Hi.
Below is the link to Counselors for Social Justice's current newsletter, which is a subdivision of the American Counseling Association.
I wrote an article entitled, "Blogging for Social Justice."
In the future, I will be writing an opinion section on the new mental health reform bill that was passed in Massachusetts.
Robbin Miller, LMHC
Moderator
csj_activist_vol_8_no_4.pdf
Friday, July 18, 2008
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Should Adoption be Colorblind or not?
This past week, an article appeared in the Washington Post entitled, Major changes urged in transracial adoption, (May 27th, 2008) that called for changes in recruiting minority families to adopt African-American children in foster care and requiring white families to undergo training on transracial adoption.
I support training on transracial adoptions, as many families who want to adopt transracial children already are required to attend a mandatory training by most of their adoption agencies. I believe we need to be careful to not single out white adoptive and foster parents. Adoptive and foster parents have to pass rigid homestudy requirements in order to be considered and recommended to adopt transracial children. These parents are committed to providing loving homes for these children. Parenting comes from the heart and not from the womb. A child's love is colorblind when it comes to healthy attachments between parents and a child.
According Dr. Barbara Okun, Ph.D., in her book, Understanding Diverse Families-What Practitioners Need to Know (1996), "one can't assume that the problems are due to adoption or multiraciality,but one can explore possible influencing factors." (P.297). Dr. Okun supports transracial families to be open to the discussion of race and racial differences within the family.
Adoptive and foster parents are open to educational resources, supports, and advocacy in providing the best home environment for their children. Let's hope that these child welfare groups don't limit or take away the right of white families who want to adopt transracial children. What is the alternative if these children are languishing in foster care and being unloved?
I urge mental health professions to increase their knowledge, skills, and self-awareness when counseling transracial families and to not use their biases and judgements to dissolve these loving families based on ethnic factors. Embrace the uniqueness and honor the differences in these families.
Robbin Miller, LMHC
Facilitator for www.therapistsforchange.blogspot.com
I support training on transracial adoptions, as many families who want to adopt transracial children already are required to attend a mandatory training by most of their adoption agencies. I believe we need to be careful to not single out white adoptive and foster parents. Adoptive and foster parents have to pass rigid homestudy requirements in order to be considered and recommended to adopt transracial children. These parents are committed to providing loving homes for these children. Parenting comes from the heart and not from the womb. A child's love is colorblind when it comes to healthy attachments between parents and a child.
According Dr. Barbara Okun, Ph.D., in her book, Understanding Diverse Families-What Practitioners Need to Know (1996), "one can't assume that the problems are due to adoption or multiraciality,but one can explore possible influencing factors." (P.297). Dr. Okun supports transracial families to be open to the discussion of race and racial differences within the family.
Adoptive and foster parents are open to educational resources, supports, and advocacy in providing the best home environment for their children. Let's hope that these child welfare groups don't limit or take away the right of white families who want to adopt transracial children. What is the alternative if these children are languishing in foster care and being unloved?
I urge mental health professions to increase their knowledge, skills, and self-awareness when counseling transracial families and to not use their biases and judgements to dissolve these loving families based on ethnic factors. Embrace the uniqueness and honor the differences in these families.
Robbin Miller, LMHC
Facilitator for www.therapistsforchange.blogspot.com
Saturday, May 10, 2008
What can we learn from Business Leaders about success and change?
This week's issue (May 12th, 2008) of Fortune magazine, has a very good section entitled, "The Best Advice I Ever Got," by J.Birger, C.Chandler, et.al. Business leaders from walks of life were asked to answer the above question.
Here are some quotes:
"Doing the wrong thing is not worth the loss of one night's good sleep," by Thomas S. Murphy, Former CEO of Capital Cities/ABC.(P.76). This topic pertains to ethics. Do you practice what your preach of being ethical in your practice or profession? For example, do you bill accurately? The choice is yours. Another quote by Murphy,"Don't spend your time on things you can't control. Instead, spend your time thinking what you can?" (P.76). How does this apply to you? Are therapists promoting self-care when they feel overwhelmed from the magnitude of their clients' problems?
"Customers will give you the reality. They don't care about your title, they just want value. You'll never get anything straighter than from a customer," by Charlene Begley, President and CEO, GE Enterprise Solutions (P.77). Are private practitioners providing quality and value services to their clients? How about in clinics? Graduate programs need to teach customer service skills to future clinicians so they can retain their clients and grow their practice, if they wish to do so.
