Mental health officials released a 43-page report on two grant-funded programs that dealt separately with early childhood screening and an unrelated study of new training for clinical professionals working with LGBTQ clients.
The effort found benefits in both programs. In the first, parents found greater understanding of the developmental progress of their children under 3. In the second unrelated study, mental health professionals reported serving more LGBTQ clients.
The project was designed primarily to contribute to learning, rather than providing a service. San Luis Obispo County worked with Cal Poly's Master of Public Policy program to conduct this evaluation and over the past year has interviewed program participants, reviewed program data, and made recommendations for projects going forward. The two projects and objectives were:
- 3-By-3 Developmental Screening Partnership – Facilitated by First 5 of San Luis Obispo, this project tested multiple methods of administering developmental screening tools to young children at local pediatric offices. The learning objective was to examine preferences for various delivery methods of screening tools in an effort to increase interest from pediatricians, parents, and guardians.
- SLOACCEPTance – Facilitated by Cal Poly and Dr. Jay Bettergarcia, this project tested a unique curriculum and training program to increase LGBTQ+ cultural competency for mental health professionals. The learning objective was to examine the impact of the training on clinician’s effectiveness and willingness to work with the LGBTQ+ community in a mental health setting.
