Every question has a story...

The Children's Mental Health Network Whiteboard Campaign is a great way to promote awareness and advocacy for children's mental health. The CMH Network is trying to collect photos of 100,000 people asking a question about a children's mental health issue. I love the idea and it's social marketing at it's best! Everywhere I go I'm asking people to participate as you can see by my posts on my Mrs. Midwest International blog.
The Network and I believe that every question has a story behind it and I would like to share mine.

The Story Behind Kristin's Quesion from Children's Mental Health Network on Vimeo.

If you would like to share a question, we would love to have it! Visit the Children's Mental Health Network website Whiteboard Campaign page and find all the information you need in order to submit your question. We will be waiting to hear from you!

Friday update – 7-13-12
Greetings faithful readers. It has been a busy week for the Network, and no, we ain't afraid of no Triskaidekaphobia. From what we have been told, the only way to cure this psychiatric condition is to read "Friday Update" and rock out to The Cure - Cuz it's "Friday I'm in love." So sit back, turn the speaker volume up to 8, take in the aroma of your morning blend and enjoy the offerings posted to the website this week.

Dewey beats Truman! Or in this case, Obamacare loses
The New Yorker has posted an amusing collection of magazine covers that were produced before the Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act. Details here.
There is a storm coming and it is called sequestration
Last year, Congress enacted the Budget Control Act (BCA) as part of a compromise over raising the debt ceiling. If the bi-partisan committee appointed to carry out the BCA and develop a deficit reduction plan is unable to come to agreement, sequestration kicks in January 2013. Under sequestration, an amount of money equal to the difference between the cap set in the Budget Resolution and the amount actually appropriated is "sequestered" by the Treasury and not handed over to the agencies to which it was originally appropriated by Congress. While much attention has been paid to potential cuts in defense due to sequestration, the cuts in domestic programs would be equally devastating.
What does this mean for the Network? Stay strong and say to your congressional representatives over and over again - "Enough with the posturing already. Spend the next six months doing the job you gave yourself under the Budget Control Act (BCA) - pass a balanced deficit reduction that avoids the sequester." Funding for children's mental health has already taken a hit. We can't afford another one. Network faithful –still got your speakers dialed up to 8? Good. Learn more about sequestration in Morning Zen and get fired up with a little Gnarls Barkley
Whiteboard Campaign for Children's Mental Health!
We are in the midst of shaping the future of children's mental health service delivery, both in the United States and abroad. Debates about the best way to run a country, run a health care system, and support children and families are raging and it can be hard to figure out where children's mental health issues should fit. At the Network we believe that the issue of children's mental health belongs everywhere and that there are opportunities present every day for us to take a stand for children's mental health. Take a stand now by sharing the question you think needs to be asked to improve children's mental health. Your questions will help us collectively imagine and advocate for an improved children's mental health delivery system across the globe. Ask your question now.
Pack your sunscreen – Orlando is calling
Only two more weeks before the Training Institutes! Don't miss the premier conference on children's mental health. There's still time. Plus, there are still a few spots open for the intensive Pre-Institutes. Check it out here.
Good luck Kristin Melton!
Kristin is one of the Networks strongest ambassadors, spreading the word about children's mental health awareness and reducing stigma in communities across the nation and abroad. Kristin competes next week for the title of Mrs. International 2012. Good luck Kristin, the Network will be cheering for you!
$1.0 billion headed to Oregon for health care reform The federal government has formally approved reforms to the Oregon Health Plan as well as $1.9 billion to support them. The Children's Mental Health Network is watching the developments in Oregon with a keen eye on how families who have children with serious emotional challenges will fare under the transformation initiative. Details here.
So what really would happen if states opt out of Medicaid expansion? Who loses? The Washington Post has produced a telling graphic that plainly shows that the "losers" would be the poorest of the American population. If governors opt their states out of the health law's Medicaid expansion — as many are now threatening to do — it's the poorest Americans who would find themselves getting the rawest deal. Read more here.
Important Suicide Prevention webinar coming up
Don't miss the latest webinar being offered by Community Solutions at the University of South Florida with Katherine J. Lazear and Stephen Roggenbaum. The presenters are authors of the Youth Suicide Prevention School-Based Guide. Details here.
HHS plans ACA implementation forums for this summer
The Network was pleased to see that HHS will be hosting Affordable Care Act implementation forums across the country to provide an opportunity for states and stakeholders to learn more about the next steps in implementing the health care law. Details here.
Oh, so that's what a health insurance exchange is…
Hot off the press from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - great information on how health insurance exchanges can improve quality and aid in system reform. Details here.

What we are reading this weekend:

• Canada releases first-ever national strategy to improve mental health

And be sure not to miss…

• Network "two thumbs up” to a new book - Know Thyself: A Kid's Guide to the Archetypes
• Youth M.O.V.E. looking for candidates to fill three positions!
• Recovery Supports for Children and Families Webinar
• Texas rejects two pillars of new federal healthcare overhaul

Let us know what you need from the Network!
We love feedback so let us know how we can improve the website to better meet your needs. Contact us here.
As always, thank you for your continued support of the Children's Mental Health Network,

Scott Bryant-Comstock
President & CEO
http://cmhnetwork.org

Georgetown Training Institutes for Improving Children's Mental Health Care

The Georgetown Training Institutes which focus on improving children's mental health care will be held July 25 - 29, 2012 in Orlando, Florida. I'll be there and I can't wait to hear one of the featured speakers scheduled for the Youth Track! And it just goes to show that you never know who you are going to meet that has an uplifiting story about their journey with children's mental health -- this time it's James Durbin. Does that name ring a bell for you?
See the information below posted by my partner organization, the Children's Mental Health Network:

