Children's Hospital Boston teamed up with the Boston Bar Association (BBA) to publish the How-to Guide to Children's Mental Health Services in Massachusetts. The guide is a first-of-its-kind reference tool to help families access services and understand how to advocate for their children with mental health care needs. Children's Department of Psychiatry and the Office of Child Advocacy (OCA) provided clinical and advocacy expertise and support to produce the guide.
The BBA developed the guide after finding that parents often don't know where to turn when their child shows signs of behavioral and emotional health concerns. "There are so many barriers for getting mental health care for children," says OCA's Karen Darcy. "Children's partnered with the BBA to support this guide because it's a valuable tool for helping families navigate a complicated system."
The guide is intended for parents, mental health and primary care providers, emergency physicians, staff from schools, and public health and social service agencies. For copies , call the OCA at ext. 5-6090 or download a copy at www.bostonbar.org.
