Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing

News & Events

Announcement

Special mental health and media statements regarding the television series
"13 Reasons Why"

Statement from Experts on the Upcoming Release of 13 Reasons Why, Season 2

Views from the Field

Lessons from Abroad: Investing in Youth Mental Health

View the article

Special Report

Understanding the Mental Health Needs and Concerns of Youth and their Parents: An Exploratory Investigation (Major Themes and Findings July 2016)

Read the report

2018 Pre-Conference on Media and Youth Suicide

April 26, 2018

Resources from the event

Mental Health Innovation Challenge Event

June 24-26, 2017
Stanford Mental Health Innovation Challenge: Empowering youth to shape the future of mental health

Videos from the event

The Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Spring 2017 Update

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2018 Adolescent Mental Wellness Conference: Overcoming Cultural Barriers to Access

April 27-28, 2018

Resources from the event

The Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Fall 2017 Update

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2016 Adolescent Mental Wellness Conference

August 5-6, 2016
2016 Adolescent Mental Wellness Conference: Breaking Down Stigma, Building Support for Youth Mental Health

Videos from the event

What is The Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing?

The Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing recognizes that we are in the midst of a national public health crisis among US youth and is committed to spearheading a new national vision for adolescent and young adult wellness and mental health support. The clinical and research experts within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences have laid the groundwork for the creation of a national initiative for youth through their expertise in early mental health support, development of self-regulation tools, school mental health, and suicide prevention. By creating an innovative health system, and a new culture of health for the adolescent and young adult population, Stanford hopes to create a model for the country in how to better support our young people to navigate the transition to adulthood and realize their full potential as adults.

The Need

The data on adolescent health and educational success in the US is of great concern. High rates of depression, alcohol and drug abuse, teen pregnancy, youth violence, and low college graduation rates compared to other industrialized nations indicate that something is missing in our support for young people. Adolescence has become a perilous rite of passage for many youth. We need a new culture of adolescent wellbeing across the United States that builds skills, resilience, and opportunities for a healthy path into adulthood.

Some key facts:

We know that US teens are more stressed than ever before. In a 2013 survey, teens reported higher stress levels than adults and many also reported feeling overwhelmed, depressed or sad as a result of stress (Bethune, 2014).
Fifty percent of mental health disorders have their onset by the age of 14 and seventy five percent emerge before the age of 25 (Kessler et al, 2005).
The adolescent brain is especially malleable to both positive and negative influences and the period from 12-25 is the last critical opportunity to affect the healthy development of our young people (Steinberg, 2014).

Core Components

The Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing is built on 3 core components:

1. Early Mental Health Support and Exceptional Clinical Care

Early Support Services: Symptoms in response to anxiety, depression, and trauma are generally the first mental health problems for which young people need support. Yet such early mental health supports are scarce. In developing a new early access and intervention model in the United States with the headspace program in Australia, Stanford will create clinical sites where young people ages 12-25 feel comfortable independently accessing early support and mental health guidance in safe and comfortable environments, a critical first step toward developing a national youth model for public mental health.
Linkages to Clinical Expertise for More Serious Mental Health Conditions: Due to issues of stigma or lack of understanding about mental health issues and symptoms, young people often first seek help when symptoms have become more serious. Strong linkages with Stanford clinical services allow for rapid intervention and support for young people experiencing many of the mental health challenges of adolescence. These clinical programs include:
- Severe Anxiety and Mood Disorders: Enhanced clinical services and support for young people and families for treatment of mood disorders, especially those with depression and suicide risk.
- Eating Disorders: Providing early support for young people with eating disorders allows for community intervention and decreases the need to miss school due to hospitalization or needs for extended care away from home.
- Early Psychosis: The INSPIRE Clinic at Stanford provides treatment for young people with symptoms of early psychosis. In addition,the National Prodrome and Early Psychosis Program Network (PEPPNET), facilitated by Stanford, ensures clinical sites across the country working in this field are connecting with cutting edge training, treatment programs, and cross-site collaboration, allowing for rapid referral to specialist treatment and decreasing the potential impact of untreated psychosis.
- Trauma Prevention and Early Intervention: Adolescence is a time when many young people face traumatic events as a result of abuse or violence, necessitating rapid intervention to minimize the long-term consequences of traumatic events.
- Assessment, Diagnosis, and Triage Program: A core component under development is a clinical assessment service that provides a day long, multi-disciplinary assessment for young people and their families. This collaborative process will provide a roadmap towards wellness and healing, which includes recommendations on the appropriate support within the continuum of care for that young person.
- Integration With Primary Care: Primary care providers are often in the best position to detect early symptoms of mental health conditions, but many lack the training or clinical time needed to follow up on these concerns. In partnership with the Stanford Health Care System and Stanford Children’s Health, the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing seeks opportunities to increase the capacity of primary care providers to support early identification and treatment of mental health issues.

