Transcript STEPPING STONES”: EMPOWERING MENTAL HEALTH …

“STEPPING STONES”: EMPOWERING MENTAL HEALTH PATIENTS
THROUGH CONNECTIONS WITH SIGNIFICANT OTHERS:
A GRANT PROPOSAL
By
Patricia Rodriguez
California State University, Long Beach
May 2013
Introduction
Problem

In the United States, approximately 57.7 million individuals 18 y/o and older, or about 1 in 4 adults, suffer
from a diagnosable disorder.

This population is most likely to use tobacco, alcohol or drugs to cope with their mental illness, are more
prone to self-harm or accidental injuries, co-occurring disorders, incarceration, high school drop out, and
re-hospitalization.

Individuals with a mental illness 18 y/o and older are adults making their own decisions to continue or not
to follow up with mental health treatment and family involvement in treatment planning and discharge is
minimal or non-existent

This populations faces negative stigma from their families, friends, and communities often lacking support
and significant connections with people to help them cope with their illness and provide the stepping
stones.

There is insufficient resources or support for significant others/caregivers others to continuously provide
stepping stones after discharge for their loved ones.
(Callaly, Trauer, Hyland, Coombs, & Berk, 2011 ,Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011, Jivanjee, Kruzich, & Gordon, 2008, &
National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2010 )
Social Work Relevance

Young adults with mental illness being discharged
from psych-hospitals need social workers to
advocate for services and provide support for the
difficult transition back into their communities.

Identify obstacles that contribute to barriers of
stabilization or to vicious recidivist cycles.

Engagement of young adults with services that
meets their needs and adequate discharge
planning.
(Neale, Worrell, & Randhawa, 2005).
Cross-cultural Relevance

Social workers need to provide services that are
culturally sensitive by learning the level of awareness
and understanding on mental illness of minority groups.

Individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual,
transgender, intersex, come from foster care system,
minorities groups face various challenges in accessing
adequate services.

Provide equal opportunity of services to minority
groups that can be easily accessible .
(Jimenez, 2009, Neale, Worrell, & Randhawa, 2005 ).
Methods
• Target population
 The target population are young adults ages 18-29, males and females, who
do not have a significant other at discharge from psychiatric hospitalization.
• Strategies to Identify & Select Funding
 Google search engines were used to search potential funding, grant-making
foundations were also examined.
 websites such as www.grant.gov,, www.dmh.ca.gov,,
www.foundationCenter.org,www , fundsnetservice.com, and www.tgci.com
to determine funding options.
• Identify the funding source selected
 Through The Grantsmanship Center, The California Endowment center was
selected.
 The California Endowment has invested 10% of its grants since 1997 into
direct services to increase the size and quality of mental health work force.
It has focused on promoting equality of services of those underserved.
(California Endowment, n.d.)
Methods Cont.
• Sources used for the
needs assessment
• Scholarly articles were
used to address the
barrier that contributed
to recidivism of clients
and burnout of their
significant other.
• Statistics on Recidivist
Psych-hospitalization
among young adults
with a mental illness
were reviewed.
• The grant writer
interned at a psychiatric
hospital.

.
Stepping Stones: Line-Item Budget
Stepping Stones Line-Item Budget (Expenses Only)
Salaries and Wages
Program Director
$ 50,000
Employee-Related Benefits (@25%)
$ 12,500
Program Manager
$ 40,000
Employee-Related Benefits (@25%)
$ 10,000
Honorarium Psychiatrist
$ 2,400
Total Salaries and Wages
$ 114,900
Other Operating Expenses
Telephone, fax, postage, and shipping
$ 2,400
Supplies
$ 4,800
Printing and duplicating
$ 4,200
Equipment
$ 2,300
Travel
$ 3,600
Food
$ 3,000
Miscellaneous
$ 1,200
Total Budget
$ 21,500
Stepping Stones In-Kind Resources
Rent
$ 24,000
Utilities
$
Mentors (MSW)
$ 30,000
BSW interns
$
Total In-Kind
$ 67,400
Subtotal Project Costs
$203,800
Administrative Costs (@ 10%)
Total Project Costs
8,400
5,000
$ 20,380
$224,180
Grant Proposal

