As part of the collective effort led by Give an Hour, Youth Villages joined 50 other campaign partners in this effort with its pledge to spread awareness of the five signs of emotional suffering to the 23,000 children it helps each year and their families. The organization will use its 2,700 staff and all of its communication channels to spread the word to donors, volunteers, mentors and foster and adoptive parents.

Inspired by discussions at the White House National Conference on Mental Health in 2013, “Change Direction” is a response to the way society addresses mental health. One in five Americans lives with a diagnosable mental health condition, and it is expected that more Americans will die by suicide than in car accidents this year.

“Youth Villages is proud to join this important effort because recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental illness is so important to the well-being of America’s children and families,” said Tim Goldsmith, Ph.D, chief clinical officer for Youth Villages. “Mental illness can limit a child’s potential for success, but effective help is available. Recognizing the signs of illness early can make all the difference in getting the right help.”

The campaign launched at a mental health summit at the Newseum on March 4, which included a keynote address from First Lady Michelle Obama, an appearance by Academy Award-winning producer of “Silver Linings Playbook,” Brue Cohen, and a performance by G.R.L., a musical girl group that was personally touched by the issue when their lead singer, Simone Battle, committed suicide in September 2014.

“Give an Hour is proud to lead this collective impact effort of partners from every sector of society as we change the direction of mental health in our nation,” said Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, founder and president of Give an Hour. “By creating a shared mission, by educating Americans about the five signs of emotional suffering, by encouraging compassion and action, we can change our culture to reflect what we know to be true—that mental health is not something to be afraid of or embarrassed about.”

Youth Villages encourages individuals and other organizations to “help change the direction” of mental health in our country and let your voices be heard by joining us in making a pledge, however large or small. The simplest pledge is one that anyone can do: Learn the five signs of emotional suffering so you can recognize them in yourself or help a loved one who may be in emotional pain. To learn more or to make a pledge to Change Direction, visit www.changedirection.org.

About The Campaign to Change Direction
The Campaign to Change Direction initiative is a collection of concerned citizens, nonprofit leaders, and leaders from the private sector who have come together to create a new story in America about mental health, mental illness, and wellness. This initiative was inspired by the discussion at the White House National Conference on Mental Health in 2013, which came on the heels of the Newtown tragedy.

It’s another opportunity to remind us to pay attention to our children’s behavior and look for signs that may indicate depression, anxiety or other serious, but treatable, mental health problems.

Remember that the symptoms of dangerous depression may look different in children and teens than they do in adults. You know your child best. Look for changes in behavior, and pay attention to off-hand comments that might have deeper meaning. Listen for things like:

“You won’t have to worry about that much longer.”

“I just can’t take it any more.”

Then do one hard thing.

If you think your child is having serious problems, ask them. Ask “Are you thinking about killing yourself or have you thought about suicide?”

That question may begin the most important conversation you’ll ever have with your child. Don’t worry that asking about suicide will make your child more likely to make an attempt. Research has shown that it doesn’t.

Youth who are in imminent danger of suicide often discuss their intentions, verbally threaten to kill themselves or take concrete steps toward suicide, such as collecting pills or securing a weapon. A young person may talk or write in a journal about death, forming a specific plan.

Substance abuse increases the risk of suicide. Other risk factors include:

• Diagnosed mental illness, mood disorder, depression or anxiety
• A family history of suicide or a suicide in the child’s school or peer group
• A history of impulsive, aggressive or disruptive behavior
• Family conflict or recent stressful life event
• Incidents of bullying – both the bully and the victim can be at risk
• Access to lethal means, like the availability of guns, drugs or other items that can be easily used to commit suicide

So if you ask your child that hard question, and the answer is “yes,” explain lovingly that suicide is never an option, that you love and support him or her and that you will get help and work on this together. Then call a crisis hotline and seek out a mental health professional.

Even if your child says “no” to this question but you think your child could benefit from a talk with a mental health professional, find a good one. Ask for recommendations from people you trust or use one of the online therapist locator links from a trusted group like the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association or the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.

Youth Villages operates crisis response services for children under age 18 in most of Tennessee. A list of crisis telephone numbers is here. In other states, crisis hotlines are available or you can ask your child’s pediatrician for recommendations. If you ever feel your child is a danger to himself or others, call 911 and ask for an immediate connection to appropriate help in your community.

Here are other resources:

• 10 things parents can do to prevent suicide from the American Academy of Pediatrics
• Specialized help for parents of college and university students from the JED Foundation
• A wide range of information is available from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• The National Suicide Prevention Hotline offers information and 24/7 help
• Specialized help for LGBTQ youth from The Trevor Project
• A Friend Asks, an app from The Jason Foundation, with educational material about suicide

It’s important to remember that suicide is more prevalent in Robin Williams’ demographic group than for children and youth. Accidents, especially automobile accidents, are the leading cause of death for young people, followed by homicide and then suicide. Most of our teens won’t have dangerous mental health issues. Almost all of them will be on the road as teen drivers or passengers in vehicles driven by their friends. Stressing seatbelt, mobile phone and texting safety should always be a top priority for parents.