2. Educational and Community Partnerships

Parent Education & Outreach: In partnership with community based organizations and schools, the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing develops programs to help families build the skills and awareness to recognize signs of distress, to engage in healthy parent-child communication, and to support the overall mental health of their children. Examples include Stanford Communication Health Interactive for Parents and Others (CHIPAO) and panel events such as Supporting Your Child During the Transition to High School.
School Partnerships: Schools are where adolescents and young adults spend most of their time. Academic success depends upon the ability of students to be attentive, focused, and ready to learn. School collaborations around wellness and mental health support ensure our young people are able to benefit from their educational opportunities and thrive as young adults.
Stigma Reduction: Through a variety of community-based events and dialogues facilitated by Department faculty, including focus groups, the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing works toward breaking down the stigma associated with mental health and accessing mental health services.
Suicide Prevention and Postvention Services: The Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Initiative provides leadership and clinical consultation to schools in addressing suicide response and prevention related issues.
Screening, Early Intervention and School-Based Health Services: Schools frequently lack on-site health and mental health services provided by licensed mental health and health professional from the community. Through a recent agreement giving Stanford access to the tools previously developed and utilized by the Columbia TeenScreen program, Stanford is now developing new approaches for linking young people with early mental health issues to on-site providers.
Linkages to School-Based Support: The Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing collaborates with other teams within the Department who are leading innovative school-based programs promoting protective skill development. These include supporting secondary school students through the practice of meditation and yoga and through leadership and mentorship programs that allow young people to reach beyond themselves and learn at an early age to grow by giving to others. These programs help to decrease stigma and support mental health literacy thereby helping to provide critical suicide prevention support and link young people to early services through peer connections.
Community College Early Support Program: Fewer than 13 percent of community colleges provide psychiatric services for students, despite increasing mental health problems among community college students. With expertise in identifying and treating those at the earliest stage of illness, the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing is well positioned to build a community college outreach program to link students with appropriate clinical services.

3. Mental Health and Technology Program

Mental Health and Technology: Young people often seem to prioritize screen time over face time. Many are also using social media and new technologies to reach out for peer support and guidance around mental health needs. In addition, telehealth is expanding as a model for providing direct clinical care, supervision for primary care and school staff, and didactic training. A core element of the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing is to utilize innovative technologies to support adolescents, young adults and their families.
Technology Linkages to Clinical Care: With the proliferation of web applications and text lines designed to link young people to services and crisis support, it has become increasingly important to coordinate these with local services to ensure young people have real-time access to safe and appropriate guidance as they reach for technology in times of trouble.
Telebehavioral Health Support: Whether provided locally, regionally, statewide, nationally or internationally, telehealth offers a medium for expanding access to mental health support for young people and their families. Direct clinical services and consultation and training for school and primary care partners are some of the ways the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing is developing telehealth models to expand behavioral health support for young people.
Assessment of and Guidance on Mental Health Technology: While there are a proliferation of websites, apps and text lines with a mental health focus, there is no current program that evaluates, reviews and provides guidance for young people and families on the safety and efficacy of the various mental health tools available. The Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing has the experience to evaluate and then build on this framework of technology support that young people and families can trust to ensure safe and appropriate connections to mental health support.

