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StepOne for Parents Screening and Intervention Program: Bend Oregon October 1, 2005—Portland, Oregon Why is this program important? n 1 out of 5 kids have a diagnosable behavioral, emotional, psychological or substance abuse program. n 3 out of 4 with these problems are never identified and don’t get help in time. n The best time to help people is when they are adolescents. n Problems in childhood continue into adulthood (and often get worse) if these kids don’t get help. n On the average, one child will attempt suicide in Bend Oregon each day. Very few of these kids get appropriate help. o Most parents know how there children act and they can be worried. They just don’t know what to do, who to contact or how to describe what they see and know. o This program will help parents identify potential problems, educate them and help them find the right help. “StepOne for Parents.” What is it? n Parents go the Internet and complete a questionnaire about their child. n A computer program analyzes the information and creates a 16 to 26 page report. n You get the report immediately. You can read and take it to a counselor or doctor if you want. o The report will tell you about your child’s behavior and mental and emotional health. The results are amazing and useful. It took over 20 years to develop this technology. o The program will also refer parents a seminar here in Bend where the developers will go over the results and provide advice. o You can use this if your child seems fine and if they are out of control. You should use it even if they seem fine because you can compare the results to subsequent screenings conducted after 30 days. n What’s great about this program is that parents can use if their child has runway, is out of control, lying or fooling their counselor or doctor. o This will give parents a voice and it can help them help their child. n This is a community service program. How can parents access the system? n Go to sponsors web site. o Look for the link called “Clinical Screening”. This link will take parents to another web site and grant you free access to the screening system. How long does it take? n The questionnaire takes 40 to 50 minutes. It takes less time than a counseling appointment and it is free and very thorough n This report save times and can help Why does it have to take so long? n This covers all the important questions Do I have to do it all at once? n Parents can start, save their answers and come back later. Should my child and I do it together? o It is not designed for children. Is it confidential? n The results are not shared with anyone unless you give it to someone. Can anyone hack into the system? o It would take the CIA to break into your file and they would be breaking the law. Are there situations where it won’t work? n You need a PC and Windows machine. You can go to the library if you don’t. o You need cable modem. Dial-up works but just takes longer. o You also need Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or greater. Is there an age limit? n 11 to 17 years old. Can I stop and finish it later? o You can start and stop and work on it when you have time. Don’t forget your username and passwords. How complicated is it? n You need to know how to use the web and a windows internet browser. o You just need to know how to use the web. Will this diagnose my child? o It does not make a diagnosis. But it can help a counselor or doctor make a diagnosis. What will I learn? n You will discover how well you know your child? o If they have problems you will learn about the potential problems. o You will learn if you child is at risk? It covers the risk of suicide, violence, self-injuring, school drop out or serious accidents. How hard is it to do? o StepOne for parents is written for a 7th grade reading level. What will I learn? n You may find out that you child is fine. n You may find out they are at risk. n You may find out that they have problems. o You will learn more about the kind of emotional problems that kids have. o You will learn more about what you can do to help your child. Will the results upset me? o Most parents will find the result very accurate and useful. o Professionals can use the results. n Some will be shocked because the screening identifies problems. Will parents disagree with the results? o Some parents will not agree. But most of the time the results are very close. n Sometimes it hard to realize the problem might be different or worse. Can I share the results with my child? n There is actually a page in the report that is just for your child. What can I do with the results? o You can share these results with a counselor, therapist, social worker, psychologist and physician. What can this do? n It can identify potential problems. n It can reduce the number of appointments. n It can help evaluate if medication, a program or counseling are helping. Who created this? n Mentor Research Institute is sponsoring this project. n It’s like a group of mental health professionals who work to help kids and families. These people are all volunteers. Revised/corrected: November 9, 2005 Mentor Research Institute is a non-profit educational and research organization with a focus on mental health for youth and families; homelessness, effective intervention, public and professional education. 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