For the fifth consecutive year, VTDigger is excited to work with Vermont Care Partners to promote the much-needed services of its sixteen respective member agencies which, includes NCSS. They also understand how important it is for our elected officials to know how to support the needs of Vermonters.  

This thirteen-week series is a collaboration produced by members of the Vermont Care Partners statewide network of sixteen non-profit, community-based agencies providing mental health, substance use and intellectual and developmental disability support.

Below is the eleventh installment of the series from NFI Vermont, Inc. (NFI) highlighting their Crossroad Intensive Transitional Aged Youth Outpatient Program that offers a lifeline of hope and recovery for those with mental health needs.     

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT Transitional-aged Youth mental health crisis in the post-pandemic period Sponsored by Vermont Care Partners Crossroad Intensive TAY Outpatient Program offers a lifeline of hope and recovery for those with mental health needs.

Transitional-aged Youth mental health crisis in the post-pandemic period

Crossroad Intensive TAY Outpatient Program offers a lifeline of hope and recovery for those with mental health needs.

There is a crisis in children and youth mental health in Vermont. At the national level, the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry declared a crisis in youth mental health in 2021. The Surgeon General of the United States also described the state of children’s mental health as a national crisis. 

Several factors contribute to the current crisis including the dramatic increase in the acuity of mental health stress in the community. Many of the issues contributing to stress for youth include their experiences during the COVID pandemic, increased family stress, systemic racism and homophobia, social isolation, the pandemic of substance use, death of family and friends, food and housing shortages, societal instability, and the climate crisis. Thankfully, there is less stigma about discussing mental health and greater willingness to seek assistance. However, to be treated, these needs require greater federal and state funding.

Complexity and Acuity

Not only are many more youth needing crisis stabilization, but youth are also often experiencing more intense levels of symptoms. Young people frequently present with higher levels of depression and anxiety, than before. Many of these youth have thought about dying by suicide. Many have acted on those thoughts. Read more by clicking Sponsor Spotlight link above.