Resources

Trauma Focused Books

“Overloaded And Underprepared: Strategies For Stronger Schools And Healthy, Successful Kids”, Denise Clark Pope, Maureen Brown, & Sarah Miles; Guilford (2015)
“Wise Minded Parenting: 7 Essentials For Raising Successful Tweens + Teens”, Laura Kastner; The Parent Map (2013)
“Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding Of Happiness And Well-Being”, Martin E.P. Seligman; Atria Books (2012)
“How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk”; Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish; Scribner (2012)
“How To Talk So Teens Will Listen & Listen So Teens Will Talk”; Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish; Morrow (2006)
“Staying Connected To Your Teenager: How To Keep Them Talking To You, And How To Hear What They're Really Saying” Michael Riera, Phd (2003)
“Uncommon Sense For Parents With Teenagers”, Revised Ed., Michael Riera, Phd, Celestial Arts, 2004
“Surviving Your Adolescents: How To Manage And Let Go Of Your 13-18 Year Olds”, 2nd Ed. Thomas Phelan, Phd, Cmi, 1998
“The Good Enough Child: How To Have An Imperfect Family And Be Totally Satisfied”, Brad Sachs, Phd, Quill, 2001
“The Confident Child: Raising Children To Believe In Themselves”, Terri Apter, Phd, Bantam, 1997
“Out Of The Darkened Room: When A Parent Is Depressed: Protecting The Children And Strengthening The Family”, Beardslee, Little Brown, 2002
“Helping Your Anxious Child: A Step By Step Guide”, Ron Rapee Et Al, New Harbinger, 2000
“Helping Your Teenager Beat Depression: A Problem-Solving Approach For Families”, Manassis & Levac, Woodbine House, 2004
“Eight Stories Up: An Adolescent Chooses Hope Over Suicide”, Levine & Brent, Oxford University Press, 2008 (From The Adolescent Mental Health Initiative, Of The Annenberg Public Policy Center)
“Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be: An Antidote To The College Admissions Mania”, Frank Bruni; Grand Central Publ. 2016
“Teaching Kids With Mental Health & Learning Disorders In The Regular Classroom”, Myles L. Cooley, Phd; Free Spirit Publ. 2007
“Reaching And Teaching Children Who Hurt: Strategies For Your Classroom”, Susan E. Craig; Brookes Publ; 2008
“Neurobiologically Informed Trauma Therapy With Children And Adolescents: Understanding Mechanisms Of Change”, Linda Chapman; Ww Norton Publ. 2014
“Cbits: Cognitive Behavioral Intervention For Trauma In Schools”, Lisa Jaycox; Sopris West Publ. 2004
“Cue-Centered Therapy For Youth Experiencing Posttraumatic Symptoms” Therapist Guide, Victor Carrion; Oxford Publ. 2016

Mental Health Organizations And Resources

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP):
http://www.aacap.org/
eAACAP Depression Resource Center:
www.aacap.org/cs/Depression.ResourceCenter
NIMH, Depression in Children & Adolescents:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/depression-in-children-and-adolescents.shtml
American Psychological Association: The Road to Resilience:
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx
Mayo Clinic: Resilience:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/resilience/MH00078
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP):
http://www.afsp.org/

Selected Resources On Mental Health And Resilience

Depression Bipolar Support Alliance: http://www.dbsalliance.org
Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation: http://www.bpkids.org/site/PageServer
National Child Traumatic Stress Network: http://www.nctsn.org
The Suicide Prevention Resource Center: http://www.sprc.org/
Jed Foundation (Devoted to college mental health & suicide prevention): http://www.Jedfoundation.org
HEARD Alliance (heardalliance.org): Collaborative among healthcare agencies, schools and providers in the South Bay
Project Safety Net Palo Alto (psnpaloalto.com)
Reachout.com (us.reachout.com) {Peer support with clinical oversight}
NAMI (Nat’l Alliance on Mental Illness) {nami.org; family support and advocacy}

Resource Guides

Information on typical adolescent social/emotional development and when to seek help:
http://www.brightfutures.org/tools/BFtoolsAD.pdf
School-based Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Toolkit from Palo Alto:
http://www.pausd.org/sites/default/files/pdf-faqs/attachments/ComprehensiveSuicidePreventionToolkitforSchools.pdf
Parent's guide to recognizing and treating depression in youth from the Youth Suicide Prevention Program at Washington State.
http://www.yspp.org/downloads/resources/YSPP_depression_Final_low.pdf
NAMI's booklet entitled "What Families Should Know About Adolescent Depression and Treatment Options"
http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/CAAC/Family_Guide_final.pdf
The parent page for The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide:
http://www.sptsnj.org/parents/
NIMH downloadable brochure entitled "Treatment of Children with Mental Illness:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/treatment-of-children-with-mental-illness-fact-sheet/nimh-treatment-children-mental-illness-faq.pdf

Other Helpful Numbers

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Suicide prevention telephone hotline funded by the U.S. government. Provides free, 24-hour assistance.
24 hour Suicide and Crisis Line (Santa Clara County) 650-494-8420 or 408-279-3312
EMQ Crisis Team (Santa Clara County) 408-379-9085 or 877-412-7474
San Mateo County Crisis Line: 650-579-0350

Contact Us

For all clinical questions, including to schedule an appointment with a clinician:

General Adult Psychiatry and Psychology Clinics: 650-498-9111
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry intake line: 650-723-7704

For programmatic inquiries, contact:

Vicki Harrison, MSW
Manager, Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing
Manager of Community Partnerships, Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
650-725-3772
vickih@stanford.edu

Steven Adelsheim, MD
Director, Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing
Director of Community Partnerships, Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
650-725-3757
sadelsheim@stanford.edu

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