As the youth mental health crisis grows, so does the shortage of qualified therapists.
This is why Lori Butterworth, an award-winning nonprofit leader and child advocate, and Dr. Ramona Friedman, a child and adolescent psychologist teamed up to launch the Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, which has a location in Soquel and is dedicated to expanding access to affordable, evidence-based mental health support to children, teens, and young adults.
Their vision for addressing this youth crisis has been embraced by Morgan Stanley, which launched its mental health innovation awards in 2021.
This year, the new nonprofit with a location in Soquel is one of five national winners to receive $100,000, selected from hundreds of applications for its commitment to expanding services for first-generation American teens and families.
CCAMH plans to add a “First-Gen Teen Center” designed to empower first-generation American teen advisors to become peer mentors and help train new therapists to provide culturally informed support.
Lori Butterworth (left) and Ramona Friedman
“Parents are desperately seeking mental health support for their kids,” said Butterworth, who lives in Soquel. “I am excited about how this award and recognition from Morgan Stanley will allow us to address the mental health challenges of youth and their families starting in our local communities.”
Established in June 2023, the Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health has opened youth mental health centers in San Luis Obispo, where Friedman has a clinic, and Soquel, where monthly drop-in Zoom sessions take place for immigrant youth.
Their model balances a combination of free and affordable evidence-based mental health services, which include teen advisory groups, parent/family support, youth counseling sessions, and training and supervision for emerging counselors, therapists, and child psychologists.
“With 13 years of experience as a clinical psychologist focused on youth mental health on the Central Coast, I am very aware of the needs of the youth and families in our community,” said Friedman, who is president as well as co-founder of CCAMH.
She added, “I am not only thrilled to be fulfilling my goal to provide more access to the youth and families, but I am aware of the impact of this award to help us provide expanded access to mental health services to children and families from marginalized communities.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Children’s Hospital Association have all declared a national state of emergency in children’s mental health, triggered by lockdowns during the three-year Covid-19 pandemic that left teens isolated with few resources to call upon.
For teens nationwide, the second leading cause of death is suicide.
“Our youth can face mounting mental health challenges and together we must rise to the challenge by mobilizing innovative solutions to meet their needs,” said U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta. D- Carmel Valley. “Thankfully, organizations like the Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health are stepping up to expand access to quality, evidence-based youth mental health in California’s 19th Congressional District. This investment is a testament to this organization’s vital work and our community’s concern and care for the future of our children.”
Although the Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health is relatively new, its work
has been praised by countless families as well as the American Psychological Association.
“The American Psychological Association applauds the efforts of the Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health for innovation in expanding access to mental health care support for the most vulnerable among us,” said Association CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr. “We are gratified that this program was inspired by our collective work to promote population health, which seeks to prevent mental illness by working with people before they have a full-fledged diagnosis.”
This is not the first time Butterworth has launched innovative solutions to ease the suffering of children. She envisioned and led Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Services and the Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition. Then she became CEO of AIM Youth Mental Health in Carmel.
“When I met Dr. Friedman, we quickly realized that our joint expertise and passion for improving the quality and accessibility of youth mental health care could be leveraged to find solutions for the mental health challenges our children are facing,” Butterworth said.
Besides offering First Gen support, the CCAMH is recruiting interns seeking training, offering drop-in sessions online and support groups for parents, and seeking teens to serve on an advisory board and conduct peer surveys.
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To learn about the Morgan Stanley Innovation Awards see: www.morganstanley.com/about-us/giving-back/childrens-mental-health-awards-winners. To learn about CCAMH see: www.ccamh.org