System of care infrastructure expansion implementing universal DBT in cayuga county schools - cayuga county community mental health center (CCCMHC), in collaboration with system of care partners in…

System of care infrastructure expansion implementing universal DBT in cayuga county schools - cayuga county community mental health center (CCCMHC), in collaboration with system of care partners in cayuga county, plans to expand the ability of family-serving organizations with a focus on rural school districts to support youth, ages 5-21, with mental health needs; challenging behavior; and poor academic functioning. The plan includes providing training with a focus on improving understanding of emotional dysregulation and the development of strategies to effectively intervene and improving youth functioning at home, school and in the community. The number of youth experiencing mental health challenges including anxiety, depression, and suicidal thinking, have dramatically increased over the last 10 years. Feedback from families has often focused on frustration with schools, believing they are not responding to the needs of their children. Schools express frustration that children in their buildings are becoming more challenging to manage and impacting teachers' ability to teach. Over the last several years, CCCMHC has partnered with several county schools and providers to provide staff training and consultation to help identify and intervene with behavioral health challenges. However, due to limited staff resources, IT has been difficult to meet the increasing requests for support. Samhsa funds will allow the county's system of care to continue to build collaborative relationships in the county and make meaningful change so county-wide organizations, particularly schools, are better able to meet the needs of families and their children. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an evidenced-based model with a focus on teaching four core skills: mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal relationship effectiveness and emotional regulation. Although DBT was originally developed to address serious problems in people with extreme emotional dysregulation, DBT skills are now recognized as essential life skills that are useful for everyone who wants to strengthen emotional wellness and resilience skills. Using a trauma-informed framework, cayuga county intends to support schools to establish a universal approach in schools in which DBT skills are taught to all students as part of the school curriculum as well as provide a continuum of DBT treatment options within the school setting to students identified as needing more intensive support. The plan includes creating a public health approach through teaching the use of DBT skills to providers, school staff, students and parents/caregivers throughout the county to improve social and emotional well-being for all.