Para Todu Final Summit 2012 - www.icareguam.com

Teach children good will, golden rule - (www.icareguam.com)

Despite our far distance from Connecticut, we are not removed emotionally from the unfathomable, hideous killings of 20 young innocent children and six adults. It has indeed touched us and broke our hearts. How could this be and why? We ask these questions. Unfortunately, we would never know really the answers. We could only speculate based on the facts available.


Mental illness is not and must not be seen as an excuse for this horrific behavior. It is unfair to individuals with mental health conditions as there are many who suffer from mental illness, but are not violent, are not dangerous, nor are they murderers.


Clearly an individual that would do such a horrible thing as killing innocent persons must have no faith in God, must have no conscience, and have no remorse in what he is doing or has done. He simply does not really care about himself and much less of others to allow his uncontrollable rage to strike out at anyone indiscriminately. It's like a volcano building up for an eruption and who gets in the way gets destroyed.


Conscience is what keeps our behaviors in check. It's the inner sense, a judgment, that one has in determining what is right and wrong and in how one conducts himself. Conscience is derived from values and rules that a person has learned early on in life from parents and other authority figures, it's about what is right and what is wrong. It's about the "golden rule" of treating others the way you want to be treated. It is about self respect, respect of others, taking responsibility for one's actions and about restitution. These are learned positive behaviors that make up one's conscience.


As adults and as parents we must help our young to develop consciences that would form their character as responsible and caring individuals. We can start by examining our basic human values and impart these to our children early in their lives and throughout their development.


We must teach our children through modeling "good will" to others. This is an attitude of kindness, compassion and benevolence. Teach and model human values such as respect of oneself, respect of others and respect of the laws of the community we live in. An individual growing up with strong teachings of good will and faith in God would most likely develop conscience and benevolence toward self and others.


During this Christmas season allow time to give the most valuable gift to our children and families, and that is teaching and modeling an attitude of kindness, friendliness, compassion and benevolence.


Merry Christmas and peace on earth, good will to men!

Annie F.B. Unpingco, LCSW, is the administrator of the Child Adolescent Services Division/I Famagu'on-ta, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

Behind the Scenes - PSA (www.icareguam.com)

We can't give up on island's youths (www.icareguam.com)

"For these are all our children whom we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."

-- James Baldwin

National research in the field of children's mental health is more accessible nowadays, allowing us the opportunity to use the findings in science to improve our work with children and youths. Research tells us that most children and youths with mental health problems struggle to succeed.

Children and youths with mental health problems have lower educational achievement, have greater involvement with the criminal justice system and fewer stable and longer-term placements in the child welfare system than their peers. When treated, children and youths with mental health problems fare better at home, in schools, and in their communities.

Dishearteningly, "75 to 85 percent of children and youths in need of mental health service do not receive them," according to a 2002 article in American Journal of Psychiatry by Kayaoka S. Zhang and L. Wells.

Children and youths in preschool and elementary school with mental health problems are more likely to experience problems at school, be absent, or be suspended or expelled than are children with other disabilities. According to a study (Gilliam. W.S., 2005), preschool children face expulsion rates three times higher than children in kindergarten through 12th grade, due in part to lack of attention to social-emotional needs.

The rates of suspension and expulsion are three times higher than those of their peers, and among all students, African-Americans are more likely to be suspended or expelled than their white, Latino or Asian-American peers (Blackorby, J.; Cameto, R. 2004).

And children with mental health problems may miss as many as 18 to 22 days of school in the course of the school year.

Youths in high school with mental health problems are more likely to fail or drop out of school. Up to 14 percent of youths with mental health problems receive mostly "Ds" and "Fs," compared to 7 percent for all children with disabilities (Blackorby, J.; Cameto, R. 2003). Up to 44 percent of them drop out of high school, and more than 10 percent of high school dropouts were attributable to mental health disorders.

Local situation

Now, how does this compare to our situation here on Guam? Although we do not have local research data to compare, these national findings are not foreign to what we know of the children and youths that come through our doors for assistance at I Famagu'on-ta and the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

We have children as early as in first grade that are truant and refusing to go to school. We are seeing more children and youths with a history of progressive truancy from elementary school years and beyond. These are children and youths failing in school, but still being socially promoted, who have become educationally discouraged. Some eventually drop out of school.

These are children and youths who are getting into more legal trouble, coming in and out of the Department of Youth Affairs and the judicial system. These are young people who have not received mental health services and support early in their struggles and are now older and not amenable to engaging voluntarily in receiving mental health services.

Can't give up

Our challenges are great but we cannot give up on our young people. Our task is to work together as one community in addressing the holistic needs of our children and their families.

We know that education is the key to success. We also know that academic success for children and youths -- especially those with mental health issues -- depends on many other life domains.

Are they being fed adequately, or are they worrying about having anything to eat? Are they feeling safe in their homes or are they worrying about being abused/neglected or becoming homeless? Are they feeling welcomed, accepted in their school environment, or are they being threatened, ridiculed, shamed and ostracized? Are adults accessible and approachable for them to talk to when they need help, or are they shunned and labeled as trouble-makers because they feel and behave differently?

If you or anyone you know need our help, please call us at I Famagu'on-ta at 477-5338/5349.

If you are interested in learning about becoming a therapeutic foster parent to a child in need, please call us as well. We need your help.

