The 23rd annual conference showcased an impressive list of keynote speakers Monday, Tuesday AND Wednesday

Available handouts are under presentation titles.

Monday

Coalitions and Partnerships: Maximizing Community Potential - Frances Dunn Butterfoss, PhD, MSEd

Download handouts: pdf (1.44MB)

Dr. Butterfoss has conducted much of the seminal research in coalition and community empowerment and applies it in practice -- making her one of the most highly sought consultants today. Her keynote presentation will address policy interventions that influence community health behaviors and outcomes.

"To improve health and health equity, we must refocus our efforts to address the community conditions that shape behaviors and lead to unhealthy exposures."
– Frances Dunn Butterfoss, PhD, MSEd

Frances Dunn Butterfoss, PhD, MSEd is a health educator and President of Coalitions Work, a consulting group dedicated to building coalitions and partnerships for community health. She holds professorships at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) and Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia and teaches in their MPH programs. She is the founding director of CINCH, a community child health partnership, and PIV, a state immunization coalition. From 1995-98, she directed the national Immunization Coalition Training Institute and now provides consultation and training across the country on how to develop, sustain and evaluate coalitions for health promotion and disease prevention. Dr. Butterfoss has received research support from many federal and foundation grants and has published widely in professional journals and textbooks. She is the Deputy Editor of Health Promotion Practice, and past President of the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). Her awards include SOPHE’s Health Education Mentor (2002), EVMS’ Woman in Medicine & Science Professional Achievement (2004), YWCA of South Hampton Roads’ Woman of Distinction (2006) and Norman B. Arnold Alumni Award (2006).

Tuesday

Panel Presentation - 25 Years of Excellence in Systems of Care: Historical Perspectives/New Directions - Sponsored by ICF Macro

Download handouts: Cross (226kb) | Friesen (378kb) | Heflinger (339kb) | Katz-Leavy & Lourie (244kb)

A special panel of presenters will discuss the accomplishments of the past 25 years and the partnerships that have helped change the attitudes, values and practices in the children’s mental health field. Robert M. Friedman, PhD, will facilitate this panel including Terry Cross, MSW; Barbara J. Freisen, PhD; Craig Anne Heflinger, PhD; Barbara Huff; Judith Katz-Leavy, MEd.; and Ira S. Lourie, MD.

Robert M. Friedman, PhD is Professor at the University of South Florida's Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute and has served as the Director of the Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health since its inception in 1984. He is a researcher, author, policy analyst, and consultant on issues such as the development and evaluation of community-based systems of care, prevalence of emotional disorders in children, new developments in service delivery, and the relationship between the mental health system and other systems. Dr. Friedman is co-author with Beth Stroul of "A System of Care for Children and Youth with Severe Emotional Disturbances," a monograph on systems of care which has been widely used across the country to plan service delivery systems. He is also co-editor of a Paul H. Brookes book series on systems of care, co-editor of several special journals on children's mental health, co-editor of a book entitled, Advocacy on Behalf of Children with Serious Emotional Problems, and Chair of the Alliance for the Safe, Therapeutic, and Appropriate Use of Residential Treatment. Dr. Friedman has served on many national committees including the Planning Board for the Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health, has chaired task forces and review panels for the federal government, and has provided Congressional testimony on several occasions.

Terry Cross, MSW has provided outstanding leadership in efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities and promote cultural competence. He is an enrolled member of the Seneca Nation of Indians and is the developer, founder, and Executive Director of the National Indian Child Welfare Association. He is the author of the Heritage and Helping, an 11-manual curriculum for tribal child welfare staff. He is also author of the Positive Indian Parenting Curriculum, as well as Cross-Cultural Skills in Indian Child Welfare. In 2008, Terry became a member of the Board of Advisors of the American Red Cross, Oregon Trail Chapter. Terry has 32 years of experience in child welfare, including 10 years working directly with children and families. He served on the faculty of Portland State University School of Social Work.

Barbara J. Friesen, PhD, is a professor at the Graduate School of Social Work, Portland State University and has been the Principal Investigator of the Research and Training Center on Children’s Mental Health and Family Support at Portland State University since 1986. Her research interests include children’s mental health, family-centered care, family and youth leadership in service delivery and research, systems of care, community integration, practice-based evidence in China. Her leadership on issues related to family partnerships with professionals, and the requirement that families relinquish custody of their child in order for their child to receive needed services, among many other issues have been critical to the development of systems of care.

Craig Anne Heflinger, PhD, has been involved in children’s mental health for many years as a researcher, evaluator, advocate, and professor.  She has been involved with both Research and Training Centers, and has made significant contributions to the field through her research and evaluation, particularly on issues related to family support and Medicaid. She is the Associate Dean for Graduate Education and professor of Human and Organizational Development, Vanderbilt University's Peabody College. Her expertise and research interests lie in family and system-level issues affecting the implementation of policies for children's services. Dr. Heflinger is currently funded by NIMH and NIDA to examine rural mental health and substance abuse service delivery.

