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Meeting the Moment: How Child Welfare and Substance Use Disorder Treatment Professionals Can Meet the Needs of Adolescents at Risk of Suicide and Mental Health Concerns

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare

Date: January 19, 2022 | Length: 1:29:32

Provides strategies to help the increasing number of adolescents at risk of suicide and mental health concerns. Suicide rates among adolescents 15-19 began to increase in 2000 from 8 per 100,000 adolescents to a peak of 11.8 in 2017. Suicide was the second leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults in 2019. Increases parallel those among adolescents and young adults with self-harm attempts and depression. Topics include:

  • How to identify adolescents at risk for suicide and mental health concerns
  • Prevention-based interventions and strategies for adolescents at risk for suicide and mental health concerns
  • Key strategies and resources to promote resilience, recovery, and positive youth development for adolescents involved in child welfare

Presenter(s):

  • - Jane Pfeifer, Director of the Regional Partnership Grant, Technical Assistance Program at the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, National Family Drug Court Technical and Training Assistance Program
  • - Mighty Fine, MPH, CHES, Director, Center for Public Health Practice and Professional Development, American Public Health Association (APHA)

Topic(s): Childhood and Adolescence

Section: Related Online Training, Videos, and Webinars

Find Help with a Personal Situation

Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment Locator

To find treatment facilities confidentially, 24/7, please call 1-800-662-4357 (HELP).

To locate general treatment services, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Treatment Locator online or call 1-800-662-4357 (HELP). This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. It is a free, confidential, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a year information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members needing treatment for a mental and/or substance use disorder.

National Child Abuse Hotline

If you suspect a child has been harmed by abuse or neglect, please call 1-800-422-4453.

If you suspect that a child has been harmed or is at risk of being harmed by abuse or neglect, call the National Child Abuse Hotline at Call the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. Serving the United States and Canada, the hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with professional crisis counselors who—through interpreters—provide assistance in over 170 languages. All calls, texts, and chats are confidential. If you believe a child is in immediate danger of harm, call 911 first.

National Suicide Prevention Line

For free and confidential support for people in distress, 24/7, please call or text 988, chat 988Lifeline.org, or call 1-800-273-8255.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, help is available and there are options to receive compassionate care. You can call or text 988 or chat 988Lifeline.org. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). Both are confidential and available 24/7 to everyone in the United States and will connect you to a trained counselor at a suicide crisis center nearest you.

Contact Us

The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare offers free technical assistance to a variety of systems on making policy and practice changes to improve outcomes for families affected by substance use disorders and involvement with child welfare services. To learn more about technical assistance services or if you have a question please email NCSACW at ncsacw@cffutures.org or call toll-free at 1–866–493–2758.

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare