Special Populations and Treatment Issues

• Children
• Elderly
• Substance Abuse Treatment
• Co-occurring Disorders
• Ethnic Minorities - Cultural Competence
• Employment
• Major Mental Illness
• Homelessness and Mental Health

Promising Practices in Children's Mental Health
This site, sponsored by the SAMHSA Center for Mental Health Studies Child, Adolescent, and Family Branch, contains three series of monographs on Promising Practices in Children's Mental Health.

Surgeon General's Report on Children's Mental Health - State of Evidence on Treatments, Services, Systems of Care, and Financing

Psychiatric Practice Parameters for Working with Children
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's practice parameters are designed to assist clinicians in providing high quality assessment and treatment that is consistent with the best available scientific evidence and clinical consensus. Summaries of published practice parameters are available on this web site.

A Compilation of Lessons Learned from the 22 Grantees of the 1997 Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Included in: Expert Consensus Guidelines: Psychiatric Treatment Guidelines for the Most Difficult Questions Facing Clinicians

Transition to Independence Process (TIP)
The Transition to Independence Process (TIP) system assists young people with emotional/behavioral difficulties in making a successful transition to adulthood by achieving their goals in the transition domains of education, employment, living situation, and community life.

What Works in Children's Mental Health Services? Uncovering Answers to Critical Questions
by Krista Kutash, Ph.D. and Vestena Robbins Rivera
Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health
Florida Mental Health Institute
The authors summarize recent empirical research conducted across the United States in the field of children's mental health. They identify the most effective programs and policies for improving services, describe the ideal system of care, and present recommendations for future research.

Outcomes for Children and Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders and their Families: Programs and Evaluation Best Practices
Edited by Michael H. Epstein, Krista Kutash, and Albert J. Duchnowski
Published by Pro-Ed, 1998

Promising Practices in Family-Provider Collaboration
Site sponsored by the Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health

Exemplary Practices in the Delivery of Mental Health Outreach Services to Older Adults

Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-based Guide

Evidence Report on Pharmacotherapies for Alcohol Dependence

CSAT Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs)
CSAT Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs) are best practice guidelines for the treatment of substance abuse.

CSAT Technical Assistance Publications (TAPs)
CSAT Technical Assistance Publications (TAPs) are publications, manuals, and guides developed by CSAT to offer practical responses to emerging issues and concerns in the substance abuse treatment field.

Addiction Counseling Competencies: The Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes of Professional Practice
This document presents the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for achieving and practicing competence in addictions.

CASAWORKS for Families: A Promising Approach to Welfare Reform and Substance-Abusing Women
CASAWORKS for Families is the first national demonstration program to concurrently provide drug and alcohol treatment; literacy, job, parenting and social skills training; family violence prevention and health care. Designed for TANF recipients, this program holds potential for reducing welfare costs and preventing substance abuse and addiction.

Summary Statement: Opportunity to Succeed, Post-Incarceration Services for Substance Abusing Ex-Offenders
The Opportunity to Succeed (OPTS) program is a multi-site demonstration program to help addict ex-offenders break the cycle of recidivism and become contributing members of their communities. The innovative program serves felons (who were not convicted of rape or murder) returning to their home communities from jail or prison and is designed to provide them with the support they need to choose productive lifestyles and make the transition to community, family life and full time jobs.

The Change Book: A Blueprint for Technology Transfer
The Change Book is a tool to help individuals and organizations implement change initiatives to improve prevention and treatment outcomes. This step-by-step handbook includes the Principles, Steps, Strategies and Activities for achieving effective change.

Best Practices and Current Issues in the Treatment of Persons with Co-occurring Disorders in the Criminal Justice System
This site contains publications available from the National GAINS Center and Policy Research Associates

Cultural Competence Standards in Managed Mental Health Care
Cultural competence standards and guideliines in managed mental health care for four underserved/underrepresented racial/ethnic groups

Assuring Cultural Competence in Health Care: Recommendations for National Standards and an Outcomes-Focused Research Agenda
National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care, developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health

Exemplary Practices in Employment and Other Workplace-related Issues

Matrix Research Institute's Brochure Series on Mental Illness and Work
Series of 15 booklets based on research, training, and service demonstration of the Matrix Research Institute; an innovative vocational rehabilitation resource which places emphasis on the information-gathering and decision-making processes that people with psychiatric disabilities must go through as they consider work, seek and maintain employment, and balance work with other life priorities

Program Elements for Employment Supports: Project Employ's Core Program Elements for Provision of Employment Supports for People with Psychiatric Disabilities

Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT)
PACT fact sheets, model programs, outcomes, and standards for new teams.

The Schizophrenia Patient Outcomes Research Team (PORT) Treatment Recommendations
Recommendations for the treatment of schizophrenia based on existing scientific evidence were developed by the Schizophrenia Patient Outcomes Research Team (PORT). Based on exhaustive reviews of the treatment outcomes literature, the treatment recommendations focus on treatments for which there is substantial evidence of efficacy.

Research News in Mental Illness - latest research news articles related to mental illness and treatment issues

Exemplary Practices in Employment and Other Workplace-related Issues

Matrix Research Institute's Brochure Series on Mental Illness and Work
Series of 15 booklets based on research, training, and service demonstration of the Matrix Research Institute; an innovative vocational rehabilitation resource which places emphasis on the information-gathering and decision-making processes that people with psychiatric disabilities must go through as they consider work, seek and maintain employment, and balance work with other life priorities

Program Elements for Employment Supports: Project Employ's Core Program Elements for Provision of Employment Supports for People with Psychiatric Disabilities

Involuntary Treatment: Identification of Effective Practices for Reducing Coercion and Involuntary Interventions and Methods for Disseminating Effective Practices

The Employment Intervention Demonstration Program (EIDP) is funded by the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to determine new ways of enhancing employment opportunities and quality of life for mental health consumers. The program is a multisite research study of innovative models combining vocational rehabilitation with clinical services and supports.

Homelessness and Mental Health: Program Summaries
Summaries of effective programs identified by the Homeless Programs Branch of the Center for Mental Health Services Division of Knowledge Development and Systems Change