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ST. george – Instead of focusing on the concerns related to the Washington County Children’s Center’s work in previous reports, the center’s director shared the center’s “mental health successes” with the Washington County Commission last week.
“The big news is the expansion of mental health services,” Christy Pike, the center’s director, told the St. George News. “We’ve been doing a lot to help kids overcome trauma.”
Every March and August, Christy Pike reports to the Washington County Commission as required Victims of Crime (VOCA) grant The center receives annually. The support goes a long way in funding the center’s operations and staff year after year.
of Juvenile Justice Center It provides a place to interview any type of abused child in an environment designed to feel more inviting and open than a police station. Once admitted, the child will meet with a forensic interviewer, who will be recorded and watched by law enforcement and others in another room. The child is then referred to medical and mental health services as needed.
Other services the nonprofit center provides include victim advocacy, preparing protective orders and helping children and their families find help in a variety of ways.
Previous Annual reports It includes a snapshot of how many cases it handled last year and the types of cases and individuals charged. During this time, Pike focused more on the center’s mental health services, which had expanded over the past several months.
In the year In the first half of 2022, the center referred 101 clients to treatment, Pike said.
Of this number, 54 (52%) attended at least one appointment and 41 (76% of the original 54) continued to attend three or more therapy sessions with their clients. Nationally, the numbers range from 30-37 percent attending the first session to 40-60 percent on the way.
“As you can see, we’re doing better than this,” Pike told the commission, and attributed the high number to the work of Melissa Boles, the center’s mental health services coordinator.
“She does an amazing job of following up with clients,” Pike added. “When we brought her in, we told her that her first job was to sit down with families and find out what the barriers are for their children to wean and then figure out how to overcome those barriers,” he said.
That’s why the center offers therapy in a variety of locations, whether at the center itself, at a school, in a contract therapist’s office, or through telehealth appointments.
The center conducted 93 post-traumatic stress tests during the half year, with an average score of 22.7. Anything over 20 is considered high. The screening tests for post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide attempts.
These filters include basic questions about sleep, memory triggers, things to avoid, and mood disorders. Because children can be good actors in letting parents see what worries them, the screening tests can help shed light on the concerns of the child in question.
“We may not know if one of our teenagers is having trouble sleeping at night or staying away from the locker room. We may not know those things,” Pike said. “When Melissa does a screening with a child and then sits down with the child and the parent and talks about the results of that screening, suddenly the parents know exactly what’s going on with their child mentally. Health.”
The Juvenile Justice Center has hired a second full-time therapist to provide mental health services to children in rural areas of the county. The new therapist is also bilingual, which allows the center to provide Spanish-speaking mental health services that are “highly needed in the county,” Pike said.
The new therapist position was funded entirely by grants. Cambia Health Foundation.
Following the commission’s meeting, Pike told the St. George News Center that the mental health services it provides help protect victims of childhood abuse and keep the community safe.
Pike is mentioned Academic studies Her own research on childhood mental health has shown a link between mass shooters and childhood illness, also known as “bad childhood experiences.”
Bad experiences include child abuse, mental health problems, family problems and other factors.
“The work we do with mental health is so important to our community,” Pike said. “It addresses these things before they become big issues, and helps children live healthier, happier lives throughout their lives. It’s not just good for their mental health, it’s good for their physical health, and it helps us have a safer society in the long run.”
What people can do to help, Pike said, is to report child abuse. Additionally, such action is required under Utah law. Also she said earlier Adults must be worthy of the child’s trust. That way, if that child is being abused, they feel safe to bring their concerns to an adult, she said.
“When I talk to kids, I say, ‘Please, if you feel like something’s wrong, talk to an adult who always does the right thing,'” Pike said. .
If you think you or someone you know needs help from the Washington County Juvenile Justice Center, call 435-634-1134Visit the center website Or call Utah’s 24-hour child abuse reporting hotline: 1-855-323-3237.
Copyright Saint George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.
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