Dr. Tim Goldsmith, Youth Villages’ chief clinical officer

Dr. Tim and his core clinical managers have experience helping children with the most serious problems. Together, they oversee the counselors and specialists who work directly with parents, teaching them ways to help their children overcome serious problems and go on to do well at home, at school and in the community. This year, our clinical and counseling staff will help more than 22,000 children across the country.

Now Dr. Tim and his staff of experts can answer your questions, too. All parents have moments when they wish they could consult with an expert. If you have a question about your tween or teen’s behavior, send it to DrTim@youthvillages.org.

VeRonika Tubbs, a Youth Villages triage counselor based in Nashville, has answered calls through the state’s child crisis hotline for six years. / Tony Gonzalez / The Tennessean

The Nashville Tennesseean’s Tony Gonzalez reports that calls to Youth Villages’ Crisis Services teams across Tennessee are at an all-time high. Yet what’s causing the increase in crisis calls, which often prompt counselors to visit homes, schools or hospitals, remains unclear.

Read the full story at www.tennesseean.com.

Baron, right, with his mother, Kim. Baron and his family received Youth Villages’ Specialized Crisis Services, and are now doing well.

To look at him now you would not know that just a few short months ago Baron had thoughts of harming himself.

Baron had more to deal with than the average 17-year-old. His family had been homeless for three years – living in motel rooms and shelters. Neither parent was able to work, so Baron was forced to provide for the family and care for his little brother. He was struggling to find a balance between academics and sports in addition to maintaining a job.

“I was having trouble sleeping,” Baron said about that time in his life. “Everything was getting to me.”

He hated his job. He hated school. He hated life.

Youth Villages Specialized Crisis Services Specialist responded to the call about Baron at the nearby hospital emergency room.

“Baron had a great deal of pressure put upon him,” said Debbie Robinson, program supervisor for SCS. “He did not have a stable environment at home.”

During the next few days, SCS specialists continued following up with Baron, and he was referred to a local behavioral hospital.

“We were in contact with Baron weekly for three months, checking in on him and his family,” Debbie said. “We made sure Baron was getting the help he needed, and directed the family to resources that could help them.”

After his discharge from the hospital, Baron was referred to Youth Villages SCS’s Enhanced Follow-up Services (EFS).

Youth who are seen by crisis services and are determined to be high risk for suicide are referred to the EFS program. The program provides ongoing follow-ups to reduce further risk.

Youth Villages’ Friend In Need program stepped in and multiple donors provided Baron and his brother with clothes, shoes and school supplies. In addition, money was given to help with the family’s financial needs – including tuition for Baron’s night classes, rent money for an apartment and utilities.

Baron made the A/B honor roll and is on track to graduate high school. He was discharged successfully from the EFS program in October. He said if it were not for EFS, he would have dropped out of school.

“I’ve just got a better connection with everyone in the family,” Baron said. “Before I wouldn’t talk about things, but you’ve just got to get that stuff out.”

Kim, Baron’s mother, has recognized a positive change not only in her son but in the entire family.

“Debbie and Youth Villages really went above and beyond,” said Kim. “She really cared about us and helped us through an extremely difficult time.”

Happy Holidays from Youth Villages! Thank you for supporting our work as The Force for Families.

For contact information and more about Youth Villages specialized crisis services in Tennessee, visit youthvillages.org.

Youth Villages’ Specialized Crisis Services responder Cathy Witmer went to see the girl at their county’s justice center. When Cathy got there, she found the girl had several medical issues and a pending surgery. Cathy helped ensure the girl received proper treatment and care at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, and then responder Milly Douglas followed up with the child to get more information. During the course of nearly a week, the two responders and the crisis department monitored the girl’s situation and made sure her unique needs were met.

“That was not our usual type of crisis call,” said Milly, a former child abuse investigator. “It is a good example of how we work with partner agencies and work together to make sure decisions are made in the child’s best interests.”

Most of the time, crisis calls involve behavior problems or self-harming.

Throughout Tennessee, the Youth Villages Specialized Crisis Services staff provides assessment and evaluation of children and youth up to age 18 who are experiencing a psychiatric emergency. In February, SCS responded to more than 1,200 calls.

The responder’s assessment may include interviewing other children, family, extended family, community members, teachers, counselors and first responders – anyone who can provide salient information regarding the crisis. They also assess the child’s history and any factors that may have led to the crisis and how to avoid future issues. Also, the responders coordinate with other agencies and facilities to help ensure the child is placed in an appropriate environment, whether that is treatment at home, group therapy or counseling, or hospitalization.

The program employs more than 80 staff who work from 13 Youth Villages offices and satellite locations across the state to provide faster response times.

Being able to give is an integral part of our relationships with one another.

Youth Villages Board Chairman Mike Bruns (left) and CEO Pat Lawler (right)

For families, giving is a result of love and trust. And it’s about sharing experiences and emotions and frustrations with those who have close ties and strong bonds. In many ways, that is what Youth Villages strives to do with children and families – restore that trust and ability to share.

That’s why our work is challenging and rewarding. Our staff is committed to helping every child succeed, to learn how to trust others again. Your support of our programs helps ensure we’re not only able to continue that important work, but expand it to help more children and families.

