230696 Public health and children's mental health: Crossroads and gaps

Monday, November 8, 2010

Elizabeth Waetzig, JD , Change Matrix, Change Matrix, Houston, TX
The field of children's mental health has made tremendous strides in the past 25 years. Even with important advances, there continues to be a gap between what is known about the neurological, experiential, and environmental influences on children's development and mental health and the policies and practices across the child-serving settings that impact children's mental health and well-being.

The field of public health, meanwhile, has been focused almost entirely on children's physical and medical health. A history of demonstrated successes (e.g., fluoride in water, prenatal care) provide compelling evidence that a public health approach is the next logical step for children's mental health.

This session will highlight challenges in the current approach to children's mental health care and the need for change, and provide an overview of key concepts that are common to most models of a public health approach. This overview will give participants the foundation needed to apply public health concepts to children's mental health.

Learning Areas:
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to: • Understand challenges in the current children’s mental health care approach and the need for change • Identify concepts from a public health approach that can apply to children’s mental health • Highlight the intersection of public health and children’s mental health and other child serving sectors

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been managing conflict as a lawyer, mediator, facilitator, and trainer for over 15 years, focusing in the areas of health care, mental health, child welfare, education and other human services.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3175.0: Child and family mental health