National Council’s Youth Work

We Work With:

*This is not a comprehensive list and is subject to change.

In the Press

Groundbreaking Partnership Aims to Combat Youth Substance Abuse and Overdose Deaths in California (March 2024)
Keeping Youth Mental Wellbeing in Mind (Part 1) (September 2023)
New National Council Initiative Reveals That Prevention Messaging Relies on Trust (December 2021)
Impacting the Trajectory of Substance Use: A Conversation on Youth SBIRT (November 2021)
Promoting Youth Voice: An Organizational Perspective (October 2021)
Moving Forward this Black History Month – Setting Youth Up for Success (February 2021)

Programs and Impact

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center of Excellence for Integrated Health Solutions

In collaboration with Weitzman Institute, the Center of Excellence for Integrated Health Solutions (CoE-IHS) offers training and technical assistance that connects primary care, behavioral health and school-based health providers to expert faculty from primary care and school-based settings to improve care for youth experiencing trauma. Training equips providers with strategies to assess, treat and support children, adolescents and their families experiencing trauma.
Partnering with the School-Based Health Alliance, the CoE-IHS develops training and technical assistance to increase knowledge and awareness of state-level and site-level strategies to support school-based health centers in providing mental health services.
The CoE-IHS also offers training and technical assistance to rural youth-serving health care providers through the Strengthening Care for Rural Youth ECHO. The ECHO strengthens provider knowledge and organizational practices to support rural young people who identify as part of historically marginalized groups, such as Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and LGBTQ+ youth, and are at greater risk of mental health and substance use challenges, including suicide ideation and attempts.

Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics

Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the National Council’s Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) serves CCBHCs with learning communities and technical expert panels centered around children and families.
In addition, the National Council’s SAMHSA CCBHC State-Technical Assistance Center (S-TAC) offers training and technical assistance for state CCBHCs. Working with the University of Connecticut’s Innovations Institute, S-TAC is developing a written resource on promising practices and innovations in serving children and youth in CCBHCs.

Health Services and Resources Administration American Academy of Pediatrics Comprehensive Systems Integration for Adolescent and Young Adult Health

The National Council, in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and as part of a national coordinating committee for the National Center for Adolescent and Young Adult Health and Well-being, develops training and technical assistance to improve comprehensive systems integration for adolescent and young adult health.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration American Academy of Pediatrics Social Media and Youth Mental Health

The National Council and the American Academy of Pediatrics develop training and technical assistance related to social media and youth mental health, including advisory support, webinars, outreach and clinical case scenarios.

California Department of Health Care Access and Information Catalyst Center Substance Use Disorder Prevention for Systems-involved Youth

The National Council, along with the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives, is supporting Catalyst Center (a part of the California Alliance of Child and Family Services), in a project funded by the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI). This project is developing a training curriculum for adults to recognize and effectively respond to youth substance use, particularly for systems-involved youth. The National Council provides advisory support on preliminary research, program management, content considerations, and curriculum development and dissemination.

Tepper Foundation and Youth Mental Health First Aid

The National Council, in partnership with the Tepper Foundation, will develop and disseminate a sustainability toolkit to guide schools and youth-serving organizations through the initial stages of building awareness around Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and teen MHFA training programs, offer tools for planning and collaborative strategy building, and provide a framework for implementing and sustaining long-term Youth MHFA and teen MHFA training programs.

Youth Mental Health Corps

The Youth Mental Health Corps is a partnership in collaboration with the Schultz Family Foundation, Pinterest and America Forward. It’s addressing the youth mental health crisis and the mental health workforce shortage by creating service-to-career pathways into the behavioral health field.

Getting Candid

The National Council, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, community behavioral health organizations, state and local partners, and youth-serving organizations, developed and disseminated Getting Candid — a youth substance use prevention toolkit — and capacity-building resources to deploy following COVID-19 and in future disasters, shelter-in-place orders or infrastructure disruptions.

Connected

The National Council, through strategic partnerships with Change Matrix, Michigan Public Health Institute, Relias, Watauga Consulting, Youth MOVE National and 20 courageous youth with lived experience, launched a learning community to reduce youth anxiety, depression and suicide in underserved communities. Work around CONNECTED included strategies to improve access to inclusive and responsive mental health supports ( see Youth-Adult Partnership Guide).

New Jersey teen Mental Health First Aid

Dozens of schools and youth-serving organizations throughout New Jersey provided free teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) training to the youth they serve through a grant from the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund. This mental health education program equipped young people in New Jersey with skills to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges and crises experienced by their friends and peers.

Youth Mental Health First Aid and teen Mental Health First Aid

Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches parents/caregivers, family members, teachers, school staff and other caring adults who regularly interact with young people how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge or is in crisis. The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches the 5-step Mental Health First Aid Action Plan (ALGEE) for helping young people in crisis and noncrisis situations. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders. To learn more, download the Youth Mental Health First Aid one-pager.
teen Mental Health First Aid teaches youth in grades 9-12 (ages 14-18) how to recognize and respond to mental health challenges in their friends and when to seek support from a trusted adult. Adolescence is a time of critical change and development, and the time when mental health challenges may first emerge. Those challenges may be the cause for falling grades, problems with close relationships and substance use. To learn more, download the teen MHFA one-pager.

Children, Young Adults and Families Interest Group (National Council members only)

The National Council’s interest Groups are a unique opportunity to network with like-minded peers, stay on top of social issues and trends, guide forward-looking conversations and propose new solutions to pressing problems. As an Interest Group member, you can attend webinars with renowned experts, connect with peers, access exclusive resources — and share your own.

Children, Young Adults and Families

Sign up for this exclusive online community and take advantage of this member-only benefit. You’ll join leaders from across the nation and learn what you can do to help children, young adults and families get the mental health and substance use treatment they need.

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