|
Bill would establish
mental health clinics at
teen centers
(October
2007 Issue)
By Pamela Berard
When it comes to mental health services, teenagers often fall into
a gap.
"You've got those kids ages 14-20 and they are saying, 'Where do
I belong?'" says Massachusetts State Rep. Jen Flanagan, (D-Leominster).
Because they are no longer children, but not yet adults, they may
not be comfortable with some programs or methods of treatment geared
toward those age groups. It is "very easy to get lost," Flanagan
says.
Flanagan has filed a bill on behalf of teenagers across the state
that would give youths struggling with mental illness a stigma-free
way to get help, by placing mental health clinics at teen centers
in Massachusetts.
The legislation, which is being considered by the Committee of
Mental Health and Substance Abuse, is a pilot program that would
open five clinics throughout the state. The sites would be determined
through a grant process through the Department of Mental Health.
One requirement is that the site would have to be accessible through
public transportation.
"What the bill does is it partners up an established mental health
organization and kind of uses them as a guide to establish a drop-in
center," Flanagan says. "So they won't be free-standing; they'll
have support."
It would cost $500,000 to establish the pilot program and about
$87,000 to run each site annually. The drop-in centers would have
a licensed social worker and provide education, support and clinical
supervision, "and also a social atmosphere that teenagers can really
be themselves while living with their diagnosis."
Flanagan has a master's degree in mental health counseling and
has worked with teenagers in the past. She says the idea of drop-in
centers came from teenagers themselves. The legislation has a large
base of teen support, including from the organization, Teens Leading
the Way. "They are really, really involved with this," Flanagan
says. "We have actual teens who are looking to have an impact statewide
on an issue that's important to them. I think that's really unique
when we talk about lobbying and going to the Statehouse."
Flanagan says about 40 legislators have already signed on to support
the bill. "That's a great indication of the support we are gaining
in the legislation." Flanagan says she is pushing to get the legislation
through the committee process and will then work on the funding
for it.
Flanagan adds that what is currently offered to teens in the way
of mental health services is very limited. "You have therapy groups
if you are lucky. You have mental health agencies that are really
strapped and bustling at the seams trying to accommodate adolescents."
Often, a person's point of entry into the system is an emergency
room and once you have a diagnosis, there are many questions and
it can be difficult for teens who have been labeled "ADD" or with
other issues, she says. Issues teens deal with include depression,
stress, drugs, violence and deaths in the family.
The drop-in centers are a way to "really pay attention to the transitional
age," Flanagan says.
|
