Dept. Mental Health

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

The Department of Mental Health

This agency has oversight of California's mental health system. They provide community-based services for individuals with mental illness, assist in the development of skills, and the provision of needed supports.

Eligibility Criteria - To be eligible for mental health, you must meet the following criteria:

	Person must be experiencing severe and disabling mental illness which includes children with severe emotional disturbances.
	Special ed students who need mental health treatment (including residential care) to benefit from their education are eligible under Chapter 26.5 (AB 3632).

Services provided include, limited case management, day treatment, individual and family counseling, crisis intervention, inpatient and outpatient care, community outreach.

Transition Issues - There are transition issues within the department which include the transitioning of individuals with mental health needs within the agency. That is, students served under AB 3632 are eligible for residential care till age 18, whereas they are eligible for education up to age 22 (you can see the potential problem here). Therefore students could loose their residential placement while still in school. In addition the handoff between juvenile and adult mental health services needs work. To go from residential services to outpatient services is a significant transition.

You can email Dr. McNair at jmcnair@calbaptist.edu