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PASSAGES    
525 W. 2nd Ave  Spokane, WA  99201    
passages@voaspokane.org      (509) 892-9241

Passages

Life is no straight and easy
corridor along
which we travel free and
unhampered,
but a maze of passages,
through which we must
seek our way,
lost and confused, now and
again
checked in a blind alley.
But always, if we have
faith,
A door will open for us,
Not perhaps one that we
ourselves
Would ever have thought of
But one that will ultimately
Prove good for us.

- A. J. Cronin
Passages Spokane
Families, youth, and children living in Spokane County and facing
mental health challenges are welcome at Passages, a peer support
organization that strives to form healthy partnerships with clients by
providing recovery-based support services, coordination of care,
classes, and advocacy.
Learn more about
our program
on the "About us"
page.
.
First Call For Help Crisis Services:
(509) 838-4428

In an emergency call 911
RESEARCH NEWS: "Anxious and Depressed Teens and Adults: Same Version of Mood
Gene, Different Brain Reactions"  (Dec. 08)   
Read the full report here.

NIMH Perspective on Diagnosing and Treating Bipolar Disorder in Children
Click here to read this update.               

Passed along from Ron Anderson:  The Ten Fundamental Components of Recovery
News from Becky . .

Are you participating in the Food Stamp
program?  Check out  information (and
frequently asked questions) about this
program
here.

For parents whose children have IEPs:  
www.teamchild.org

*See especially "Make a difference in a child's life:
A manual for helping children and youth get what
they need in school", found
here.
The Research and Training Center (RTC) on Family Support and Children's Mental Health has a page
listing children's mental health links.  Find it
here.

Also check out the RTC home page for more good information on children's mental health:
www.rtc.pdx.edu
Help for adoptive parents:  see this website:  
  
http://AdoptiveParentsNetwork.com

A parent advocacy brief,  "A Parent's Guide to Response-to-Intervention (RTI)" can be found on the
National Center for Learning Disabilities website:  
www.LD.org

To find the brief, click "Advocacy Center" under the "Our Programs" menu at the left of the home page,
then scroll down to "A Parent's Guide . . . "  
Also note that information about the "No Child Left
Behind" act is available at this website:  
www.ed.gov  
   
Click on "No Child Left Behind" at the top right of the
home page.            

And note that information about the Office of Civil
Rights can be found at their  website,
here.
The state RCWs pertaining to
Mental Health can be found
here
Click here for more information about the
Washington State
Mental Health Transformation Project
"Parents work hard to provide for their families.
Sometimes they need a little help. ParentHelp123
can help you find out if your family may qualify
for health insurance and food programs in
Washington State!"

Go to www.ParentHelp123.org
Where to find it on the web . . .
Psych Central . "Trusted information in mental health
and psychology"   
http://psychcentral.com
You need Java to see this applet.
For more
information on the
Partnership
Access Line click
here.




Youth N' Action  Youth 'N Action provides a voice to at-risk
young people, ages 14-24, in Washington State.
                            
                                            
National Empowerment Center
                                             Mission: To carry a message of          
                                              recovery, empowerment, hope and     
                                              healing to people who have been       
                                              labeled with mental illness.


Washington Dads:  This organization serves male caregivers of children with mental health,
behavior, or emotional concerns across Washington State
Check out their website here:
 http://www.wadads.org/  

And their excellent legislative web page is
here.

*******************************************************************************
Also check out this article from Disability Rights Washington:

Youth Mental Health system under scrutiny

Children’s Mental Health Coalition Introduces Bill of Rights for Families Living With Mental
Illnesses:  see it
here.

Behavioral Health Thermometers . . . wouldn't it be great if a thermometer could tell you if a
young person wasn't feeling well emotionally?  For more information, click
here.

On-line resources
Some resources are listed below ("Where to find it on the web . . . "  

For a fuller listing of on-line resources, including (1) support for kids, teens, and families affected by
mental illness, (2) information on educational law, (3) links to Spokane area schools, and (4)
general mental health information, click
here.
Passages is an age-span peer support program.  We offer
peer support to adult consumers, parents, and youth.
Here's a great new resource:

www.bringchange2mind.org
                  Check out the Passages activity calendar for
the month of February:

                  support group meetings, WRAP workshops, and
more.

February Calendar