Hey, you know that the Training Institutes has an amazing specialized track for youth leaders, ages 13-22, who are ready to be empowered with the information and skills to change their community, state, and nation, right? Oh man, if you don't, you need to check it out. This is a great opportunity to expand the knowledge and skills of the next generation of children's mental health leaders. And goodness knows, we are going to need them! Share the information and share the love... Oh, and did we mention that James Durbin of American Idol fame will be a featured speaker? Ah man, you know you are coming to the Institutes now!
James Durbin lit the American Idol stage on fire with his powerful performances, and now the Season 10 alum is setting the music world aflame with his debut music video and album “Memories of a Beautiful Disaster.” As a youth, James was diagnosed with both Tourette’s and Aspurger’s Syndromes. Affected by these conditions and by his father’s death of a drug overdose, his talent has helped him overcome the obstacles that he faces day by day. Overall, Memories of Beautiful Disaster is an audio document of Durbin's life as he's lived it. "I am looking back on my life. Parts were disastrous, and there are some things I wished never happened. But I can look back and appreciate things that I once considered disasters as things of beauty. They make me who I am today. I'd never go back and change anything." With that attitude, and the fact that he set the table for his career thanks to American Idol, Durbin has all the necessary tools to fulfill his mission of bring back the rock! He is now ready to step on his own stage and is ready for his fans to stand with him. Even though his talent has led him to where he is now, his challenges have also played a part, and he has become a role model for American youth with challenges of any kind.                                     (from the Children's Mental Health Network Website)

Children's Mental Health Network Spokesperson Announcement

In the Children's Mental Health Network Friday Update Email today, it was announced that I will be promoting the Network as their Spokesperson! I am very excited to have this opportunity to reach more and more people about the importance of diagnosis, treatment, and support for children with mental health challenges. If you would like to receive the Friday Update Email each week, you can sign up on their website at http://www.cmhnetwork.org/sign-up and I highly recommend it, as they cover a wealth of topics for everyone in regards to mental health. As stated in their announcement below, you can also find a page on their website to request me as a featured speaker at your upcoming event http://www.cmhnetwork.org/speaking-engagements. The text below is only a snippit of the entire Friday Update, so be sure to visit the website!

As to Scott Bryant-Comstock, President & CEO of CMH Network, and Brittany Smith, Director of Community Management for CMH Network, I can't thank you both enough for all of the support and friendship you have provided me. The picture to the right is of Brittany and me at the Be a Green Queen Event, when she came all the way from Portland, Oregon, to Norris City, Illinois, to provide support for the event from the Network! I definitely can tell you it is a huge honor to be able to help promote this incredible organization with the most incredible people at my side!



Friday update – 6-1-12

Greetings faithful readers. Here is what's new on the Children's Mental Health Network website. We are knee deep in planning for the future this week and are excited about the possibilities ahead. In the words of Alan Kay – "The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” So grab a skinny latte, settle in and imagine the possibilities with the entries below.

Kristin Melton goes for the title!This July, Kristin Melton will compete for the title of Mrs. International 2012 in Chicago. She will promote the Network as our Spokesperson with the goal of creating interest in children's mental health awareness, sharing information about our work, and promoting our mission. Kristin is eager to engage in advocacy events everywhere, and is available as a featured speaker. Would you like to have Kristin Melton as a guest speaker at your next event? Let us know! Good luck Kristin and thanks for being an ambassador for children's mental health.

How can we help children with bullying prevention?

As a parent, I think it is a pretty tough issue to deal with! I don't know about you, but if my children are hurting, my momma bear instinct kicks in rather quickly and I'll do anything to make sure they are safe and protected. However, that doesn't mean that I always know what to do when those situations come up. That's especially true when my emotions get in the way.

I've been provisionally certified as an Olweus Bullying Prevention Program Trainer for almost a year now, but that doesn't mean that I have all of the answers to prevention or safety. What it does mean though is that I have committed to helping communities to recognize what bullying really is and how to feel empowered to intervene in bullying situations. You'd be amazed at how those two things make all the difference in the world even if you don't have the solutions to eliminating it completely.
The elementary and middle schools in Eldorado, Illinois effectively implemented the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program this past school year, and I had the priviledge to be involved with training their bullying prevention committee. I loved being a part of this transformation of their schools and am so impressed with the hard work the staff and students did throughout the year to start making their school grounds into safer places.

With Jim Mayer, creator of IM4Ublog.com

On May 2nd, as a celebration for all of the great work they did, we were able to invite Uncle Jim Mayer to come and perform his bullying prevention education program for students K-8 called IM4U, and they loved it! Don't know who Jim Mayer is? He's definitely worth a google search and so is his IM4U blog. I was so honored to meet a man who is using his huge celebrity status to reach the children of the US. He's personable, he's fun, he cares about kids, and he definitely has my endorsement! Not only did he perform, but he stayed around the schools the remainder of the day and the next morning just to hang around with the students and get to know them. He is truly committed to the cause!

I feel very fortunate to be able to have spent some time talking with Jim. He is a phenomenal person with a admirable goal in helping children everywhere to overcome bullying. He really empathizes with them about how it feels to be a target. He also wrote a song called "Show Me the Light" that was about a girl who took her life as a result of bullying. Here is the video that Jim posted in response to Jonah Mowery which plays the song "Show Me the Light." It's a very powerful and moving video.

Of course, Jim's blog is an excellent source of support for bullying prevention, as is the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. But, I would like to also share one of the resources that I consistently use for myself and when educating parents. It's from the Child Mind Institute called "How to Arm Your Child Against Bullying" and includes 5 tips for parents about supporting your child.

I highly recommend contacting Jim Mayer through Deb Grisham Entertainment if you are in need of a bullying prevention presentation for your school or organization. You won't be disappointed.