Planning Behavioral Health Services for Teens as They Move Into Adulthood

Early adulthood is a period of significant transition for teenagers. Older teens are beginning to mature and build the skills they’ll need to start jobs and families as they navigate the world on their own. Planning for this transition will help adolescents develop positive social patterns, personal responsibility, and problem-solving skills so that they become self-sufficient and independent adults.

For AHCCCS members who receive behavioral health services, this planning typically begins around age 16. At age 18, members must sign a document acknowledging their responsibilities as an adult who receives behavioral health treatment. See AHCCCS Medical Policy Manual 587 - Transition to Adulthood for more information.

Help Your Teenager Prepare for Adulthood

Family members, caregivers, and guardians can play a large part in a teen’s life during this time. Here are some ways to help your teenager prepare for adulthood:

• Provide opportunities for your teen to build self-advocacy skills
• Encourage teens to be active participants in their service planning meetings with their Child and Family Team (CFT) meetings. Teach them to ask questions, identify goals, and choose the topics to be addressed,
• Teach teens to make and keep their doctor appointments,
• Ask teens to learn the names of their medications and the purpose of each
• Help teens understand the role and purpose of each professional on their treatment team,
• Help teens participate in developing their Independent Service Plan (ISP) and understand how it helps to meet their health care needs.

Your focus should be on teaching self-advocacy skills. If the teen will be his or her own guardian, teach him or her to speak on their own behalf, ask questions, and follow through. . The sooner teens learn these skills, the more successful they will be in early adulthood.

Teens should be coached and empowered to direct their own recovery and advocate for themselves.. Family members and guardians can help teens create a list of questions to ask, and coach on how to get answers.

The Empowered Transition document English / Spanishprovides information for families of youth with disabilities to help their young person gain the foundational skills they need to prepare for success as they move from childhood into adulthood, with respect to their goals in the following areas: self determination, post-secondary education, employment, and independent living. This tool is appropriate for use by a youth, who may need assistance from a parent or guardian, a teacher, or a mentor. While this document targets youth with disabilities, it can be used for any youth who is preparing for life as an independent adult.

Things You Should Know About Navigating The Behavioral Health System

• Integrated Service Plans (ISP) outline treatment and include covered services, community resources, the member’s goals, and what natural supports will be used to achieve those goals.
• When you and your service planning team make changes to your ISP, your service planning team should give you a copy of the revised plan.
• Members of the CFT are expected to treat teens and their families with respect and recognize that they are the experts in directing their own lives.
• Service providers are expected to be respectful of the family’s culture and ensure the services and treatment align with the family’s cultural values and beliefs.
• To help families navigate the health care system, Family Support and/or Peer Support Services are available to all families receiving behavioral services.
• Your Child and Family Team should include natural supports. These can be friends, extended family, coaches, church members, or any other trusted person.
• Adolescents may request to keep their current CFT until age 21.
• Adolescent Substance Treatment Programs

Other Resources

Contacts

Direct questions for AHCCCS to the following email addresses:

• For help with behavioral health in schools, bhinschools@azahcccs.gov
• For Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) information, ASD@azahcccs.gov
• For behavioral health advocacy, OIFA@azahcccs.gov

The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) is committed to ensuring the availability of timely, quality behavioral health care. If you or a loved one are enrolled in AHCCCS and are unable to access behavioral health services, or if you have a concern about the quality of care, please call the Member Services for the RBHA serving your area. If you have questions, or are still unable to access services, please call AHCCCS Clinical Resolution Unit at 602-364-4558, 1-800-867-5808, or email dmsoca@azahcccs.gov.