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Mental Health Programs for Adolescent Population

Zuleika Rosa

Walden University

SOCW-6311

09/21/2024

Mental Health Programs for Adolescent Population

The proposed program aims at preparing professionals to deliver optimal standard of mental healthcare for adolescents in Florida. This will help in the early detection, prevention, and management of mental health disorders among youths aged between 12 and 18 years. Consequently, the program will consist of such aspects as individual and group counseling, family support services as well as school based interventions so as to adequately deal with mental health which affects adolescents in the Florida region.

Criteria for enrollment in the program will include early onset of symptoms, low socio-economic status, and family history of mental disorder. For the youths, who experience substantial stressors in their everyday life such as academic stress, social maladaptation, or family problems, it will be applied. In particular, these groups are targeted because early intervention is critical to prevent the mental conditions from evolving into more severe disorders in adulthood (Mitchell et al., 2019).

As a way of strengthening the credibility of the overall information in advocating for this program, two main approaches would be adopted. First, telephone and web-based surveys could be conducted in Florida among adolescents, parents, and school staff to identify a quantity of youths with mental health problems and the extent to which they can gain necessary services (Wang et al., 2023).

Secondly, conducting focus group interviews with mental healthcare providers who have prior experience dealing with adolescents would provide diverse, qualitative data. Such sessions would focus on issues and programs relating to the youths in Florida, their experiences and the efficiency of the existing programs, and possibly efficiency enhancement mechanisms (Mitchell et al., 2019). By combining the perspectives of those directly affected (adolescents and their families) with the expertise of professionals in the field, a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the mental health landscape for Florida's adolescent population can be achieved, providing a solid foundation for the proposed program's development and implementation.

References

Mitchell, B. S., Kern, L., & Conroy, M. A. (2019). Supporting students with emotional or behavioral disorders: State of the field.  Behavioral Disorders,  44(2), 70-84. https://doi.org/10.1177/0198742918816518

Wang, S., Li, Q., Lu, J., Ran, H., Che, Y., Fang, D., ... & Xiao, Y. (2023). Treatment rates for Mental disorders among children and adolescents: a systematic review and Meta-analysis.  JAMA Network Open,  6(10), e2338174-e2338174. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.38174