaigns.
Serves as a planning resource for schools and stakeholders interested in implementing the Teens Linked to Care (TLC) program, an integrated prevention strategy to address both substance use and risky sexual behavior in youth living in rural communities. Outlines the 4 phases of the TLC program, and shares tools and other resources to help schools support sexual health and substance use education and policies.
Provides training and technical assistance to treatment courts to enhance the capacity, knowledge, and skills of treatment court programs to effectively deliver services to justice-involved youth impacted by substance use and create safer and healthier communities. Offers resources, materials, and programming to support treatment courts in implementing best practices, building recovery capital, and other support services for youth offenders and their families dealing with issues related to substance use.
Provides training and technical assistance to Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) tribal grantees and federally recognized tribes to improve juvenile justice systems, with the goal of reducing crime, recidivism, and victimization, and increasing positive outcomes for Native youth. Builds tribal capacity to develop and implement community-led, culturally based approaches to youth prevention and intervention, enhancement of tribal court systems, trauma-informed care, and other efforts to address issues affecting Native youth, such as poverty, addiction, suicide, violence, and gang activity.