Episode 4: Transitioning to Adulthood with Mental Health Challenges

Kids with mental health challenges eventually grow up and become adults. So how do caregivers and communities help them as they make this major transition? And, since many psychological conditions begin in early adulthood– how can parents, friends and even, colleges, help them understand and learn to manage their own mental health?

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IN-STUDIO GUESTS: Joining us from Alaska's mental healthcare community we have two guests in the studio with host, Shana Sheehy.

• Barry Andres is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Clinical Manager of the Child and Adolescent Outpatient Department at Anchorage Community Mental Health Services where one division, theTransitional Aged Youth Program, helps young people move from one form of care to another.

• Georgia DeKeyser is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and the Associate Director of the University of Alaska Anchorage Student Health and Counseling Center. 

LINKS FROM THIS PROGRAM:

• Anchorage Community Mental Health Services - Transitional Aged Youth Program
• UAA Student Health & Counseling Center 
• National Network on Youth Transition
• "Helping Youth with Mental Health Needs Avoid Transition Cliffs: Lessons from Pioneering Transition Programs"
• National Collaborative Workforce & Development - Youth
• UAA Student Survey on Drug & Alcohol Use (opens as PDF)
• State of Alaska Division of Behavioral Health 
• State of Alaska Mental Health Resource Guide (opens as PDF)
• American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

WHERE TO FIND HELP:

• Statewide Careline Crisis Intervention 24 hour hotline
• Anchorage Area Mental Health Service Providers
• Juneau Mental Health Directory
• Statewide Mental Health Facility Search
• Statewide Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Search

FEATURED STORIES:

- Parents Talk About Change - We asked a few parents how they deal with transition; we've gathered their answers into a collection of community voices.

- Covenant House Helping Youth in Transition - Young adults who experience mental illness are more likely to be homeless at some point.Covenant House Alaska serves homeless youth through age 20; about 40% of the youth they serve have been in residential treatment for behavioral and mental health issues. Twice as many qualify as beneficiaries of the Alaska Mental Trust Authority, meaning they have a substance abuse problem, mental health issue, traumatic brain injury and/or a developmental disability. Our contributor Jessica Cochran visited Covenant House to learn how the organization helps serve those youth.

- UAA's "AN-CAP" Program Attracts Alaska Native Providers -One new program at the University of Alaska is aimed at increasing the number of “home-grown” mental health care providers in rural Alaska - to help people of all ages. The program is called the AN-CAP program; that stands for Alaska Native Community Advancement in Psychology. It’s a re-tooling of the previous Alaska Native Psychology Program. Contributor Jessica Cochran spoke with Professor EJ David and student Tina Woods to learn more about it.

This series is supported by funds from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority and is a copyrighted production of the Content Producers Guild.

Listen to the whole series here.