APA Services, along with 35 other organizations advocating for the well-being of children and adolescents, encouraged attention to youth mental health and wellness in a June 22 letter to the leadership of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor and Pensions.
The organizations emphasized the need to ensure that “young people have access to research- and evidence-based primary prevention that mitigates risk factors and promotes protective factors to prevent mental health challenges from manifesting into emergent situations across a full continuum of support. In a continuum of comprehensive support in a school setting, primary prevention, or tier one in a multitiered system, includes programs and services that are provided to all students through prevention based activities that foster healthy behavior and generate a safe and supportive school climate. Programs and services in a multi-tiered framework should be research- and evidence-based and developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate for students’ needs.”
The groups also urged policymakers to use language, terms, and definitions that are consistent “to improve clarity and connect initiatives, streamline funding, and promote cross-agency collaboration.”
For more information, contact Angela L. Sharpe.