The program also offers personal support services and counseling (see Table 1, Item 9). The program includes workshops where making GIF animations serves as a creative outlet for adolescents to express their attitudes and feelings about mental health and well-being. This program is part of the Youth ERA organization that also provides training to adolescents and young adults to become peer supporters (also termed “peer workforce”) in 39 states across the United States (36).
Impact in Communities
The team encourages its users to participate in community activities, pursue education and employment. The Australian Mind program was founded over 40 years ago for adolescents and adults aged 16–46. Finally, in step 6, a descriptive report of programs was written with findings presented in narrative and three tables.
- However, promising interventions include skills-building programmes for adolescents and for caregivers to promote responsible and safe engagement with social media; and technological tools to promote online safety, including reporting systems.
- Most programs state online that they employ an internal research team that also involves their consumers in the ongoing evaluation of the service.
- “promote and protect the rights of people with mental health problems, support their recovery and facilitate their participation and inclusion in their families and communities.
- For caregivers of children with developmental delays or neurodevelopmental conditions, parenting programmes can empower them to foster their children’s learning, social communication and adaptive behaviour.
- Active representation of the programs in the media and on social networks may allow for direct communication with adolescents (without the mediation of referrals), through an interface available to them in their own language.
For example, programs that incorporate peer support have shown increased engagement and positive outcomes. Cultural considerations significantly enhance the effectiveness of youth mental health initiatives. These initiatives prioritize youth engagement, allowing participants to shape programs. Barriers in reaching underserved populations include stigma, lack of resources, and limited access to services.
Community-based programs for youth with mental health conditions: a scoping review and practical implications
Twenty-seven psychosocial programs that provide leisure and/or social activities and encourage the promotion of adolescent mental health in the community were identified. For the first round of EBP and CDEP grant funding, DHCS seeks proposals from various individuals, organizations, and agencies to scale parent and caregiver support and training services to parents, caregivers, and children and youth with emerging or existing mental health and/or substance use disorders. This new billing program is supposed to address that, as well as allow schools to expand the types of mental health services they can provide and charge for. The CDPH, OHE intends to award approximately 25 to 30 local-level grants to 501(c)(3) community-based organizations (CBOs) or Tribal organizations or collaborative/partnerships to develop local-level campaigns that address reduction in stigma, and enhance behavioral health literacy for children, youth, families and communities, and increase help-seeking behavior and wellness support. These programs will be equipped to meet the needs of youth, including mental and behavioral health needs, housing, education and employment support, and linkage to other services.
Additionally, these programs emphasize collaboration among stakeholders, including families, schools, and mental health professionals. Although there are few studies assessing the effectiveness of peer support in mental health services (51, 53), studies on adults have shown that peer support programs positively affect the recovery process by enhancing engagement and reducing hospitalization stays (54, 55). Some programs do not provide information about their services and do not specify the activities and community events offered. Service providers should thus include social and leisure activities in programs and take adolescents’ psychosocial needs for https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2023/call-national-strategy-strengthen-youth-behavioral-health-workforce peer interaction and self-efficacy into consideration. In sum, the purpose of this scoping review was to find information on CBR programs that provide leisure and/or social activities for adolescents with MHC. In addition, the team provides support to users aged 16–30, training workshops for peer support, information regarding mental health, coordinates care and refers members to additional services (see Table 3, Item 9).