"Humor takes away tension and helps you realize you're wrong," by Craig Newmark of Craigslist, (P.78). This pertains to the work culture and using humor to decrease or break the thick paste that develops in trying times at clinics or in private practice. How do you handle tough times in your job? I have been using my humor in observing how some clinicians in private practice are not respectful of each other in possible networking situations. I went to an interview for a group practice. I asked about peer supervision among the clinicians in the practice. The head leader make a face and looked up in the air while the other followers were repositioning their "feathers" after being ruffled by this question. I laughed when I left the interview because I could not believe how educated professionals can be so rude to a prospective group member. To say the least, I found another group practice to go to.
In summary, we can learn from business leaders in growing our practice, making changes in our profession, and treating each other respectfully through humor.
Robbin Miller, LMHC
Facilitator
Here are some quotes:
"Doing the wrong thing is not worth the loss of one night's good sleep," by Thomas S. Murphy, Former CEO of Capital Cities/ABC.(P.76). This topic pertains to ethics. Do you practice what your preach of being ethical in your practice or profession? For example, do you bill accurately? The choice is yours. Another quote by Murphy,"Don't spend your time on things you can't control. Instead, spend your time thinking what you can?" (P.76). How does this apply to you? Are therapists promoting self-care when they feel overwhelmed from the magnitude of their clients' problems?
"Customers will give you the reality. They don't care about your title, they just want value. You'll never get anything straighter than from a customer," by Charlene Begley, President and CEO, GE Enterprise Solutions (P.77). Are private practitioners providing quality and value services to their clients? How about in clinics? Graduate programs need to teach customer service skills to future clinicians so they can retain their clients and grow their practice, if they wish to do so.
"Humor takes away tension and helps you realize you're wrong," by Craig Newmark of Craigslist, (P.78). This pertains to the work culture and using humor to decrease or break the thick paste that develops in trying times at clinics or in private practice. How do you handle tough times in your job? I have been using my humor in observing how some clinicians in private practice are not respectful of each other in possible networking situations. I went to an interview for a group practice. I asked about peer supervision among the clinicians in the practice. The head leader make a face and looked up in the air while the other followers were repositioning their "feathers" after being ruffled by this question. I laughed when I left the interview because I could not believe how educated professionals can be so rude to a prospective group member. To say the least, I found another group practice to go to.
In summary, we can learn from business leaders in growing our practice, making changes in our profession, and treating each other respectfully through humor.
Robbin Miller, LMHC
Facilitator
Monday, May 5, 2008
Questions to the Commissioners
Questions to the Commissioners:
(Mental Health; Public Health; and Mass Health)
Here are two questions I have for the commissioners:
1) What can be done to decrease no-shows for children on Mass Health receiving mental health services? After speaking with providers across the domains, this population has the highest no-show rate for services. As a result, mental health clinics have challenges retaining mental health clinicians to work there. Will the commissions support paying for their no-shows?
2) What can be done to change the mindset that biology is destiny? Massachusetts is behind the times that any biological parent can parent their child without consequences. There are issues of high risk families leaving the hospitals with their infants when there are known facts that the parents may have mental health(untreated) or substance abuse problems. How come nothing is done to be prevent future damage these kids? I support prescreening these parents before they leavthe hospitals like they do for adoptive parents. Parenting comes from the heart and not from chromosomes.
Robbin Miller
Advocate/Private Practitioner
(Mental Health; Public Health; and Mass Health)
Here are two questions I have for the commissioners:
1) What can be done to decrease no-shows for children on Mass Health receiving mental health services? After speaking with providers across the domains, this population has the highest no-show rate for services. As a result, mental health clinics have challenges retaining mental health clinicians to work there. Will the commissions support paying for their no-shows?
2) What can be done to change the mindset that biology is destiny? Massachusetts is behind the times that any biological parent can parent their child without consequences. There are issues of high risk families leaving the hospitals with their infants when there are known facts that the parents may have mental health(untreated) or substance abuse problems. How come nothing is done to be prevent future damage these kids? I support prescreening these parents before they leavthe hospitals like they do for adoptive parents. Parenting comes from the heart and not from chromosomes.
Robbin Miller
Advocate/Private Practitioner
Friday, April 18, 2008
Children's Mental Health Coalition Introduces Bill of Rights for Families Living With Mental IllnessesWashington, D.C., April 15, 2008 -- The children's mental health coalition has created a Bill of Rights for Children with Mental Health Disorders and their Families. The coalition includes the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), the Autism Society of America (ASA), the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation (CABF), Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), the Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health (FFCMH), Mental Health America (MHA), and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)."This Bill of Rights represents the standard of what families living with mental illnesses should expect from treatment," said AACAP's President, Robert Hendren, D.O.