Program Summary and Description
• The Program will attempt to make connections or reconnection with clients
and their significant others if connections are not made they will be provided a
mentor. Each group will be provided with group where:
 Individuals with mental illness will attend pscyhoeducational groups: (a) a safe forum to
discuss issues they experience; (b) education on mental disorders; (c) coping skills to avoid
risk factors, such as drugs, survival sex, incarceration; (d) importance of following through
with medical care and medication; and (e) strategies to safely integrate into their
neighborhoods.
 While significant other will attend support groups that will provide education and training
information on an array of issues, such as: (a) engaging and supporting individuals who have
mental illnesses; (b) skills for crisis prevention and intervention; (c) resources in the
community; and (d) a safe forum to address issues, frustrations, and achievements.

Population Served
• Young adults ages 18-29 both males and females who do not have significant
others at discharge. Participants may come from all socioeconomic statuses,
identify with any ethnic and/or sexual minorities, and may also have a physically
handicapping condition.
Grant Proposal Cont.

Sustainability/Program Evaluation
• Program director will
collaborate with the psychiatric
hospital.
• Clients will be given a survey of
program satisfaction and
significant others will take pre
and post test.
• The Program Director will
evaluate data and share with
collaborating agencies to see
program strengths and areas of
improvement.
• A second year grant will be
written to ensure funding.

Program Objectives
1.Individuals with a mental illness will learn about mental
health disorders and the symptoms.
2.Individuals with a mental illness will learn coping skills to avoid
risky behavior.
3.Individuals with a mental illness will learn the importance of
psychiatric medication and mental health aftercare
treatment.
4.Individuals with a mental illness will acquire the strategies and
resources to safely integrate into their neighborhoods.
5.Individuals with a mental illness will take a program
satisfaction questionnaire at the end of their program; these
individuals will decrease mental health symptoms and
improve coping by 15% as noted in progress notes and selfreports.
6.Significant others and/or mentors will learn skills to deal with
crisis preventions and intervention thus helping decrease
stress.
7.Significant others and/or mentors will increase knowledge of
mental health disorders and symptoms improving
understanding. Significant others will take a pre-test at the
beginning of the first session. At the end of the program
significant others and/or mentors will take a post- test.
Significant others and/or mentors will increase education
and skills in mental health issues by 20%.
8. Significant others and/or mentors will be linked and learn
how to access mental health treatment for their loved ones.
Lessons Learned/Implications
for Social Work
Improvement in discharge
planning and connections
to a loved one is crucial to
helping provide the
stepping stone to
community transition.
 Young adults are in dire
need of support from their
family, friends and
communities.
 There is a major lack of
education about mental
health in our society.

Social workers need to
engage this population with
services that help reduce
barrier to stabilization.
 Serviced need to be
provide to the client and
their families to reduce
compassion fatigue.
 Improve after care
treatment and skills for
safe transition into client’s
communities.
 Increase engagement, skills
and education to empower
these individuals and their
significant others.

Reference
California Endowment. (n.d.). The California Endowment. Retrieved February 8,
2013, from http://www.calendow.org/
Callaly, T., Hyland, M., Trauer, T., Dodd, S., & Berk, M. (2010). Readmission to an
acute psychiatric unit within 28 days of discharge: Identifying those at
risk. Australian Health Review, 34, 282–285.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011). Fact sheet. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealthsurveillance/fact_sheet.html
Jimenez, J. (2010). Social policy and social change: Toward the creation of social and
economic justice. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Press.
Jivanjee, P., Kruzich, J., & Gordon, J. L. (2008). Community integration of
transitionage individuals:Views of young with mental health
disorders. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research, 35(4),
402–418.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (2010). Mental illness: facts and
numbers.Retrieved from
http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section.Abiut_MentalIllness.
Neale, J., Worrell, M., & Randhawa, G. (2005). Reaching out: Support for ethnic
minorities. Mental Health Practice, 9(2), 12–16.