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Oregon Health Authority

Other Treatment Supports

Overview

Behavioral health disorders in children and adolescents are related to several challenges:

  • Children with serious behavioral health challenges are often also involved multiple systems. These include child welfare, the juvenile justice system, and/or school special education programs.
  • They are the costliest health condition of childhood.

To improve services to children and adolescents, OHA aims to build a system of care that can address the complex needs of children and families within their local communities.

The Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) model teaches parents and providers how to:

  • Effectively build skills and solve problems with children and youth, and
  • Help children become more flexible and adaptable.

It does this by teaching:

  • Relationship and collaboration.
  • How challenging behaviors are the result of lagging skills.
  • How best to intervene while managing ​emotions and learning how to solve problems.

Since 2006, OHA has invested in CPS training for providers, educators and parents. During the past year, parents have told OHA repeatedly that they need more training in:
  • Addressing challenging behaviors, and 
  • Teaching children problem-solving and self-regulation related to their mental health and developmental problems. 
Free statewide CPS Virtual Parent Training courses will be available soon. We will post links to sign up here.  


Program Contact:
Beth Holliman
Acute Care Coordinator
503-820-1197

Juvenile Psychiatric Security Review Board

​Judges will place young people found Responsible Except for Insanity (REI) under the jurisdiction of the Oregon Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB) if:

  1. The court finds that the young person has a serious mental condition (defined as major depression, bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder); or 
  2. The court finds that the young person has a qualifying mental illness other than a serious mental condition and represents a substantial danger to others, requiring conditional release or commitment to a hospital or facility. 

For additional information, please visit the Board's website.

Restorative Services
For youth in Oregon’s juvenile justice system, the Oregon Health Authority ensures that youth receive appropriate services to restore their mental health and be “fit to proceed” in court proceedings.

To be “fit to proceed,” a youth must be able to:

  • Understand the nature of the court proceedings; 
  • Assist and cooperate with the youth’s attorney; and 
  • Participate in his or her own defense.

“Fitness to proceed” is also known as “adjudicative competency” or “aid and assist.”

Restorative services are 90-day service episodes provided in the youth’s home community on an outpatient basis. Services are provided in a location and time that is convenient for youth and family. Services include:  

  • Case management: Development of a specific case plan and ongoing coordination with all service providers involved in youth’s case 
  • Skills training: 60- to 90-minute sessions, 2-3 times per week using a standard curriculum reviewed by interested court parties and community partners
  • Evaluation: An updated forensic evaluation at least every 90 days assessing the youth’s progress toward gaining competency. The evaluator then sends an updated report to the court parties.

Youth must continue restorative services until a judge decides that they are “fit to proceed” or “unlikely to become fit to proceed.” Services can continue for up to three years or the maximum amount of time the youth would have been committed to a juvenile facility (whichever is shorter).

Program contact:
Jessica Stout
Juvenile Fitness to Proceed Coordinator
503-757-4722

There are many system barriers impacting youth who:

  • Have complex needs such as dual diagnoses for Intellectual/Developmental (I/DD) and Mental Health (MH) conditions, and
  • Receive services through multiple systems. These systems include juvenile justice, child welfare, community mental health, education, and health care systems.

​In 2017, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) worked together to identify potential solutions to support this population. Current OHA initiatives include:

Annual Childre​n's IDD Mental Health Summit

Since 2013 the summit has worked to address best practices. It also promotes collaboration between the I/DD and MH systems to break down barriers to accessing services. 

www.iddmhs​ummit.com

National Association of Dually Diagnosed (NADD) 

OHA has a contract with NADD to offer the following training:

  • Train the Trainer: Mental Health Approaches to I/DD
  • Video series: I/DD and Substance Use Disorders
  • Video series: Complex Health Conditions and I/DD
  • Solution-oriented educational video focused on supporting Oregon families

For more information, please contact:

Jessica Stout, LPC
Juvenile Justice Policy and Program Coordinator
jessica.l.stout@oha.oregon.gov​
503-757-4722

​The Oregon Health Authority funds the Oregon Psychiatric Access Line about Adults (OPAL-A). A statewide psychiatric consultation service for treatment of adults over age 18, OPAL-A:

  • Gives local primary care and mental health providers statewide quick access to consultations with an OPAL-A psychiatrist,
  • Increases the ability to manage complex cases in the adult behavioral health community,
  • Improves effective use of medications, and 
  • Makes connections with additional mental health treatment when necessary.

OPAL-A enables adults with mental health challenges to be treated more comprehensively and holistically by their health care providers, while receiving optimal care. 

OPAL-A is available to any medical or social service provider seeking professional consultation about an individual’s psychiatric treatment issues or prescriptions. Providers can register for the service on the OPAL-A website.  

When providers call OPAL-A, 98% get an immediate consultation. 78% of their patients maintain treatment with their primary care physician.

​The Oregon Health Authority funds the Oregon Psychiatric Access Line about Kids (OPAL-K). A statewide psychiatric consultation service for treatment of children and youth up to age 18, OPAL-K:

  • Gives local primary care and mental health providers statewide quick access to consultations with an OPAL-K child psychiatrist,
  • Increases the ability to manage complex cases in the youth’s home community,
  • Improves effective use of medications, and 
  • Makes connections with additional mental health treatment when necessary.

OPAL-K keeps children and youth in their communities, with their current providers, while receiving optimal care.  Most children and youth continue their care with their primary care provider while receiving psychiatric treatment, which is one of the essential objectives of the OPAL programs.

OPAL-K also provides phone appointments specifically for children in foster care with complex psychiatric medications.

OPAL-K is available to any medical or social service provider seeking professional consultation about young people’s psychiatric treatment issues or prescriptions. 

  • Providers can register for the service on the OPAL-K website.
  • When providers call OPAL-K, 88 percent get an immediate consultation.