Children, Youth and Families

As a group, people with disabilities fare far worse than their nondisabled counterparts across a broad range of health indicators and social determinants of health. Adults with disabilities are four times more likely than people with no disabilities to report their health to be fair or poor (40.3% vs. 9.9%). The absence of professional training on disability competency for healthcare practitioners is one of the most significant barriers preventing people with disabilities from receiving appropriate and effective health care.

This introductory course on disability is designed to provide behavioral health professionals with knowledge and skills to better understand and support individuals who have disabilities. This course covers a wide range of topics, including the many identities of people with disabilities, and the social determinants of health, ableism, and the previous models of care that have negatively impacted the well-being of the disabled community. It also highlights what disability-competent care looks like, and the importance of activism, continuous learning, and the disability justice movement.

An overview of the Colorado Code of Regulations (CCR), along with the revised BHA rules and regulations, how these changes align with the broader BH policy reform, and key changes and considerations when navigating the regulations.

An overview of basic harm reduction principles, a harm reduction philosophy and how that manifests as risk reduction tools, an approach to care, and a policy platform. Harm reduction strategies and their evidence base are explored.

An overview of two types of collaboration that can enhance care for individuals and families, best practices for care compacts, and continuum of care compacts from two providers to multiple providers and system approaches.

An overview of key principles of early childhood mental health and strategies for applying these principles to working with young children (0 to five years) and their families, including how to approach assessment and case conceptualization.

About one in five adolescents have a current, diagnosed mental or behavioral health condition in the United States. According to the National Survey of Children's Health (2024), "Between 2016 and 2023, the prevalence of diagnosed mental or behavioral health conditions among adolescents increased 35 percent (from 12.0% to 20.3%)."

This course is about considerations for caregivers and their role in supporting their children throughout the process of receiving psychosocial care for mental or behavioral health conditions. It highlights emotional parenting actions and their alternative counterpart called effective parenting actions. Finally, it offers an overview of motivational interviewing.

 

An overview of lessons learned from CCBHC demonstration implementation at the provider level, including best practices and common challenges.

An overview of the CCBHC model, including demonstration and grantees, the certification requirements, and how the model integrates care for people living with mental health and substance use disorder (SUD).

An overview of evidence and examples of how clinicians use measurement based care (MBC) to inform clinical practice, as an engagement tool to gain better outcomes, and leveraging MBC for supervision and organizational value.