Introduction to Youth Peer Support Introduce yourself here Your name If you feel comfortable, you can share a little bit about your story of resilience A little bit about your journey to becoming a YPSS Why is YPS important to you?

Presenters First Name Last Name, Youth Peer Support Specialist Put your name(s) here

What is YPS? A Medicaid State Plan Service for youth with serious emotional disturbance Provided by young professionals with experience receiving mental health services as a youth Goals written into the individual plan of service Goals and activities are mutually identified in active collaboration with youth receiving services Interventions provided in home and community Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) is a determined by functioning, diagnosis, and duration. In order to be qualified as a YPSS, you just have to have received mental health services as a youth. It is not required that these experience comes from the public mental health system. YPS is a Medicaid service, therefore the service must be written into the individual plan of services with a goal and interventions (activities that the YPSS and the YPSS will work on together). It is important to mention that the goals and activities are identified in a treatment planning meeting with input from the youth, family, and service providers (such as the therapist, Wraparound facilitiator, YPSSs, etc.)

Who can receive YPS? Youth with serious emotional disturbance involved in the CMHSP system No age is defined in the Medicaid Provider Manual Consider for middle school or high school age youth Youth involved with CMH and other systems (Juvenile Justice, Child Welfare, etc.) CMHSP means Community Mental Health Service Provider – in other words, a provider of public mental health services Although YPSSs do not have to have received services through the public mental health system, youth who are receiving this service through the public mental health system, as it is a Medicaid service Youth cannot receive YPS if they are JUST involved in the Juvenile Justice system or JUST involved in Child Welfare. They must be involved with Community Mental Health Services.

Who are Youth Peer Support Specialists? Young adults, ages 18 – 26 with lived experience receiving mental health services as a youth Willing and able to self-identify as a person who has or is receiving behavioral health services and is prepared to use that experience to support others Experience receiving services as a youth in complex child-serving systems preferred (behavioral health, child welfare, juvenile justice, special education, etc.) Employed by PIHP/CMHSP or its contract providers Trained in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services-approved curriculum and ongoing training model Once a YPSS turns 27 they are no longer able to provide YPS services per the Medicaid Provider Manual PIHP means Pre-Paid Inpatient Health Plan. These are the regional entities who receive Medicaid dollars and contract with Community Mental Health Service Providers.

Think about a time when you felt hope Exercise Think about a time when you felt hope This could be a time when you felt hope in your personal life, or when you felt hope for a youth that you were working with Share a time when YOU, the YPSS, have felt hope Consider asking the audience to share out. Providing a sense of hope is what YPS is all about. It is the life blood of the service.

Youth Peer Support Role: Guiding Tenants YPSS provide youth with empowerment and hope through Direct Support from someone with shared experience Information Sharing in a way that can be understood Skill Building on self-care, self-advocacy, and system navigation Examples: Direct Support: Strategic storytelling Listening to what the youth peer has to say Engaging the youth peer Encouraging youth peers Information Sharing Sharing resources that are appropriate and relevant to the youth peer’s wants and needs Skill Building Problem solving skills Education on system navigation Preparing for meetings

YPS Role: P.E.E.R. Partnerships Engagement Empowerment Relationships Its about: Partnerships Engagement Empowerment Relationships It is encouraged that YPSS presenters start discussion with audience and provide examples of each in relation to their work in the field. Partnerships Building bridges and partnering with others on the youth peer’s treatment team, including: Parents Other service providers Other systems such as juvenile justice, education, and child welfare Engagement Being a listening ear for the youth peer Getting to know them and their interests Sharing your personal story to relate to them Empowerment Encouraging youth peers to advocate for themselves Encouraging youth peers to get involved in their treatment Provide hope by telling your story Using strengths-based language Relationships Having “real talk” with youth peers Building a honest and genuine relationship with them Setting appropriate boundaries Sticking by them even when times get tough

YPS Curriculum YPS Role Strategic Sharing Engagement Relationship Building Boundaries Language Cultural Proficiency Confidentiality Ethics Safety Peer Professional Partnerships Agency Culture and Professionalism Depending on time, you can tell a little bit about each section, or pick some highlights to talk about.

What YPS is NOT Friend Therapist Babysitter Spy Advocate Convincer Compliance Monitor Friend You follow the goals one the treatment plan while working with youth peers. It’s important that you uphold certain boundaries as a professional. Therapist While some of the things that you do might seem like it could be therapy work, there is a big difference – you weave your story into almost every meeting with the youth peer and you work together with the therapist to work on the goals of the treatment plan Babysitter Self-explanatory. You’re there to work on something meaningful with the youth peer. Spy Smaller things you hold in confidence, knowing that the youth peer may feel more comfortable sharing certain things with you because you understand, but if there is something big that parents and other members of the treatment team need to know, you encourage youth peers to self disclose on their own Advocate You teach youth peers the skills to advocate for themselves and support them through it. You do not do for. Convincer Although, you can discuss options and talk about potential positive and negative outcomes of a decision, your role is not to advice-give or convince a youth peer to do something that someone else may want them to do. Compliance Monitor Again, your role is not to check in on whether or not the youth peer is doing what they’re supposed to do and to scold them if they are not. Your role is to discuss the implication of not following through and/or to supporting them in advocating for a change

13 Youth Peer Support Specialists currently working in Michigan as of 12/2016 1 in Muskegon 2 in Kalamazoo 1 in Calhoun 4 in Oakland 5 in Wayne As of 12/2016

Hiring and Training Requirements Hired by either CMH, family organization, or contract service provider of CMH MDHHS hiring recommendations and requirements 3-Day initial training, plus 2-Day follow-up training 100% active participation required Ongoing training Coaching Calls Technical Assistance Quarterly Professional Development/Technical Assistance Group Meetings 3-Day and 2-Day are classroom style trainings – share what you learned in the trainings Tell a little bit about coaching calls, technical assistance and quarterlies are like How are they helpful? What are some topics that we talk about?

Hiring Recommendations A minimum of two YPSSs be hired per agency as they will offer additional support to one another, which contributes to improved retention rates for YPSSs and offers choice by broadening the range of strengths, skills, and experiences from which to draw in providing support for youth Employers establish a consistent work schedule that includes a minimum number of hours of work per week The workload will be individualized to assure that youth receive a high quality YPS service Why do you think it’s important that two YPSSs be hired per agency? Do you have a consistent work schedule? How does that affect you? Why do you think it’s important that the workload/caseload be tailored to your needs as much as possible?

Why is YPS Important? Why is YPS important to you? Use your personal experience, training, and the materials in this package to guide you

Contact Information First Name Last Name, Youth Peer Support Specialist youremailaddress@youragency.com 555-555-5555 Contact Information goes here – please include the information of whoever you think would be most beneficial

State YPS Service Implementation Contact Krissy Dristy, Youth Peer Support Statewide Coordinator, kdristy@acmh-mi.org or 517-643-3314. The Association for Children’s Mental Health (ACMH) www.acmh-mi.org Leave Krissy’s information here for people who may be interested in learning more about implementing YPS as a statewide contact