Barbara Huff has been a leader in the family movement since the initiation of CASSP, and became one of the founders and the first president of the national Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health, serving in that capacity for thirteen years.  She has been an effective advocate, educator, and consultant who has contributed enormously to the growth of the family movement. Barbara was instrumental in the development of over 130 family-run advocacy and support organizations across the country. She served on the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Advisory Council and helped raise the family voice to a new level of influence on policy and systems change. She is currently a Family Resource Specialist for the National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health and also serves as a part time consultant.

Judith Katz-Leavy, MEd is a consultant in the field of child and family mental health. She served for over 30 years in high-level positions related to children’s mental health services and systems of care in the National Institute of Mental Health and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. She and Dr. Ira S. Lourie were the co-initiators of CASSP, and responsible for getting the whole system of care movement started.  She served during 1992 and 1993 on the President’s Health Care Reform Task Force and in 1999 as Section Editor for Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General, Chapter 3: “Children and Mental Health.”

Ira S. Lourie, MD, the former medical director of a residential treatment center run by the State of Maryland’s Mental Health Administration, serves part time as medical director of a multi-service children’s service agency, the Pressly Ridge Schools of Maryland. Dr. Lourie worked at the National Institute of Mental Health from 1973 to his retirement in 1991. While with the National Institute, he developed and administered the Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP). Since 1991, he has been a partner in the Human Service Collaborative and has consulted with numerous states. He is a published author.

Wednesday

Transforming Systems of Care: Next Steps for Research. - Gary M. Blau, PhD
Gary M. Blau, PhD, Chief, Child, Adolescent, and Family Branch, SAMHSA, will discuss the current focus of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program (CMHI) and the important role of evaluation as the program branches out to encompass a stronger public health approach in addressing the needs of youth with serious emotional disturbances, their families and the communities in which they live.

“Now more than ever, quality research is needed to improve community services for children with serious mental health challenges and their families.”
– Gary M. Blau, PhD

Gary M. Blau, PhD is a Clinical Psychologist and is currently the Chief of the Child, Adolescent and Family Branch of the Center for Mental Health Services. In this role he provides national leadership for children’s mental health and for creating systems of care across the country. Prior to this, Dr. Blau was the Bureau Chief of Quality Management and Director of Mental Health at the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF), and the Director of Clinical Services at the Child and Family Agency of Southeastern, Connecticut. Dr. Blau was formerly a member of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Director’s Division of Children, Youth and Families, and from July 1, 1998 through June 30, 2000 he was the Division’s Chairperson. Dr. Blau has received several awards including the prestigious Pro Humanitate Literary Award for literary works which best exemplify the intellectual integrity and moral courage required to transcend political and social barriers to promote best practice in the field of child welfare, the Governor’s Service Award, the Phoebe Bennet Award for outstanding contribution to children’s mental health in Connecticut, and the Making a Difference Award presented by Connecticut’s Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health. Most recently, he was the recipient of the 2009 HHS Secretary’s Award for Meritorious Service for his national leadership in children’s mental health. Dr. Blau has numerous journal publications and has been the editor of several books, including the recently published Handbook of Childhood Behavioral Issues: Evidence Based Approaches to Prevention and Treatment, and The System of Care Handbook: Transforming Mental Health Services for Children, Youth and Families.

Lessons Learned from the National Evaluation. - Brigitte Manteuffel, PhD, Principal Investigator, National Evaluation of the CMHI Program, ICF Macro

Download handouts: pdf (201kb)

Brigitte Manteuffel, PhD is a vice president in the Applied Research Division of ICF Macro and the principal investigator (PI) of the national evaluation of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program (Children’s Mental Health Initiative [CMHI]). She has provided leadership to the national evaluation since 1999 when she joined Macro, and became PI in 2001. Dr. Manteuffel has over 20 years of experience conducting health services research, program evaluations, longitudinal and multisite intervention research, treatment/intervention effectiveness studies, and survey research addressing children’s mental health services, youth substance use, sexual behavior, HIV/AIDS prevention, and other issues in health promotion. In addition to leading the national evaluation team, she has led specific studies on the implementation and effectiveness of evidence-based treatments in community settings; comparison studies examining service system implementation, service delivery, and outcomes; and multiple mail and Internet surveys of provider adherence to program principles, provider evidence-based practices, cultural and linguistic competence, primary care, and program sustainability. Dr. Manteuffel regularly presents findings from the national evaluation to various audiences, and has authored and contributed to numerous publications including journal articles, book chapters, proceedings papers, reports to Congress, and Briefs.