Annie F.B. Unpingco, LCSW, is administrator of Child Adolescent Services Division/I Famagu'on-ta at the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

Children show system of care in art: Check out the exhibit at the CAHA Gallery (www.icareguam.com)

How do young people draw, paint and create artwork that brings a difficult concept such as "system of care" alive? This, of course, requires a great deal of thinking, planning, ingenuity, creativity and team work, and students from several participating schools got it!

To begin, the whole process requires a lot of discussion with the students around different "caring" scenarios and about "system." The students then put in their ideas and sketches of individual artwork pieces and then, working as a team, they collectively plan the layout of all the individual art sketches on a 4-foot by 8-foot canvas, which is divided into three panels.

The next big task is transferring the sketches to the canvas, fine-tuning it, and then the exciting part is to begin painting.

"System of care through the eyes of children" is a special art project which I Famagu'on-ta, of the Child Adolescent Services Division of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, through a grant from the Guam Council of the Arts and Humanities Agency, has been working on with several art teachers.

Talofofo Elementary School was one of the first schools to showcase its completed art mural at a school meeting last month. Other participating schools are Truman Elementary and St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School. The artwork will be exhibited at the CAHA Gallery in Hagåtña during December for public viewing.

This project of the students, under the astute guidance and encouragement of their art teachers, after many long hours after school and on Saturdays to get the artwork completed, resulted in five large, creatively detailed, and beautiful works of art about life events that all come together to portray what a Guam system of care is, through the eyes of children. Thank you to the parents for supporting your children in working on this project after school hours and on Saturdays.

Not only was beautiful artwork produced, but the time spent together created a positive teamwork experience and bonding among the students and their teachers. As one teacher commented, "Parting from their artwork was a bit difficult and sad to do, like letting go of a child."

The parents, teachers and guests who have seen the artwork were pleasantly surprised at the tremendous artistic talents of the students. You would be, too. Some parents didn't realize their children could create such beautiful artwork and were quite amazed and proud of their children.

We want the public also to be proud of the work of our young people. We invite you to come and see the art exhibit at the Guam Council of the Arts and Humanities Gallery, located on the second floor of the Terlaje building in Hagåtña, across from the Guam Legislature. The artwork exhibit will open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday from Dec. 5 to Jan 4.

We encourage parents to make this a nice outing with your children during the Christmas season. Come and enjoy!

Annie F.B. Unpingco, LCSW, is administrator of Child Adolescent Services Division/I Famagu'on-ta at the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

Guam System of Care - Through the Eyes of Children, Art Exhibition (www.icareguam.com)

Therapeutic foster care parents are needed - (www.icareguam.com)

Last Saturday I put out a call for interested adults to become therapeutic foster parents to a child or youth in need. Therapeutic foster care is a mental health service for children and youths with significant mental health needs who cannot be cared for in their own home.


It's an alternative to institutional care, be it a group or residential care, and incarceration. It is least restrictive and most conducive, integrated out-of-home placement for the child/youth with mental health needs. It is a natural, home-like environment with individualized care addressing the child's special needs.
The Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse and the Department of Public Health and Social Services have developed a partnership in the effort to support our children placed in the child welfare system.


Public Health assesses and licenses the home in meeting the requirements of foster care, and Mental Health trains and certifies the therapeutic foster parent applicant according to the needs of the minor. Mental Health compensates the parents for their services utilizing the Residential Treatment Fund, while Public Health provides reimbursement pay for the minor's needs, funding is locally provided. Both agencies provide oversight and support to the foster parents and the minor.


One may wonder how a regular licensed foster care differs to a licensed and certified therapeutic foster care. Placement into a licensed foster care home usually is urgent and immediate. It also allows for the placement of more than one child. Therapeutic foster care is a planned placement and because of the mental health needs of the youth, it is limited to only one child.


If you, or an adult you know, is interested in bringing in a youth to care for in your home, the steps to becoming a therapeutic foster parent is to first fill out an application at the I Famagu'on-ta office in Hagåtña. An application for a home assessment by Public Health must be completed as well. Once all the required documents are provided, which include a police and court/FBI clearance, letters of reference, physical exam and other relevant information, the training is scheduled and provided by I Famagu'on-ta, Child Adolescent Services Division.


There's an initial 40 hours of training on therapeutic foster care, the roles and responsibilities and expectations of the parent and agencies, followed by specific training on the mental health needs of the particular child/youth. This covers skills training on how to handle certain problems as they arise. A transition period is included in the training before the actual placement takes place to ensure success for both.


Additionally, ongoing training to provide support to the therapeutic foster parent and the minor is available.


The goal of therapeutic foster care is to return the child to his or her home or to a permanent alternative home setting, or to independent living. Therapeutic foster care is an evidence-based practice and is cost effective, compared to other type placements. Outcomes for children in therapeutic foster care have been documented in various studies and research indicating sustained improvement in the child's behavior and mental health needs as well as more successful transition to less restrictive environments.


Please call us at 477-5338/39/49 or visit us at the I Famagu'on-ta Office on Chalan Santo Papa Road in the J&G Complex in Hagåtña for more information on becoming a therapeutic foster parent.


Annie F.B. Unpingco, LCSW, is administrator of Child Adolescent Services Division/I Famagu'on-ta at the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.