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Mental Health

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The PA Family Support Alliance is sponsoring a free mandated reporter training entitled “Responding to Disclosures of Child Abuse.” This training is for mandated reporters who have taken training on recognizing and reporting child abuse before and need to take it again. It is 3 hours and available at no cost to mandated reporters in Pennsylvania. This training is designed to help professionals and volunteers respond to disclosures of child abuse in a way that is sensitive and supportive to the child, but without tainting the child’s memory.

The curriculum is approved by the Departments of Human Services, Education, and State and meets all requirements for training on recognizing and reporting child abuse (to include Act 126 for school employees). It is also approved for continuing education credits under Act 31 (Department of State for health-related licenses) and Act 48 (Department of Education for teachers) at no cost. PFSA will submit your training verification to the Department of State or Education as appropriate on your behalf (details provided during training).

Each person must log in through separate devices, using the unique access link emailed to them after registration to receive credit.

For questions or to schedule a session specifically for your organization, please email PFSA or RCPA Children’s Policy Director Jim Sharp.

Please register for your preferred training date and time by clicking one of the session links below.

Wed. June 1, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Tues. June 7, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Wed. June 8, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Thurs. June 9, 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Tues. June 14, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Wed. June 15, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Thurs. June 16, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Fri. June 17, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Sat. June 18, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Tues. June 21, 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Tues. June 21, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Wed. June 22, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Thurs. June 23, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Mon. June 27, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Tues. June 28, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Wed. June 29, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Thurs. June 30, 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm

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Today, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing released the results of its first comprehensive consumer survey on access to mental health and substance use care, showing there are significant unmet needs, far more than physical health needs.

Results from the 2022 Access to Care survey, conducted by The Harris Poll, show a staggering 43 percent of U.S. adults who say they needed substance use or mental health care in the past 12 months but did not receive that care. They identified numerous barriers that stand between them and needed treatment. You can download the full survey results here.

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Message from RCPA Member Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF):

We are so excited to announce that Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) has helped a record number of people with our low- and no-interest loan programs, our information and assistance services, and our financial education resources.

Of note, after we increased the lending cap on our Mini-Loan program from $2,000 to $7,000, this program grew by 151%! (see below: 2021 by the Numbers) 

And it doesn’t stop there! We published Smart Homes Made Simple: Your Guide to Smart Home Technology and launched SmartHomesMadeSimple to help the disability community learn about mainstream smart home devices and how they can be financed.

In March of this year, PATF hosted a smart home webinar with more than 500 attendees from around the world!

We are proud to share our organization’s growth over the last year, in which assistive technology (AT) was critical, to support people with disabilities and older adults stay safe, healthy, and connected to our community.

Read PATF’s Impact Report.

With your unwavering support – our donors, borrowers, partners, families and friends – we were able to expand and create new programs to help people with disabilities and older Pennsylvanians live more independently. Thank you!

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) and the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) are pleased to announce this latest edition of the Positive Approaches Journal titled “Innovation & Best Practices in Supporting Autistic Adults.”

The focus of autism supports has almost exclusively been on children. Articles in this issue of Positive Approaches seeks to shed some light on adults with autism, including:

  • An article on transgender identity and gender dysphoria highlighting ways that adults with autism can be supported and accepted while defining who they are;
  • An article on the Temple University Community Participation Measure and its success in showing areas where adults with autism are spending their time, thereby giving a clearer picture on where supports and services may best be provided;
  • An article on an adult with autism’s journey from work into retirement and how he perceived this milestone;
  • An article discussing Pennsylvania’s continuing development of forward-thinking autism supports and services;
  • An article on the ongoing development and expansion of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Neurodevelopmental Residential Treatment Unit; and
  • An article on the reasoning, development, and success of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s (UPMC) Western Behavioral Health Psychiatric Rehabilitation (PR) program carve-out program to serve autistic adults.

This journal issue focuses on the need to look across the lifespan to better understand the issues adults with autism may face.

Positive Approaches Journal is available for viewing online or for downloading in digital form.

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There is a significant intersection between behavioral health and brain injury. As many as 75 percent of those seeking services for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders are living with the effects of brain injury. Further complicating this fact is that many individuals seeking behavioral health services have not been properly diagnosed or screened for brain injury. These individuals may not even be aware that a brain injury may be part of why they are struggling. Additionally, many state behavioral health systems have policies or practices in place that can inadvertently turn someone with a brain injury away from much needed behavioral health services. Behavioral health clinicians often feel ill-equipped to address the needs of someone with a brain injury, which can lead to poor treatment outcomes.

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Technical Assistance and Resource Center’s (TARC’s) will be offering a webinar to introduce their Behavioral Health Guide, designed to provide state brain injury professionals with the tools to effectively partner with their state behavioral health entities and improve outcomes. This webinar, “Introductory Webinar to the Behavioral Health Guide: Considerations for Best Practices for Children, Youth, and Adults with TBI,” will be held on Wednesday, June 22, 2022 from 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm. To participate in this webinar, register here.

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In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department is highlighting its continued work to ensure that insurers operating within the commonwealth are following state and federal parity laws, allowing those faced with mental health or substance use disorders continued access to needed care.

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), health insurance plans and insurers must offer mental health and substance use disorder benefits that are no less restrictive than their coverage for medical or surgical care. These benefits include quantitative limitations (copays, deductibles, and limits on inpatient or outpatient visits that are covered) and non-quantitative limitations (pre-authorizations, providers available through a plan’s network, and what a plan deems “medically necessary”).

Read the full press release.

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