"Children do better when they receive consistent, tailored treatment. Few children receive any treatment and fewer still receive the sustained, quality care that they require.
"The Bill of Rights was created because of the inconsistency of accessible mental healthcare services throughout the country.The Bill of Rights:
1. Treatment must be family- driven and child-focused. Families and youth, (when appropriate), must have a primary decision-making role in their treatment.
2. Children should receive care in home and community-based settings as close to home as possible.
3. Mental health services are an integral part of a child's overall healthcare. Insurance companies must not discriminate against children with mental illnesses by imposing financial burdens and barriers to treatment, such as differential deductibles, co-pays, annual or lifetime caps, or arbitrary limits on access to medically necessary inpatient and/or outpatient services.
Comment: Bravo! 20-24 sessions a year is not enough.
4. Children should receive care from highly- qualified professionals who are acting in the best interest of the child and family, with appropriate informed consent.
Comment: We need hold some families accountable who try to commit SSI fraud for ther children when in reality, they are doing it to avoid working.
5. Parents and children are entitled to as much information as possible about the risks and benefits of all treatment options, including anticipated outcomes.
6. Children receiving medications for mental disorders should be monitored appropriately to optimize the benefit and reduce any risks or potential side effects which may be associated with such treatments.
7. Children and their families should have access to a comprehensive continuum of care, based on their needs, including a full range of psychosocial, behavioral, pharmacological, and educational services, regardless of the cost.
Comment: Yes, valid research on how medications work by the literature and not by "high pressure" tactics and gifts by drug companies to prescribers.
8. Children should receive treatment within a coordinated system of care where all agencies (e.g., health, mental health, child welfare, juvenile justice, and schools, etc.) delivering services work together to support recovery and optimize treatment outcome.
Comment: What do we do about those parents who abuse substances and/or have psychiatric isssues and are allowed to have their children back and/or those who walk out of the hospitals with their babies? What about parent pre-screening for these issues like adoptive parents have to go through?
9. Children and families are entitled to an increased investment in high-quality research on the origin, diagnosis, and treatment of childhood disorders.
10. Children and families need and deserve access to mental health professionals with appropriate training and experience. Primary care professionals providing mental health services must have access to consultation and referral resources from qualified mental health professionals.
Comment: Who will pay for these consultations?
Robbin MillerAdvocate/private practitioner
"Children do better when they receive consistent, tailored treatment. Few children receive any treatment and fewer still receive the sustained, quality care that they require.
"The Bill of Rights was created because of the inconsistency of accessible mental healthcare services throughout the country.The Bill of Rights:
1. Treatment must be family- driven and child-focused. Families and youth, (when appropriate), must have a primary decision-making role in their treatment.
2. Children should receive care in home and community-based settings as close to home as possible.
3. Mental health services are an integral part of a child's overall healthcare. Insurance companies must not discriminate against children with mental illnesses by imposing financial burdens and barriers to treatment, such as differential deductibles, co-pays, annual or lifetime caps, or arbitrary limits on access to medically necessary inpatient and/or outpatient services.
Comment: Bravo! 20-24 sessions a year is not enough.
4. Children should receive care from highly- qualified professionals who are acting in the best interest of the child and family, with appropriate informed consent.
Comment: We need hold some families accountable who try to commit SSI fraud for ther children when in reality, they are doing it to avoid working.
5. Parents and children are entitled to as much information as possible about the risks and benefits of all treatment options, including anticipated outcomes.
6. Children receiving medications for mental disorders should be monitored appropriately to optimize the benefit and reduce any risks or potential side effects which may be associated with such treatments.
7. Children and their families should have access to a comprehensive continuum of care, based on their needs, including a full range of psychosocial, behavioral, pharmacological, and educational services, regardless of the cost.
Comment: Yes, valid research on how medications work by the literature and not by "high pressure" tactics and gifts by drug companies to prescribers.
8. Children should receive treatment within a coordinated system of care where all agencies (e.g., health, mental health, child welfare, juvenile justice, and schools, etc.) delivering services work together to support recovery and optimize treatment outcome.
Comment: What do we do about those parents who abuse substances and/or have psychiatric isssues and are allowed to have their children back and/or those who walk out of the hospitals with their babies? What about parent pre-screening for these issues like adoptive parents have to go through?
9. Children and families are entitled to an increased investment in high-quality research on the origin, diagnosis, and treatment of childhood disorders.
10. Children and families need and deserve access to mental health professionals with appropriate training and experience. Primary care professionals providing mental health services must have access to consultation and referral resources from qualified mental health professionals.
Comment: Who will pay for these consultations?
Robbin MillerAdvocate/private practitioner
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)