Office of Mental Health and Education Dept. Promoting Healthy Child Development

ALBANY, NY (05/08/2007)(readMedia)-- 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.

One highlight of the celebration was a presentation by a six year old boy and his family, his school teacher and his clinician. Their story illustrated how a holistic approach to wellness and learning can lead to success in academics and life, and how an integrated wellness and learning approach can offer support and hope to families.

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