This article lists symptoms of historical trauma and cites the negative impact of historical trauma as part of the explanation behind Native American mental health issues. Further, the article identifies examples of trauma recovery programs that are found to be successful for Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. These programs include: Beyond Trauma, a culturally specific recovery group created by South Dakota Urban Indian Health; the Tanana Chiefs Conference Old Minto Family Recovery Camp, an Athabascan alternative to substance abuse treatment; the Red Road to Wellbriety, a culturally appropriate mutual help approach based on Lakota/Nakota/Dakota world views; wellness courts; and Drum-Assisted Recovery Therapy for Native Americans.

This chartbook presents data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia on 15 mental health measures of adults and youth. While the dataset is not a complete picture of the mental health system, the collection of tables and rankings provides a strong foundation for understanding the prevalence of mental health concerns, as well as issues of access to insurance and treatment, particularly as that access varies among the states. Youth data and state rankings in the chartbook cover seven measures: Youth with At Least One Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in the Past Year, Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year, Youth with Severe MDE, Youth with MDE who Did Not Receive Mental Health Services, Youth with Severe MDE who Received Some Consistent Treatment, Youth with Private Insurance that Did Not Cover Mental or Emotional Problems, and Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance for an Individualized Education Program.

This Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) webpage highlights resources on youth behavioral health from the Federal Government, including: an Advisory from the Surgeon General on Protecting Youth Mental Health; the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Bright Futures Program, School-Based Health Alliance, and Health Center Program School-Based Service Sites; new policy guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; the Administration for Children and Families’ implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act; joint funding from SAMHSA and the Office of Minority Health to strengthen and expand children and youth community mental health services and suicide prevention programs; and new funding under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

Approximately 1.3 percent of the U.S. population, or roughly 4.2 million Americans, identify themselves as having Native American or Alaska Native heritage. Native/Indigenous people in America report experiencing serious psychological distress 2.5 times more than the general population over a month’s time. This Native and Indigenous Communities and Mental Health webpage includes an infographic on the number of Native Americans/Alaskan Natives who reported having a mental illness as well as resources on demographics/societal issues, cultural factors, prevalence, treatment issues, and access/insurance.

More than 60% of children with depression do not receive any mental health treatment, according to Mental Health America, a leading association that studies trends in mental health across several populations. At the same time, about 80% of the United States has a severe shortage of child psychiatrists. Both these statistics point to a growing mental health crisis in the United States and beyond. This documentary, Connecting the Dots: Kids in Crisis, features young people from around the world talking about their struggles with mental health in their own words and the need to be supported. Additionally, facilitator guides are available for downloading to use when discussing the documentary.

This webpage profiles EMPath’s Mobility Mentoring^® model, which is defined as the professional practice of partnering with participants so that over time they may acquire the resources, skills, and sustained behavior changes necessary to attain and preserve their economic independence. Included on the webpage are links to a set of four blogs which cover the model’s four essential elements: Coaching for Economic Mobility, the Bridge to Self-Sufficiency^®, Goal Setting, and Recognition.

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a counseling technique designed to help clients confront their mixed emotions about change and find the internal resources to motivate action. The MI method is rooted in the notion that people are more successful in overcoming ambivalence when they hear their own arguments for behavior change. This blogpost is divided into two sections: How Does Motivational Interviewing Work? and Motivational Interviewing Techniques.

The Family First Prevention Services Act (Family First) authorized new federal Title IV-E funding for evidence-based programs (EBPs) that have been rated and approved by the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse. One such EBP, Motivational Interviewing (MI), has the potential to change the way child welfare professionals work with and support families. MI creates affirming and transformative service experiences through which workers and clinicians have been trained to reach, engage, and empower families; MI represents an opportunity for agencies to deliver improved outcomes for children and families using a practice that is approved for federal funding under Family First. Available for downloading, the Motivational Interviewing Guide is designed to assist state and local Title IV-E agencies with implementing MI as a well-supported EBP in their Title IV-E Prevention Plans.

Despite federal stopgap policies and a substantial charitable food response to mitigate the effects of food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, hunger remains a reality for many across the U.S. struggling to make ends meet. Although charitable resources such as food banks were highly visible in the early months of the pandemic, they continue to be a crucial resource for families two years later. This brief analyzes data from the December 2021 round of the Urban Institute’s Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey, a nationally representative survey of more than 8,000 adults, in comparison to results from the December 2019 and December 2020 rounds to examine the trend in free-grocery or free-meal use. It also examines the characteristics and circumstances of people who sought charitable food during 2021.

While a wide range of factors contributes to an individual’s economic mobility or movement up and down the economic ladder, the ties between food insecurity and economic inequality are demonstrated. Individuals who experience a lack of food security face mental and physical health consequences that can directly impact their employment status, use of the health care system, and other factors that impact upward mobility. Jurisdictions are working to improve the food security of residents by integrating local efforts and working with key community partners to enhance food production, transportation, and distribution. The National Association of Counties and National League of Cities held a webinar in June 2022 that featured an expert overview of the state of food insecurity in the United States as well as example solutions from Franklin County, Ohio and Dane County, Wisconsin.