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Office of Mental Health and Education Dept. Promoting Healthy Child Development
May 5, 2007
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Michael F. Hogan, Ph.D., Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) and Richard P. Mills,
Commissioner of the New York State Education Department (SED), today co-hosted a gathering of parents, school
teachers and administrators, pediatricians, mental health providers and advocates, to celebrate National Children's
Mental Health Awareness day. Held in the Cultural Education Center's Huxley Theater, the event celebrated children's emotional wellbeing and healthy development, and focused on the shared goals and new directions that
OMH and SED are undertaking for the children of New York State.
Commissioner Hogan said, "Governor Spitzer has challenged us to assure a bright future for our children. As every
parent and teacher knows, positive development for children includes good health as well as success in school. To
support this, schools and mental health providers must collaborate to support children and parents. Emphasizing both wellness and learning helps students succeed in academics and in life."
State Education Commissioner Richard Mills said, "We must remove barriers to learning. We must put the right
systems in place to identify and treat children with mental health issues. Even a few students with untreated problems can take a whole school off its educational mission. Working together, educators and mental health
professionals can build the systems that will ensure children get the help they need to succeed."
The celebration reviewed OMH's and SED's shared goals of social emotional learning, academic and interpersonal success, and early identification and treatment of emotional problems. Specific topics discussed were the
challenges of learning and coping with serious emotional disturbance in school and community; the Children's Mental Health Act of 2006; and options for communities to take action.
Three mental health programs and ten schools received the "2007 Pioneer Award" in recognition of outstanding
mental health/school partnership. They include: Rensselaer County Unified Services and the Lansingburgh Central School District; Family Services of Westchester and the Ossining School District
; and Youth Counseling League (division of Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services), and the following New York City schools: Beacon
High School, Henry Street School for International Studies, Institute for Collaborative Education, Manhattan Village Academy, Urban Assembly Media High School (MLK Campus), Professional Performing Arts High School,
University Neighborhood High School, and Stuyvesant High School. David Woodlock, OMH Deputy Commissioner and Director of the Division of Children and Families, discussed
implementation of Child and Family Clinic Plus, an innovative program designed to keep children on track at home,
in school and in the community. Currently being implemented statewide, Clinic Plus provides for the early detection
of emotional problems, and if difficulties are identified, it will pinpoint a child's individual needs and offer access to cutting-edge services that are proven to work.
Rebecca Cort, title, reviewed Positive Behaviors Intervention and Supports (PBIS), a schoolwide systems initiative
that promotes positive behavior in all students and prevents and responds to school and classroom discipline problems. PBIS is unique in its commitment to school-family-community partnership at all levels of planning,
implementation and evaluation. Tom Gill (Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES) and Michael Orth (Westchester
County Dept. of Community Mental Health) were recognized by Rebecca Cort for their efforts in promoting PBIS both in Westchester County and throughout the New York State.
DCMH Children's Mental Health Director Receives
NASW AWARD
[Top of Page]Myra Alfreds, Director of Children's Mental Health Services, Westchester County Department of Community
Mental Health has been chosen as National Association of Social Workers – Westchester Division Social Worker
of the Year. Myra will be presented the award on March 29, 2007 at the Davenport Club in new Rochelle. Other
award recipients include Distinguished Service to the Profession, Jane Edwards; Merit Service for the Westchester
Division, Billye Jones Mulrainer and Public Citizen of the Year, Brenda Smith. Congratulations to all the award winners!
PBIS EXCITEMENT IN SCHOOLS
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Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports (PBIS), a national best practice model, is a systems approach to
preventing and responding to school and classroom discipline problems. PBIS develops school-wide systems that
support staff to teach and promote positive behavior in all students. By reducing behavioral problems, PBIS
creates and maintains safe learning environments where teachers can teach and students can learn. Through a
collaborative training and technical assistance initiative between Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES and Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health, 18 school districts and special act
schools/residential programs, consisting of 46 school buildings, are implementing PBIS throughout Westchester County.
For additional information on the Westchester County PBIS Training and Technical Support Initiative please contact Michael Orth, DCMH (914) 995-5225/email mmo6@westchestergov.com
or Tom Gill, PNW BOCES at 2482350/email tgill@pnwboces.org
Jazz Concert to Benefit Community Networks
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The Westchester Community Network sponsored "All That Jazz" on April 14, 2007 at the Chappaqua Crossing -
Reader's Digest Pleasantville, NY. All proceeds for the special event will be used for the children and families of
the Westchester Community Network. The featured performers included Marc Copeland, Christian Kronreif & Friends from Austria. Youth Forum members served as ushers for the event and did a wonderful job.
