Illinois Office of Mental Health Metro C

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Illinois Office of Mental Health Metro C A
Network

• Teen Advisory Council
• Presentation To
• Presidents New Freedom Commission
• September 11, 2002

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2000 Adolescent Consumer Satisfaction Survey
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Survey Development

• Developed by Teen Advisory Council
• Sought to learn whether other adolescents felt
  services were helpful
• Distributed to 21 community mental health
  agencies in Metro Chicago area
• 30 response rate
• 63 respondents

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Q Sometimes I want to talk to my counselor and
I cant reach him or her 25.8
Strongly Agree/Agree

74.2 Disagree/ Strongly Disagree
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Q I am confident that my counselor knows what
to do to help me and my family 95.2 Strongly
Agree/Agree 4.8 Disagree/Strongly Disagree
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Q I wish my counselor would give me more help
with my problems 36.5 Agree/ Strongly
Agree 63.5 Disagree/ Strongly Disagree
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Q I believe my counselor respects me as a
person 98.4 Agree/Strongly Agree 1.6
Disagree/Strongly Disagree
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Q I feel that my parents are getting enough
help in counseling 64.4 Agree/Strongly Agree
35.6 Disagree/Strongly Disagree
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Q I think the things Im working on in
counseling are important to change 85.2
Agree/Strongly Agree 14.8 Disagree/Strongly
Disagree
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Q Counseling has made things better in my
family 89.9 Agree/Strongly Agree 10.2
Disagree/Strongly Disagree
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Q Counseling has helped me improve my
relationships with peers my age 75.4 Agree
/Strongly Agree 24.6 Disagree/Strongly Disagree
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Q My counselor works together with important
people in my life to help me 91.9 Agree/
Strongly Agree 8.1 Disagree/Strongly Disagree
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Q My agency counselor and my school work
together to help me 76.7 Agree/Strongly
Agree 23.3 Disagree/Strongly Agree
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Q Medications have helped me 75
Agree/Strongly Agree 25 Disagree/Strongly
Disagree
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Q If I have been hospitalized, the
hospitalization helped me or my family
67.9 Agree/Strongly Agree 32.2
Disagree/Strongly Disagree
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Q I believe counseling is worthwhile 91.5
Agree/Strongly Agree 8.5 Disagree/Strongly
Disagree
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Teen Advisory Council members thoughts on
counseling and the mental health system
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Real Life Based Counseling

• We need help dealing with real life problems in
  real situation instead of talking about feelings
  and abstract things in the counselors office .
• We need to talk about the things that seem like
  problems to us, not just the things that other
  people think are problems
• We need help with making transitions into jobs,
  and real life, and with knowing how to talk to
  your peers when youre an adult.

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Respite Services

• Being able to get away from our parents
  sometimes helps us keep control.
• It was really helpful to me to have someone who
  could walk with me into positive activities and
  help me learn how to behave and get along while
  I was there. Now I can do more positive things
  by myself.
• I dont think the professional counselor had
  enough respect for the relationship I had with my
  respite worker. The professional counselor
  ended the relationship I had with respite too
  fast, and I didnt even have a chance to say
  good-bye.

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Staff Turnover

• When your counselor leaves its a big bummer and
  its harder to talk to the next person because
  you compare them to the first counselor and then
  worry that they will leave to.
• I got comfortable with someone and then they
  left, then I didnt really talk to anyone again.
• The counselors attitude plays a big part. If
  they have a bad attitude about their jobs we
  dont want to talk to them.
• I had already talked to the first counselor
  about my worst problems. The new one tried to
  force really deep things out of me and I didnt
  want her in my business. I have boundaries just
  like everyone else.

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Inclusion in Treatment Planning

• All committee members reported that they were not
  clear what their treatment plans were, even
  though they may have signed some papers saying
  they did.
• Adolescents wanted the psychiatrists working with
  them to ask us if the medicine is working, not
  just our parents.
• They felt that their confidentiality was often
  violated, counselors talk to people behind your
  back, they should always ask us before they talk
  to someone.
• As adolescents and children we have been asked
  for very little feedback, and we question whether
  our perspectives are taken seriously. We should
  be taken seriously because some of us will be in
  this system (mental health) for our whole lives.
  

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2002 Teen Survey Mental Health and Violence
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2002 Teen Survey Mental Health and Violence

• Teen Advisory Council members wrote and submitted
  grant application to Illinois Violence Prevention
  Authority.
• Council was award 5000 grant
• Survey is the first of three activities designed
  to learn more about how teens receiving mental
  health services experience violence and how it
  affects them.

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Some Survey Results

• Q Have you ever been a victim of violent or
  aggressive behavior at school?
• 48 said YES, of those 56 are males 44
  are female
• Q Have you ever been the victim of violent
  behavior at home by someone in your family?
• 51 said YES, of those 40 are male 60
  are female

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• Do you get teased or picked on because of your
  emotional/behavioral problems?
• 25 said Yes, of those 60 are male 40
  female
• Does music/movies/video games influence you to
  behave more aggressively or violently?
• 7 said Yes, of those 70 are males 30
  female
• Are you aware of how your violent behavior
  affects victims feelings?
• Yes - 74 , No - 26,

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• How do you think being a victim of violence
  affects your emotional /behavioral problems?
• Causes them 20
• Makes them a lot worse 27
• Makes them a little worse 30
• No influence 23
• If you have been a victim of violent behavior
  have you ever told your counselor about being the
  victim of violence?
• YES 60 NO 40

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THE END !