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Mental Health

It is often difficult for families to find appropriate information about childhood mental illness and behavioral disorders. The sites here are good places to consult when beginning your search. This page includes websites that provide an overview of mental health issues and a special section on conduct disorders.

Mental Health Issues

Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
http://www.bazelon.org/

The Bazelon Center is a non-profit legal advocacy organization. This site is essential for families with children with mental disabilities. It is informative and brings important mental health resources together in one place.

Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health
http://www.ffcmh.org/

The Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health is a parent-run organization. It provides links to important mental health resources, and also offers an opportunity for involvement in mental health issues for children. The site's Spanish language link is under construction.

Internet Mental Health
http://www.mentalhealth.com/

An on-line encyclopedia of mental health information, this site includes international concerns. Another great site from Canada, it was designed by psychiatrist Dr. Phillip Long.

Mental-Health-Matters.com
http://www.mental-health-matters.com/

The site contains information and resources regarding mental health. Its Disorder Categories page contains a link to information and resources for childhood mental disorders.

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)
http://www.nami.org/

NAMI is a non-profit grass-roots organization of families and friends of individuals with mental health disorders. At this site you can retrieve information about mental health, connect with a NAMI affiliate or read about their advocacy work. They keep abreast of research matters and report on them, too. Spanish language resources are also included.

National Institute of Mental Health
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/

If you are interested in the latest research in the field of mental health, this is the place to go. The site also includes mental health information on its " For the Public" page.

National Mental Health Association
http://www.nmha.org/

A non-profit organization focusing on the needs of individuals with mental health issues, the National Mental Health Association provides resources and information for families. Its "NMHA Information Center" page hosts factsheets.

NECTAC (National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center)
http://www.nectac.org/topics/menhealth/menhealth.asp

The NECTAC web site has just added a section on early childhood mental health, social emotional development and challenging behavior. The site includes links to definitions, legislation, initiatives, organizations, foundations, research centers and supports.

SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center
http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/

A service of the US Department of Health and Human Services, this website is a great resource for families. Its "Services Locator" provides links, by state, to mental health facilities, services and programs.

We are moving!
As of May 15, 2010
Support for Families will be located at
1663 Mission St., 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone numbers and hours remain the same.

Conduct Disorders and Behavior Issues

Beach Center on Disabilities - Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) Resources
http://www.beachcenter.org/?act=view&type=General%20Topic&id=9

The Beach Center on Disabilities provides resources regarding Positive Behavior Supports (PBS), including tips on Functional Behavior Assessments and creating PBS plans.

Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice (Behavior)
http://cecp.air.org/

Reports and web resources are featured on this site. Some publications are available on-line; others have to be ordered in print versions. Its page on Functional Behavioral Assessment is quite comprehensive.

Conduct Disorders.com
http://www.conductdisorders.com/

Links, articles and the opportunity to connect with other families of children with conduct disorders are some of the features of this site.

dbpeds.org -- Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Online
http://www.dbpeds.org/

This site is sponsored in part by the American Academy of Pediatrics and is designed for health professionals. Parents can certainly find information of value here, and not just in the "Handouts section.

Postitive Approaches to Challenging Behavior for Young Children with Disabilities
http://ici.umn.edu/projectscenters/earlychildhood.html

This is the website of the Early Children Behavior Project. The Project is assigned to be used by and to assist parents, special and general education teachers, childcare and Head Start providers and others in applying positive approaches to challenging behavior. Their Early Report explains the Project. The site includes information about challenging behavior and functional assessments, as well as strategies and tools.

Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports
http://www.pbis.org/main.htm

This site, from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), provides information about positive behavioral supports and functional behavioral assessments, and includes tips on how to apply these concepts at home, in school and in an IEP. It has a mirror site in Spanish.

The resources on these pages are for your information. These listings are not necessarily comprehensive, nor are they an endorsement. If you find that any information is incorrect, if you would like to offer feedback or if you know of additional resources that may be helpful to include, please contact us.

This page was last updated July 18, 2008 .