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Have
you ever Experienced These?
- Concern
that your child is not growing socially
and emotionally like other kids
- Loss
of sleep due to concerns for your
child
- Gut
feeling that something is not right
with your child
- Wishing
this would be a phase in your child’s
life that will be outgrown.
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Do
these Behaviors Sound Familiar?
- Aggressive
or disruptive
- Violent
or cruel behavior
- Avoiding
social contact
- Absence
of speech
- Poor
communication skills
- Low
self-esteem
- Inappropriate
fears
- Depression
and moodiness
- Hyperactive
- Explosive
temper
- Suicidal
threats
- Lying
and cheating
- Manipulating
others
- Out
of touch with reality
- Unusual
eating or sleeping habits
- Trouble
maintaining good grades at school
- Few
or no friends
- Difficulty
with most relationships
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Key
Mental Health Services/Agencies
UPLIFT
(Family Advocacy)
4007 Greenway, Suite 201
Cheyenne, WY 82001
Phone: (307) 778-8686
Fax: (307) 778-8681
Toll Free: 1-888-UPLIFT3
E-mail:
uplift@upliftwy.org
Protection
& Advocacy (P&A)
320 West 25th Street, 2nd Floor
Cheyenne, WY 82001
Mental Health Program
Phone: (307) 632-3496
Fax: (307) 638-0815
Clients only: 1-800-654-7972
Email: wypanda@wypanda.com
Web Page:
http://wypanda.com
Department
of Family Services (DFS)
2300 Capitol Avenue, 3rd Floor
Cheyenne, WY 82001-3644
Phone: (307) 777-7567
Fax: (307) 777-7747
Web Page:
http://dfsweb.state.wy.us
Children’s
Special Health
6101
Yellowstone Road,
Suite 420
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: (307) 777-7941
Toll Free:
1-800-438-5795
Office
of Medicaid (Equality Care)
6101 Yellowstone Road, Suite 210
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: (307) 777-7531
Toll Free:
1-866-571-0944
Public
Health Nursing
6101 Yellowstone Road, Suite 420
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: (307) 777-6360
Supplemental
Social Security Income (SSI)
Toll Free: 1-800-772-1213
Wyoming
Kid Care CHIP
A low-cost private health insurance plan that provides health insurance coverage to eligible children who are under the age of 19.
Toll Free: 1 (877) KIDS NOW
(1-877-543-7669)
Web Page:
http://kidcare.state.wy.us
Mental
Health and Substance Abuse Services Division
6101 Yellowstone Road, Room 220
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: (307) 777-7094
Web Page:
www.wdh.state.wy.us/mhsa
Maternal
and Family Health
Wyoming Department of Health Community
and Family Health Division
6101 Yellowstone Road, Suite 420
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: (307) 777-7942
Fax: (307) 777-3617
Community
Mental Health Center
The state provides mental health services
through 16 regional Community Mental
Health Centers. Services are provided
on a sliding fee scale. See
county
listing for the center closest
to you.
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Does
my family need mental health services?
We
expect that in our lifetimes we will
need to see health providers such
as:
a Dentist, a Medical Doctor a Surgeon.
The
need for mental health providers may
be no different. In fact, our need
for mental health care can be just
as real as a toothache and just as
treatable.
This
pamphlet is provided to help you in
accessing Mental Health Services in
your region of Wyoming. These services
might include screening and evaluation,
early intervention, school modifications,
individual and family counseling,
day treatment programs, inpatient
or residential programs, and parent
training or skills building.
The
important thing to remember is that
mental disorders are treatable. Don’t
be afraid to reach out for help. The
road toward mental wellness for your
family begins with YOU.
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Mental
Health Services: A Parent’s Perspective
by Peggy Nikkel, Casper
Raising
a child with emotional disorders is
a challenge many Wyoming parents face
on a daily basis. Those same parents
often feel isolated, alone and hopeless
regarding their child’s needs.
Many parents refuse to discuss their
child’s needs due to the stigma
of having an emotional disorder or
mental illness, denial of the child’s
needs, shame and self-blame for the
child’s disorder, or frustration
brought on by failed attempts to access
good services.
After
parenting a child with a variety of
emotional needs for 18 years, I have
experienced all these feelings. Through
the years we have struggled to find
adequately trained childcare providers,
local schools willing to provide modifications
sufficient to enable success for our
son, teachers, doctors and counselors
willing to believe the severity of
our son’s problem, and service
providers who were trained to work
with children.
I
have known the heartache of repeated
inpatient psychiatric hospital stays
for our son beginning at age three,
the devastation of signing the first
school papers qualifying our son for
special education, the grief of placing
our son in residential care for 18
months at age nine, the persistent
feelings of self-blame fostered by
service providers, recurrent fears
of doubt that I could parent my son,
the secret hope that we would find
the magic cure, and the intense shame
when our son would act out in public
settings.
I
also know, first hand, the importance
of finding good mental health services
for your child, starting early with
good evaluations, modifications, interventions,
and medications if necessary, strong
family and community supports, and
consistency in parenting. At the age
of 18, our son is on the road to success
in management of his emotional and
learning disorders and is planning
for a future of independence.
Wyoming
is building a good system of mental
health care for our children and adolescents.
Call UPLIFT and talk to another family
member about how you and your family
can get connected. It will be worth
it for your child!
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Children
and Mental Health Services: Things
to Consider
- Children
should have access to a comprehensive
array of services that address the
child’s physical, emotional,
social and educational needs
- Children
should receive individualized services
according to their unique needs.
- Children
should receive services within the
least restrictive environment.
- The
family, no matter how defined should
be a full participant in all aspects
of the planning and delivery of
services to their child.
- Children
and their families should receive
services that link all their care-givers
together for complete and informed
treatment.
- Children
should be insured smooth transitions
to the adult service system as they
reach maturity.
- The
rights of children should be protected,
and effective advocacy efforts for
children and youth should be promoted.
- Children
should receive services without
regard to race, religion, natural
origin, sex, physical disability,
or other characteristics, and services
should be sensitive and responsive
to cultural differences and special
needs.
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Agency
Directory by County:
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