System of Care Curricula Initiative

Valdosta State University

Behavioral Health Care Systems for Children and Adolescents

This online course is intended to assist students in developing knowledge and skills concerning the behavioral health care of school aged youth with severe emotional disorders, including the conceptual, philosophical, operational, structural and procedural mechanisms commonly associated with system-level service coordination and delivery. This course involves students in both the methodological as well as operational features of the Systems of Care. Therefore, the course is designed around assigned readings that address methodological issues, and structured field work which focuses on the operational elements of Systems of Care.

Major issues addressed include:

  1. The System of Care Concept and Philosophy
  2. Defining the Population of Concern
  3. Systems of Care at the Federal and State Level
  4. Local System of Care
  5. Educations Role in Systems of Care
  6. Individualization and Case Management
  7. Management Issues for Systems of Care
  8. Meeting the Needs of Child and Their Families

Course Objectives include being able to:

  1. Demonstrate knowledge of the organization, administrative, and operation of System of Care programs, as well as the major roles state and private agencies play in support of such organizations.
  2. Demonstrate knowledge of Systems of Care programs and the interaction between state and community systems, families, and how they interact with children with severe emotional disorders and each other.
  3. Demonstrate best practices that may include, but not limited to, academic and behavioral intervention/remediation techniques,consultation, counseling, and primary prevention.
  4. Assess and design system-level intervention used to resolve behavioral and academic issues with school-aged youth in order to bring students from diverse backgrounds to a higher level of functioning.

Available Materials
Course Syllabus/Description/Reading [53kb pdf]
System of Care Assessmen Flowchart [38kb pdf]
Worksheet A [108kb pdf]

Facilitating and Implementing Change in
Children’s Mental Health Services

Course description: As advocated by Stroul, et al (1996), there has been a long standing call for change in the system of care for children with severe emotional disorders. However, as noted by Hall and Hord (2001), change is not an event, but rather a process that impacts individual and organizational principles, perspectives, techniques, and even feelings. In order to facilitate change within their local array of services, it is important that students be aware of the historical aversion, and existing resistance to prescribed change in children’s public mental health services. Further, as suggested by Lyons (2004), students need practical information concerning the naturally evolving role of existing services, while at the same time challenging these practices through new and creative ideas to bring about change in their respective system of care. Finally, students need more than a text driven understanding of why the current System of Care exists and its need for, but resistance to, change. Specifically, students will design a guided research project in which they will be required to plan, implement, and evaluate specific activities which result in positive and measurable change within their respective Systems of Care.

Course Goals:

  1. To increase student awareness of basic patterns, and principles of change within any organizational system.
  2. To broaden student awareness of historical, current, and future development of System of Care Services.
  3. To provide practical information and experience in the facilitation, implementation, and measurement of change in children’s mental health services.

Available Materials
Course Syllabus/Description/Reading [15kb pdf]