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    The vision of the Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health at the University of Oregon is to improve access for all youth to evidence-based behavioral health supports. Central to the achievement of this vision will be the establishment of a new bachelor's level profession, the Child Behavioral Health Specialist.

     

    How will we do this?

    The Ballmer Institute will establish a new national model for supporting the mental health of children and families by creating the nation’s first undergraduate program in child behavioral health. The institute prioritizes the needs of youth who have been historically or persistently underserved and seeks to make real system change by: 

    • Creating a new bachelor's level mental health profession to support and grow the behavioral health field 

    • Partnering with èßäÊÓƵs to integrate child behavioral health specialists 

    • Delivering behavioral health supports and interventions in èßäÊÓƵs and the community 

    • Training teachers and other youth-serving professionals to promote youth behavioral health.

    • Developing new approaches to improve child behavioral health outcomes for youth and families.



    What does this look like?

    We are proud to partner with èßäÊÓƵ where our undergraduate èßäÊÓƵ, under the supervision of University of Oregon clinical faculty, will deliver evidence-based interventions to promote well-being, and prevent mental health problems from developing and worsening in children and adolescents. 

     

    In the fall of 2023, our clinical faculty will begin working in several PPS middle èßäÊÓƵs where they will:

    • Learn more about the èßäÊÓƵ and existing behavioral health services 

    • Work with the behavioral health staff in each èßäÊÓƵ to identify areas where support is most needed

    • Align activities to support student behavioral health to meet the specific needs of each èßäÊÓƵ

    • Build relationships with the èßäÊÓƵ community



    When will child behavior health èßäÊÓƵ be in PPS èßäÊÓƵs?

     

    • In the fall of 2024, child behavioral health undergraduates in their junior year will begin their applied training and coursework at the Ballmer Institute at the University of Oregon Portland’s northeast campus. In the winter of 2024, èßäÊÓƵ will begin working in middle èßäÊÓƵs to deliver behavioral health support under the supervision of UO clinical faculty. 



    What will child behavioral health èßäÊÓƵ do?

    Our èßäÊÓƵ will be able to support èßäÊÓƵs with multiple strategies including:

    • Early Identification of behavioral health concerns through strategies like universal behavioral health screenings, mental health literacy interventions 

    • Behavioral Health Promotion  - Delivering evidence-based behavioral health supports that promote wellness for all èßäÊÓƵ (e.g. emotion regulation tools, stress management skills, supports for identity development and building healthy relationships)

    • Prevention and Intervention - Delivering brief evidence-based interventions to youth at elevated risk for behavioral health challenges. (e.g. cognitive and behavioral strategies such as problem-solving skills or relaxation training)


    Child behavioral health èßäÊÓƵ and faculty will complement the current skills and responsibilities of your èßäÊÓƵ’s child behavioral health team.