Bill Overview
Title: Helping Kids Through Trauma Act
Description: This bill expressly permits state-licensed mental health organizations that receive grants for preservice or in-service training in a behavioral health-related paraprofessional field to use the grants for training on meeting the needs of children and adolescents who have experienced trauma.
Sponsors: Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV]
Target Audience
Population: Children and adolescents who have experienced trauma
Estimated Size: 25000000
- The bill targets state-licensed mental health organizations that provide training in behavioral health.
- The focus is on training professionals to better meet the needs of children and adolescents who have experienced trauma.
- There are approximately 2.2 billion children in the world.
- A significant portion of these children may experience trauma due to various factors such as violence, natural disasters, abuse, etc.
- The training will enable mental health professionals to better serve children and adolescents, potentially improving their mental health and wellbeing.
Reasoning
- The policy is targeted at improving mental health care for children and adolescents who have experienced trauma by enhancing the training of mental health professionals.
- This could have a direct positive impact on wellbeing for children under professional care by enabling providers to offer more effective support services.
- The budget constraints and population size indicate the policy is not universally impactful but provides select institutions with valuable resources.
- Evaluating the effect on different demographics helps to understand the breadth of impact, considering not everyone works with or is directly in contact with mental health services provided under this grant.
- Reflections will include actual changes in wellbeing scores alongside personal opinions of adults administering or indirectly affected by the policy.
- Wellbeing scores gauge perceived quality of life, which could be influenced by the availability and quality of mental health services.
Simulated Interviews
Child Psychologist (Chicago, IL)
Age: 35 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- With this funding, we can provide more targeted support to our young patients.
- It's crucial to have specialized training focused on trauma to do justice to the needs of children who have experienced it.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
Mental Health Organization Director (Houston, TX)
Age: 42 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The grants alleviate some of the financial pressure on our training programs.
- I foresee a positive change in client satisfaction and treatment effectiveness.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
School Counselor (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 28 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 18/20
Statement of Opinion:
- While it's beneficial for clinics, schools like mine aren't directly supported, so our counselor team feels left out.
- We need more integration of resources within educational settings to yield substantial impact.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 4 | 4 |
Pediatrician (New York, NY)
Age: 50 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The policy is a promising step for better systematic support in behavioral health. I can now trust that my referrals are more prepared to deal with trauma.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 7 |
Social Worker (Rural Kansas)
Age: 39 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 14/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Unfortunately, rural areas like mine tend to be overlooked, both in general funding and specialized training.
- Without nearby providers receiving training, improvements might be minimal unless outreach expands.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 4 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 3 | 3 |
State Health Department Official (Atlanta, GA)
Age: 60 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Allocating funds correctly timely is key; this policy gives us more leverage on training sector enhancements.
- We should ensure the effects trickle down to the grassroots level for real change.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Non-profit Worker (Seattle, WA)
Age: 24 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The ability to connect professionals with trauma-informed training directly impacts the quality of care our programs can offer.
- Immediate effects might not be visible, but long-term provisions are hope-inspiring.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 5 |
Journalist (Miami, FL)
Age: 47 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 7.0 years
Commonness: 13/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The policy's reach doesn't translate immediately to visible change, but it marks an essential shift towards structured mental health support for children.
- Reporting on this can raise awareness of the disparities where training is not yet available.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Tech Worker (San Francisco, CA)
Age: 33 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 20/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Awareness of increased training gives me hope for my niece, who has been through trauma, though immediate personal impacts aren't visible.
- I appreciate knowing more institutions are prioritizing trauma in their training.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
High School Teacher (Detroit, MI)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 17/20
Statement of Opinion:
- We often rely on external mental health providers, so the improved training for these specialists is beneficial.
- I hope to see lasting impacts as trained professionals engage more with our students.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $5000000 (Low: $4000000, High: $7000000)
Year 2: $5100000 (Low: $4100000, High: $7200000)
Year 3: $5200000 (Low: $4200000, High: $7400000)
Year 5: $5400000 (Low: $4400000, High: $7800000)
Year 10: $5800000 (Low: $4800000, High: $8600000)
Year 100: $10000000 (Low: $8000000, High: $14000000)
Key Considerations
- Potential challenges in scaling the training across varied organizations.
- The balance of maintaining grant accountability while ensuring training effectiveness.
- Duration of the policy impact is difficult to predict in exact terms due to indirect nature of potential savings and societal benefits.