Leveraging the Expertise of the Community: A Case for Expansion of a Peer Workforce in Child, Adolescent, and Family Mental Health-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

Leveraging the Expertise of the Community: A Case for Expansion of a Peer Workforce in Child, Adolescent, and Family Mental Health

Published:2023-05-23 Issue:11 Volume:20 Page:5921
ISSN:1660-4601
Container-title:International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
language:en
Short-container-title:IJERPH

Author:

Robertson Hillary A.¹^ORCID,Biel Matthew G.¹²,Hayes Katherine R.¹,Snowden Sara³^ORCID,Curtis Latisha¹^ORCID,Charlot-Swilley Dominique¹,Clauson Elyssa S.⁴,Gavins Arrealia²,Sisk Caslin M.¹,Bravo Noel⁵,Coates Erica E.¹²,Domitrovich Celene E.¹

Affiliation:

1. Department of Psychiatry, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA

2. MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC 20007, USA

3. Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA

4. Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC 20001, USA

5. Department of Pediatrics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA

Abstract

The rise in child and adolescent mental health concerns has led to the need for an expanded workforce to meet the needs of our nation’s families. Peer paraprofessionals (PPs) have proven to be impactful in the areas of adult mental health (MH) and substance use disorders, and for persons with chronic medical conditions. PPs can contribute to addressing child, adolescent, and family MH needs by being deployed in community settings and providing both emotional and tangible support to families and children. Additional use of PPs can address equity gaps in MH services by improving access to support and enhancing the cultural acceptability of MH interventions. A concentrated effort to expand and develop this workforce may help to alleviate the strain on the current MH system. The Georgetown University Infant and Early Childhood Certificate program is a paraprofessional training program that prepares community members to meet the MH needs of families with young children. The authors will describe the results of a qualitative study examining the landscape of peer paraprofessional services in DC that was conducted to support the expansion of the peer workforce to include individuals with expertise in infant and early childhood mental health.

Funder

DC Department of Health

J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Link

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/11/5921/pdf

Reference106 articles.

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