Happy New Year! Welcome 2016!

January 05, 2016 by Terri Henrizi Leave a Comment (Edit)

It has been almost a full year now since we first launched ACMH’s new website and we hope that you have found at least some portion of it useful! We are excited to have met last’s year goal for the website which was to create a ‘sense of community and connectedness’ for families of children & youth with mental health challenges across Michigan and enhance their access to timely, relevant information that meets their needs.

We have learned a lot over the last year and are excited to be bringing new features to the site in the upcoming year including new content, regular blog posts, family leadership & advocacy tools, an updated Youth Page, additional training & interactive options and much, much more!

Remember ~ we need you to continue to make the site a success so please feel free to make posts, ask an expert, share your wisdom and provide hope and inspiration to others! Thank you again to all of the parents, youth and community partners who have interacted with and made suggestions for the site. We could not have success without your input, ideas and interaction! We would also like to thank the Flinn Foundation for providing the funding for this online adventure and Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services, the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration for their ongoing support and funding of ACMH activities including ACMH’s electronic resources!

The launching of the new ACMH website was not the only exciting thing happening in 2015 however… We also saw the birth of Youth Peer Support as a Medicaid reimbursable public mental health service in Michigan! Michigan’s Youth Peer Support Project is a Statewide Initiative in partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and provides Medicaid reimbursable Youth Peer Support to eligible youth as a part of their treatment plan. ACMH is the Statewide Coordinator & Training Partner for the project and provides initial training and ongoing coaching, supervision, support and technical assistance.

The goals of Youth Peer Support include supporting youth empowerment, assisting youth in developing skills to improve their overall functioning and quality of life, and, working collaboratively with others involved in their youth care. Youth Peer Support services can be in the form of direct support, information sharing and skill building.

The Youth Peer Support service is provided by trained youth peer support specialist. Youth Peer Support Specialists must have lived experience navigating behavioral health systems and must participate in and complete the approved Michigan Department Health and Human Services training curriculum.

ACMH has been a long time supporter of family peer-to-peer support and know the value of this unique type of support. We are excited to see enhanced opportunities and outcomes for the youth involved in public mental health services as this service and support grows across Michigan! For a first hand introduction to this new initiative click Intro to Youth Peer Support to download a blog entry from one of our Youth Peer Support Project Trainers. To learn more details about the project and youth peer support click here.

We hope that you and your families also had a successful and happy 2015 and are excited as we are to see what 2016 has in store.

Happy New Year!