The focus of the Mental Hygiene Administration's 3rd Annual Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference is Nurturing Resiliency in Youth. Bonnie Benard, a nationally recognized expert on resiliency, will be presenting what she has learned about factors that promote resiliency in youth. The conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 25 at Temple Oheb Shalom at 7310 Park Heights Ave. in Baltimore.
The Coalition is pleased to provide scholarships for 20 family members caring for a child with mental health needs to attend the conference. Contact the Coalition office at 410.730.8267 or send an e-mail to info@mdcoalition.org to request a scholarship.
-Jane A. Walker
Executive Director
Take the Resiliency Quiz
How is that some kids "make it" in spite of adversity and others don't? We all ask ourselves that question when we are raising our children with mental health needs.
Resiliency is "the ability to recover quickly from setbacks and adapt to adversity." Researchers are concluding that each person has an innate capacity for resiliency, "a self-righting tendency" that operates best when people have resiliency-building factors in their lives.
Research refers to "protective factors" when describing resiliency in youth. The presence of these factors increases the likelihood that children will grow up to overcome the odds and successfully adapt to adulthood. These protective factors are:
1. Protective factors within the individual-temperamental characteristics that elicit positive responses from their caregivers.
2. Protective factors in the family-close bond with at least one emotionally stable person who was sensitive to their needs.
3. Protective factors in the community-elders or peers in their community they can rely on for support. (1)
These factors are described in "The Resiliency Quiz," which you can take online by clicking here.
If you are a parent or caregiver, you can take comfort in knowing that longitudinal studies of children into adulthood found that most of the youth who had developed serious coping problems in adolescence had staged a recovery by the time they reached midlife. Is that too long to wait?
(1)"Resiliency and Recovery: Findings from the Kauai Longitudinal Study," Focal Point, Summer 2005, pp. 11-13.
Children's Mental Health Awareness Day
The Coalition marked National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day on May 8 with the release of a commemorative poster drawn by a student from Pathways School, Mutazz Abdul-Mani.
The poster was presented in a brief ceremony in Annapolis to Arlene Lee from the Governor's Office for Children. Lee in turn presented the Coalition and Pathways School with copies of a proclamation signed by Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich declaring a state observance of the day as well.
The artist shared his approach to creating the poster during the ceremony: "I use art to express my feelings and thoughts….[when you] put emotion into energy, you can make art."
Abdul-Mani will receive further recognition from Maryland First Lady Kendel Ehrlich May 25 at the Mental Hygiene Conference. Participants at that conference will receive a copy of the poster.
You can view the poster at this link.
24 FLI Through Graduation
Celia Serkin, president of the Coalition Board of Directors, gave the keynote address to the 2006 Family Leadership Institute graduation ceremony May 6. Twenty-four proud participants now join the 36 prior graduates to form a cadre of 60 activists advocating on behalf of Maryland's children with mental health needs.
Graduate Roe Mitchell read an original poem thanking FLI's Stephanie Kirby for providing each of them with knowledge and information that will help them "spread their wings" as the new class of FLIers.
The next class will start in January, with applications being accepted in August. Please watch www.mdcoalition.org for more information.
The Coalition gives its heartfelt thanks to Stephanie, who has resigned her position as FLI director. Her boundless energy and enthusiasm coupled with her dedication to the cause has sent the institute soaring into success, and we thank her for getting us on our way.
Johns Hopkins Studies
The Johns Hopkins Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is conducting the following two research studies:
Coping and Promoting Strength (CAPS)
The purpose of this study is to evaluate a program to help prevent the onset of anxiety disorders in children of anxious parents. Children of anxious parents are two to seven times more likely to develop problems with anxiety than children of non-anxious parents. In order to reduce the risk to these children, we are evaluating a short-term program (six to eight one-hour sessions) to increase children's strength and resilience, reduce risk factors associated with anxiety in children, and increase family knowledge and communication about anxiety.
Who is eligible? Parents diagnosed with an anxiety disorder who have children between the ages of 7 and 12 who do not have an anxiety disorder.
Healthy Families Study (HFS)
The purpose of this study is to gather information about stress and coping in healthy families. Information obtained about stress and coping in healthy families will be used to help direct prevention and treatment efforts for anxious families. In addition, eligible families will receive compensation to complete a comprehensive evaluation consisting primarily of interviews and questionnaires.
Who is eligible? Parents who have a child between the ages of 7 and 12; neither parents nor child has a medical or psychiatric illness.
If you are interested in learning more about these projects, contact Candice Alfano at 443.287.4349 or calfano1@jhmi.edu.
Upcoming Events
- Children's Mental Health Conference, Nurturing Resiliency in Youth, sponsored by the Mental Hygiene Administration-May 25 at Temple Oheb Shalom in Baltimore. The Coalition has a limited number of scholarships for families to attend the conference. Contact the Coalition office at 410-730-8267 to request a scholarship.
- Maryland Coalition Transition Focus Groups
- Eastern Shore, 11 S. Harrison St., Easton, June 1
- Montgomery County, 610 East Diamond Ave., Suite 100, Gaithersburg, June 14
- Baltimore City, 2300 N. Charles St., June 27
- 2006 Youth Leadership Weekend-July 28-30.
- Kennedy Krieger Institute Adolescent Transition Lecture Series (Sponsored by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Genetics and Children with Special Health Care Needs)
May 17
Part I: Advocacy 101
Part II: New IDEA
Maureen Van Stone, Equal Justice Works Fellow,
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
June 7
Life Care, Financial and Estate Planning
Nancy Bond, Coordinating Center for Home Community Care
David N. Pessin, Esquire
RSVP or address questions to Resource Network Coordinator Jenny Jones at 443-923-2790 or 800-390-3372.
