Outreach Program Arms Youth with Multiple Problem-Solving Skills
The latest sleight of school-based violence is casting an ever-brighter spotlight on youth depression and "warning signs." Last month it was the Littleton, Colo. massacre that claimed the lives of 14 students and a teacher. This month it was the six students in Conyers, Ga., injured when a troubled classmate opened fire. Although this magnified attention on youth mental health issues comes at a disturbing cost, communicators argue that it also presents a not-to-be-missed opportunity to develop and promote preventive programs.
The I Can Problem Solve (ICPS) program is a model example. ICPS, which also stands for Interpersonal Cognitive Problem Solving, is a preventive and rehabilitative school-based initiative implemented by various chapters of the National Mental Health Association (NMHA). It instructs elementary school students in key problem-solving, interpersonal interaction and decision-making skills. The curriculum can be easily incorporated into the classroom, adapted for community outreach efforts and sponsored by corporations, says Cynthia Wainscott, director of NMHA's Georgia chapter.
The program is being used in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Florida. In Atlanta, ICPS is achieving significant results in helping students find multiple ways to solve interpersonal problems. It is being used by at least 12 schools for children in pre-school through sixth grade.
Solving the Problem
Based on 25 years of research, the ICPS approach to reducing childhood impulsiveness in the core areas of substance abuse, emotional disturbance, early pregnancy and violence is getting a closer look from more and more communities.
The program got it's first test drive in 1994. Back then, schools in Columbus, Ga., were given a $150,000 grant to train teachers to help students learn a vast array of problem-solving skills, from how to consider more than one solution to a problem to considering consequences. The program spread to other parts of Georgia, including the South Coastal region and Atlanta.
Last year, parents were added to the mix, teaching them ways to teach children how to think instead of what to think.
The integration of teachers and parents is what makes the program successful, says Wainscott, because the focus is on prevention and both groups have a stake in increasing protective factors for children.
Childhood violence prevention is also a priority among corporations. Last year, the state's utility company, Georgia Power, responded to community concerns by underwriting a $40,000 grant for ICPS at two Atlanta schools over a four years. Both schools had a high incidence of violence, according to Kevin Wainscott, director of in-school programs at NMHA's Georgia chapter. After its first year:
- 85 percent of the teachers surveyed about ICPS felt positive about their training and saw students come up with multiple ways of solving interpersonal problems; and
- 100 percent of the parents surveyed witnessed positive behavioral changes in their children.
The survey, sponsored by Georgia Power, involved interviews with 70 teachers and at least 100 parents at two Atlanta schools.
Duplicating the Program
This program is an ideal outreach opportunity for children's hospitals because it communicates a community-nurturing message that resonates well with schools and parents. Currently, Scottish Rite Children's Medical Center in Atlanta is the only hospital affiliated with ICPS, but there are plans underway to involve more hospitals in outreach opportunities, says Wainscott. Scottish Rite is using ICPS as a parent-focused outreach program.
Although the program has earned the NMHA's most prestigious prevention award, the Lela Rowland Prevention Award, getting the necessary buy-in is fraught with obstacles. At the school level, busy teachers are hesitant to add one more training program to their already hectic curriculum and school administrators want to see more evidence-based research, says Wainscott. In Atlanta, that resistance is changing since there are area successes with ICPS and other schools want to duplicate them. In addition, the communication materials for ICPS are user-friendly, emphasizing common problematic scenarios and practical solutions for teachers and parents.
At the community level, attitudes are also changing for the better. "Key decision-makers are starting to understand the importance of [childhood] intervention on the front end," says Wainscott. And duplicating the ICPS program is efficient and affordable, important criteria for any school-based outreach effort. Formal lessons for teachers require four months and each of the three manuals cost $39.95 each. The cost of the program is typically covered by grants so schools need only to worry about making the time for the training, says Hatcher.
(NMHA's Georgia Chapter, Cynthia Wainscott, Kevin Hatcher, 404/527-7175)
Childhood Mental Health Fast Facts
- One in five children suffer from diagnosable mental, emotional or behavioral disorders.
- Approximately four million children and adolescents, between the ages of nine and 17, suffer from a serious emotional disturbance. Two-thirds of these children do not receive mental health services.
- Left untreated, these disorders lead to school failure, substance abuse, delinquent behavior, violence and suicide.
Source: National Mental Health Association, 703/838-7539, http://www.nmha.org