Our footprints of success are left in all the communities we serve, and our efforts are being recognized. A new book by Thomas Tierney and Joel Fleishman, titled “Give Smart: Philanthropy That Gets Results,” provides practical guidance for donors who want to get the most impact from their giving. It’s a great honor for Youth Villages to be included as an example of an organization that delivers real results for the investment donors make in us. Journalist and author David Bornstein recently wrote about Youth Villages in the New York Times’ “Opinionator” blog, highlighting why Youth Villages focuses on helping troubled children in their homes in partnership with the child’s family and extended support systems.

Recognition like this is wonderful – especially for our frontline staff who works so hard for children and families.

But for me, the real joy comes from meeting with children and families who have completed our programs. You can see and feel their energy as they discuss their experiences and their emotions. They speak of their past simply as it was and discuss a future of promise and success. They finish each other’s sentences. Most importantly, they laugh.

They interact.

They share.

Patrick W. Lawler
Youth Villages Chief Executive Officer

Give to Youth Villages today and our matching gift partner, AutoZone, will double its impact!

If we reach our goal of $20,000 by June 23, 2011 — and we can do it, with your help — AutoZone will match it, giving us a grand total of $40,000 to support our life-changing work.

Please give what you can today.

Donate here.

UPDATE 6/23: Thanks to our generous individual donors, we have met and exceeded our goal, raising $24,353! With the matching gift of $20,000 by our partner AutoZone, our grand total of $44,353 will benefit the children and families we serve. Thank you for being a force for families!

Youth Villages Board Chairman Mike Bruns (left) and CEO Pat Lawler (right)

At Youth Villages, we constantly seek ways to reach more children and families to help them live successfully. Our values are exhibited daily through the efforts of our staff and volunteers who work tirelessly, doing whatever it takes to create stable, supportive homes for children.

Examples of this are featured on this blog, including volunteer and donor-supported events like Holiday Heroes, where community members and organizations take time and money to purchase Christmas gifts for youth in our programs.

But we also have begun a new effort in Middle Tennessee to help youth.

Read about Garrett McDill, who works to find family members for young people who have been in foster care or group homes for an extended period of time. For these young people, she finds family those youth didn’t know they could count on. Her first success in this role found an aunt willing to adopt her niece who had been in foster care and group homes for five years.

Also read about the national trial Youth Villages is participating in for our transitional living program.

Through this trial, we seek to identify more effective and efficient ways to help young people aging out of the foster care system and ease their successful transition to independent adult living. Our TL program has experienced rapid growth during the past several months. We help more than 300 young people in Tennessee and our new program in Alabama helps six youth.

There are many ways in which you can change the life of a child in Middle Tennessee. Some of those ways are highlighted in this blog, but there are many, many more. Thank you for all you do to help our children and families live successfully.

Pat Lawler
Youth Villages CEO

Youth Villages was the only nonprofit organization in the Mid-South recognized on the list.

One of the largest providers of services to troubled children and their families in the country, Youth Villages was founded in Memphis in 1986. This year, nearly 2,300 counselors, teachers and staff will help more than 17,000 children with serious emotional and behavioral problems and their families.

Staff works from more than 60 locations in 10 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and the District of Columbia.

The annual survey and award program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in the nonprofit sector. Organizations on the 2011 list of 50 Best Nonprofit Organizations to Work For were chosen in a two-part process including a randomized survey of each organization’s employees.

Youth Villages, the American Heart Association and the Visiting Nurse Service of New York were the only three nonprofits in the top 50 with more than 2,000 employees.

Other organizations honored include the Wounded Warrior Project, LIVESTRONG and The Grammy Foundation. The complete list is published in The NonProfit Times’ April 2011 issue.

“To earn this distinction two years in a row is a real testament to the commitment of Youth Villages’ employees,” said Patrick W. Lawler, chief executive officer. “Our employees do not have easy jobs but they bring passion and dedication to their work every day. They are on the front lines 24/7, meeting the needs of children who have sometimes suffered from abuse and neglect and have very challenging mental health issues – and strengthening and restoring their families. Through our in-home and community programs, counselors respond at all hours to families in crisis. It’s inspiring to know they gave our organization such top ratings.

“Our consistently high success rates and continual improvements in services to young people are a result of the hard work of the Youth Villages team. We strive to make every effort to provide a supportive work environment and culture, good benefits, the latest technology and comprehensive training. To receive this award a second time demonstrates our commitment to our employees and strengthens our resolve to become even better next year.”

Youth Villages offers a wide array of programs, including intensive in-home services, residential treatment, foster care and adoption, transitional living services, mentoring and crisis services. Youth Villages’ focus on strengthening families consistently produces an 80 percent success rate of children living successfully at home even two years after completing a Youth Villages program. Youth Villages has been recognized by Harvard Business School and U.S. News & World Report, and was identified by The White House as one of the nation’s most promising results-oriented nonprofit organizations. For more information about Youth Villages, visit www.youthvillages.org.

For more information on the Best NonProfit Organizations to Work For program, visit www.BestNonProfitstoWorkfor.com.