Early Childhood Community Networks Take Off in Westchester
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After a very successful conference,
Putting It Together from the Beginning: Building an Early Childhood System of Care, in October 2006, which over 200 professionals and family members attended, 3 new Early Childhood
Community Networks have formed. Yonkers and Mount Vernon already have established Early Childhood Networks. There are now Early Childhood Community Networks meeting monthly in the communities of Port
Chester, White Plains/Greenburgh and Ossining; and they provide an opportunity for community partners working
with and families living with young children to meet on a regular basis to explore issues raised by families at strength-based, family centered child and family team meetings and to plan to address those needs. For additional information regarding the schedule and contact information for each early childhood community network, please contact Basia Kinglake at 914-995-6377 or download the community network schedule.
Family Networks: Supporting Families with Parents with Multiple Challenges
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Westchester Family Networks is a new approach that supports families with a parent who is experiencing multiple
challenges. It is a collaborative leadership effort between DCMH Children's Mental Health, Adult Mental Health,
MRDD, and Alcohol/Substance Abuse Services, Department of Social Services and Family Ties of Westchester.
Family Networks are strength-based, cross systems meetings with families with parents who are struggling with
their own mental health, substance abuse and /or developmental disabilities. Representatives from both children's
and adult mental health and from Family Ties facilitate the family network meetings, identifying family strengths and
goals, respecting cultural differences, hearing the family voice, developing a plan and a support circle to meet and
address the family's on-going individual needs and concerns and to ensure that the family can maintain the
child(ren) in the home. Issues identified in the conversations with the families are then raised at a county level
planning and policy meeting, resulting in program development, training opportunities and policy change.
For additional information and to plan and schedule a meeting with a family with a parent identified as struggling with multiple challenges, contact Basia Kinglake at 914-995-6377. The PBIS model (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) spreads
in Westchester School Districts
[Top of Page] As a result of DCMH Children's Mental Health partnering with schools and engaging them around learning more
about the PBIS model (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) and working with children/youth with more
intensive needs, an increasing number of school districts are bringing PBIS to their sites and participating in
training. School Districts currently involved include Peekskill, Bard House Day Treatment Program, and Brookside
Elementary school in Ossining. Michael Orth and Basia Kinglake of DCMH have also received PBIS training and
have become external coaches for several of the schools who are participating. Several schools will participate in a new PBIS Training and Technical Assistance Partnership, created by Westchester County Department of
Community Mental Health – Children's Mental Health Services and Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES. You can learn more about PBIS by clicking on to www.pbis.org or linking to PBIS on the Westchester Community Network website. P.B.I.S – Supporting Families, Schools and Communities
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The following article was published in the Journal Of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. It was written by Dr. Lucille Eber, who is currently training several school districts throughout NY State on
the P.B.I.S. model. Dr. Eber has visited Westchester County on several occasions and facilitated training on P.B.I.S.
Journal of Emotional and Behavioral DisordersWraparound and positive behavioral interventions and supports in the schools. Author/s: Dr. Lucille Eber
Issue: Fall, 2002
TO VIEW THIS ARTICLE, PLEASE CLICK [HERE].
NOTE: You must have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer to view. If you don't already have Adobe Acrobat installed, you can download it for FREE by clicking [HERE].
WESTCHESTER CCSI WINS NATIONAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH
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Westchester County CCSI was nationally recognized for achievement in communications at the 2001 Excellence in
Community Communications and outreach (ECCO) Awards, which took place October 26 in Stamford, Connecticut.
Westchester competed with more that 250 entries submitted by mental health professionals and child advocates from across the county to win a Gold Award for our CCSI Child and Family Team Training Manual
and a Bronze Award for our CCSI Website.The ECCO Awards are sponsored by the Comprehensive Mental Health Services for Children and their Families
Program of the Federal Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), Substance Abuse and Health Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services. The ECCO Awards are designed to highlight
communications achievements in promoting children's mental health. The awards celebrate the talents, strengths,
and successes of communities that are a part of a CMHS grant program to build community-based "systems of care" for children with serious emotional disturbances and their families.
The awards presentations by category included: Media Outreach, Community Outreach: Parents & Other Caregivers, Community Outreach: Kids & Teens, Professional Outreach, Partnership Development,
Communications Planning, Communications Training, Best Video, and Other, along with a Best Show award. For more information about Westchester County CCSI Training Manual or website call Michael Orth at (914)
995-5225 or email: mmo6@westchestergov.com
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