Jackie H., a busy professional working in the Wall Street area of Manhattan, knows all too well the stresses of balancing her career with her personal life.  She’s the mother of a young boy with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  

“Caring for my son requires constant coordination.  I have to manage his clinical appointments and his medications.  I also have to make sure that his day care center and babysitter know how to address his needs properly,” she says.  “On top of that, I have to make sure that projects are completed on time and that I remain available to the team I support at work.  If a crisis or something unexpected happens with my son, juggling all of my responsibilities can feel impossible.  This was especially the case in my last job, where my boss and co-workers didn’t understand my son’s needs and thought I was slacking off.”

Jackie’s concerns are almost universally shared by working parents of children with behavioral health needs.  While many parents find the work-life balance challenging from time to time, parents of children with behavioral health needs generally struggle harder to keep their personal and professional equilibrium.  

A five-year program evaluation of the Mental Health Association of New York City’s Coordinated Children’s Service Initiative (CCSI) documents the effectiveness of the provision of care coordination and family support services in lowering the level of stress experienced by parents and caregivers of children and adolescents with serious emotional and behavioral challenges. The evaluation was funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and conducted by Columbia University. Researchers found that when parents first entered care, 64% reported that their children’s behavioral health needs were an extreme drain on their personal time.  And 56% of parents reported missing work or neglecting their duties in order to provide care for their children.

These stresses can be eased significantly when families enter a system of care designed to address their unique needs.  When parents are able to receive appropriate supports, such as information about their children’s behavioral health needs, linkage to sources of treatment and rehabilitation services, and peer support from other families facing similar difficulties, the disruption in daily routines – at work and at home – decreases.

More than half of the parents who participated in the CCSI reported improvements in their ability to carve out their own personal time.  At the same time, the rate of parents missing work due to managing their child’s behavioral health needs dropped from 56% to 19% during program participation.

“There are things that help me to better handle the challenges with my son,” says Jackie.  “Getting him the right clinical services, plus having peer supports and other community supports, like a day care curriculum which accommodates his learning needs and behavioral style, all help.”

With appropriate care for children and with adequate caregiver support, the personal and professional lives of those caring for children with behavioral health needs can be made easier.  Parents of children with behavioral health needs should reach out to school personnel and to their pediatricians in their communities to find services which can help to meet their family’s needs.  Additional resources can be found on the website of the SAMHSA Systems of Care at http://systemsofcare.samhsa.gov/

Kathryn Salisbury, Ph.D., is Vice President of Programs and Lisa Furst, LMSW, is Director of Education both for the Mental Health Association of New York City, a leading innovator in mental health.