Transitional Services for Older Adolescents: The Adolescent Skills Centers

1
Transitional Services for Older Adolescents
The Adolescent Skills Centers

• Mental Health Association of New York City, Inc.
• Anthony Diaz, L.C.S.W., Director of Adolescent
  Services

2
Essential Elements of Original Program Model

• Target Population
• 16-21 year olds with documented mental health
  problems
• Inclusive
• Program to serve both regular and special
  education adolescents
• GED Preparation
• Vocational Instruction
• Computer Instruction
• Case Management
• Community-based Internships

3
Need for Vocational Services for Older
Adolescents

• Limited Resources in Local School System for
  Adolescents with Mental Illness
• Lack of Vocational Components in Hospital and
  Community Based Mental Health Programs for Youth
• Older Adolescents not Comfortable in Vocational
  Programs Designed for Adults
• Poor School Outcomes for Youth with Mental Health
  Needs
• Dissatisfaction by Parents of Lack of Educational
  and/or Vocational Resources for their Children
• Advocates for Children June 2006, September
  2007.

4
Lessons Learned After 2nd Year of Operation

• Addressing Lateness/Absenteeism
• Call to home when students are absent or late
• Stress the importance of punctuality and
  consistent attendance individually, in groups,
  and in classroom
• Lower staff-to-student ratios helps to reduce
  students falling between the cracks and helps to
  increase student accountability
• Managing Behavioral Issues
• Importance of early intervention to immediately
  address any behavioral issues
• Sensitivity to students mental health and family
  issues and their effect on behavior and on
  students ability to participate in program
• Significance of parental involvement

5
Lessons Learned After 2nd year of Operation
(contd.)

• Linking Students to Mental Health Services and
  Other Support Systems
• Psychotherapy, psychological assessment,
  intensive case management
• Working collaboratively with mental health
  providers
• Lack of proper mental health assessment and
  diagnosis of many students
• Need to establish clinical position
• Addressing Students Academic Challenges
• Adding more trained teachers to staff
• Providing individual and group tutoring
• Recognizing previously undiagnosed learning
  disabilities
• Strengthening relationship with Department of
  Education
• Developing a comprehensive program model
• Instituting regular academic testing (T.A.B.E.)

6
Importance of educational-related services

• Teachers, books, and paraprofessionals
• Free breakfast, lunch carfare
• Vision and hearing testing
• Recreation
• Guidance counseling
• Placement in Summer Youth Employment Program
• College placement assistance including financial
  aid

7
How to Successfully Partner With Educational
System

• Speaking their language
• Understanding their rules and regulations
• Stressing educational outcomes
• Underscoring the impact of MH issues on
  educational performance and vice versa

8
Program Activities

• South Bronx Site
• Intensive literacy services for students with low
  reading math scores two classes one a
  foundation class for those whose math and reading
  levels are below 3.4 and the other an advanced
  literacy class for those whose reading and math
  levels are between 3.5 and 6.0
• Computer instructional classes
• Vocational instruction/WAVE
• Case management
• Internship placement
• Clinical assessment to re-link and/or link
  program participants to mental health services
• Psycho-Drama Group
• Book Club
• Mens and Womens Discussion Group
• Audio Visual Training Center

9
Program Activities (contd.)

• Uptown Bronx Site
• Promote students with improved reading math
  scores at 6th grade level or above
• Pre-GED instruction and Fast Track GED
  instruction
• Math tutoring to prepare students for GED test
• Vocational (WAVE) and computer instruction
• Case management
• Assisting GED grads with college applications
• Placement of students into selfdetermined
  internships and/or competitive employment
• For students who need additional vocational
  services, transition them into agency adult
  rehabilitation programs
• Clinical assessment to re-link and/or link
  program participants to mental health services

10
Program Outcomes (Academic)

• Reading Scores
• Measurable improvement in reading scores (1 year
  or more) 95
• Reading scores increased 2-4 years or more 65
• Math Scores
• Measurable improvement in math scores (1 year or
  more) 70
• Attendance Improvement
• Dept. of Education 75
• Adolescent Skills Centers 80-85
• GED Obtained
• Students who passed the GED 60
• Partial Pass
• Students who passed some subjects on GED 85
• College
• Students attending college 20
• Competitively Employed
• Students employed for three months or more 35
• Other vocational training 10

Note Statistics based on clients served for 3
months or more 852 clients served
11
Program Outcomes-Vocational/Employment

• Increasing Computer Literacy
• Proficiency in basic MS Office (Word, PowerPoint,
  Excel) and Windows XP 75
• Soft Skills Acquisition
• Job search skills90
• Job maintenance (can successfully keep job
  through appropriate on-the-job behaviors
  including following directions, etc.)75
• Life skills (effectively apply skills such as
  budgeting, banking, reading rental contracts,
  etc.) 70
• Number of Students Placed in Internships/SYEP--95
  
• Number of Students Competitively Employed
• (employed
  for 3 months or more) 30

12
Proposed Initiatives

• Continue to Expand Relationship with Department
  of Education to Increase Program Capacity.
• Explore the possibility of working with students
  who are in middle school as well as the
  possibility of working with the 21-25 year old
  population.
• Strengthen Supports Provided to Parents of
  Students.
• Psycho-educational classes in both Spanish and
  English.
• Establish a Formal Supported Education Program
  with Local Universities to Provide Ongoing
  Supports for Students who Graduate and Move on to
  College/Vocational-related Programs (BronxNet).