Child Mental Health Treatment Engagement

 

During the child's mental health treatment, parents should be involved and engaged. They are the link between the current situation and the future goals. The parents know what works for their child and what does not. They can provide insight, ideas, and expertise to the treatment team. They can also work as the Meridian Adolescent Services case manager for their child's treatment plan. They can organize the treatment and support the family. The case manager can help the child navigate the system and identify other sources of support.

 

One of the major barriers to child mental health treatment engagement is the lack of knowledge about the treatment process. This barrier can be addressed by educating parents about the bio-psycho-social model of children's mental health difficulties. Professionals may be able to offer training and information. In addition, new technology such as texting mobile phones and video calls can improve treatment engagement.

 

Another major barrier to Adolescent Care for health treatment engagement is a poor therapeutic alliance. This barrier is often overcome with psychoeducation about the importance of treatment. It can also be facilitated by a trauma-specific orientation to the treatment process. In fact, studies have shown that the quality of the therapeutic alliance is a significant predictor of treatment engagement. In the 2004 review, McKay and Bannon analyzed empirically supported factors for engaging families with children with symptoms of trauma.

 

The most commonly reported barrier was the lack of information about where to seek help. Other barriers included a lack of resources, unavailability of services, and stigma. In addition, parents rated the severity of their child's symptoms as a significant barrier to service use. Those with long-term symptoms were more likely to report the barrier. This barrier may be due to the attribution of the child's mental health problems to parenting. However, the attribution of a child's mental health problems to parenting issues can lead to a focus on the child's parenting skills, rather than the underlying problems.

 

In the present paper, we aim to update McKay and Bannon's 2004 review on the challenges associated with engaging families with children with symptoms of trauma. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive survey of 244 parents of children and adolescents using the Children's services interview. We analyzed the barriers cited by the parents and looked at them in relation to their ages and the reason for referral. Specifically, the barriers were analyzed for symptom duration and referral reason.

 

The most common reported barrier was the lack of information about where and how to get help. Other barriers were the perception that professionals do not listen, the perception of being blamed for their child's behavior, and a perceived lack of follow-through from the professionals. The results of this study suggest that understanding the barriers to accessing services is a necessary step in closing the gap between need and access.

 

In the future, clinical solutions could include more culturally appropriate services, multi-level services for families with complex needs, continued attention to promoting productive working relationships between parents and children, and the incorporation of more effective interventions. For more relevant info on this article visit: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/supporting-childrens-ment_b_3293686.