Strengths Model for Youth: Moving toward a Client-Centered, Strengths-based Model of Case Management in Community Mental Health

Abstract

Approximately 13 to 20% of U.S. children and adolescents experience a mental disorder in a given year (Perou et al., 2013), with only half of these youth receiving mental health care (Kataoka, Zhang, & Wells, 2002; Merikangas, Nakamura, & Kessler, 2009). Even when children do access mental health services, approximate- ly 40% to 60% discontinue before completing their treatment (Baruch, Vrouva, & Fearon, 2009; Hoste, Zaitsoff, Hewell & le Grange, 2007; Miller, Southam-Gerow & Allin, 2008; Oruche, Downs, Holloway, Draucker & Aalsma, 2014). These statistics highlight the critical need for identification and implementation of effective child and family interventions for the mental health service system. Case management is a widely offered service within the children’s mental health system, but there is a scarcity of literature and research on models of case management and their effec- tiveness. This chapter introduces one model of case management, Strengths Model for Youth, and summarizes the current evidence on its effectiveness.