About
This Web Site
Alaska's
Young Family Network
|
Our Mission
is to help families and professionals work together as full
partners, so that they can improve the systems of care (at both the
local and state levels) for children who have a mental disorder.
Welcome | Networking
| Long Range Plan | Links
| Membership
Application
This site is for activists that support our mission.
- We are developing this site to be "interactive" so that
members can participate in developing issues, policies, and
priorities. We also will include a forum and / or chat room so
that families across Alaska can exchange ideas and discuss the
current issues.
- We promote the concept of families and professionals working
as partners in planning for and evaluating services.
- Our definition of mental disorders includes all mental,
emotional and behavioral disorders included in the Center for
Mental Health Services definition of serious emotional disturbance
(SED) click here for
their definition. However, our interests are broader than SED.
We include risk reduction, prevention, and early identification as
well as treatment of disorders before the individual becomes
seriously impaired, and services for youth who are transitioning
into the adult system.
- We are also interested in building coalitions with
professional and advocacy groups who want to help the whole
child: physical and mental health, and social services and
educational needs. We want mental disorders to be treated equally
with the other needs of the child, but we are interested in
meeting the needs of the whole child.
- As a matter of policy, we will use recommendations about
services from the nationally recognized, multidisciplinary
research organizations: e.g. National Institutes of Health,
Institute of Medicine, Center for Mental Health Services, the
major university research centers, and professional organizations
that support multidisciplinary research.
- We do not support one treatment or medication over another. We
do provide links to other organizations and to forums where the
individual can explore what others say works for them. We
encourage families to learn all they can about the disorders that
affect their children, but urge them to discuss what they find
with their healthcare professional. Be a partner with your
provider.
- We recognize the growing interest in alternative medicine, and
we believe that "what works, works." We, however, have
reservations about many of these treatments because of the lack of
good research as to their effectiveness and safety. Again be a
partner with your provider, discuss any alternative treatments you
wish to try with your healthcare professional.
- One role of the network is to provide training opportunities
for families so that they can better serve on boards and
commissions as full partners with providers in planning for and
evaluating services.
- Our first priority is meeting the needs of the child, the
whole child.
For new users, please review our Disclaimer
and Cautions about using Internet
Email us webmaster
Date Last Modified: 5/7/01