What is the North Carolina Healthy Transitions Initiative?
The North Carolina Healthy Transitions Initiative is a program that works to provide extra support services for transition-aged individuals. Each of our teams has the following staff and services:
- Youth Peer Support Specialists
- Family Peer Support Specialist
- Educational/Vocational Specialist
- Transitions Facilitator
- Outreach Clinical Assessor
Because one of the major goals of the Healthy Transitions Initiative is to increase the voice and choice of young adults in the services they receive, participants of the program will be able to choose what personnel they engage with on the team, as well as what pieces of the program they want to engage in. Unlike traditional clinical approaches to support, participants are able to choose from a menu of service options, decide what pieces of the program they want to engage with, and not have to also complete certain requirements that don’t serve them.
For example: if you are just about to graduate high school and are struggling to decide what you would like to do post-graduation, you can choose to only engage with the educational/vocational specialist, who can help provide options and support around potential educational and or career goals that are geared towards your interests. You may also have a mental health diagnosis and struggle to advocate for yourself, so opting into the peer services of Healthy Transitions allows you to have one-on-one support with someone who has lived experience in navigating the mental health world and other systems that may typically be involved, such as justice systems, foster care, school counselors, and so on.
Get to know our services!
Youth Peer Support Specialist
A peer can be defined as someone who looks, thinks, behaves, and/or experiences life similar to the way you do. Like a friend, mentor, or family member, leaning on someone that has gone through what you have makes it easier to open up about your own personal challenges, successes, concerns, and dreams. Peer support is not a clinical service, so it can be used alongside traditional therapy or as a stand-alone service. It is also more flexible than some other services, so there are fewer barriers between you and getting the kind of support you want. Youth Peer Support Specialists can help by:
- Being a supportive presence
- Supporting you in identifying coping strategies that work for you
- Supporting you in building your own support system
- Normalizing your experience and providing hope for the future
- Being a role model for resilience and recovery
- Highlighting your strengths, along with supporting you in identifying goals and areas of growth
Family Peer Support Specialist
A family support specialist is similar to a peer support specialist, but with an emphasis on supporting the family of the individual who is enrolled in services. Just like peer support specialists, they use lived experience in order to support the persons that they serve. Specifically, these individuals have lived experience in supporting a loved one living with mental health challenges. Family Support Specialists can help by:
- Providing hope for the future
- Normalizing your feelings and experiences
- Supporting you in finding coping strategies that work for you
- Providing a nonjudgmental listening ear and a supportive space
Educational/Vocational Specialist
Navigating work and school can be challenging, especially when doing so for the first time. An Educational/Vocational Specialist (or Ed/Voc Specialist) is someone who is there to provide support to you on that journey of pursuing education and/or employment. Educational/Vocational Specialists can support you in:
- Finding and applying for financial assistance and scholarships for school
- Creating a resume
- Finding and applying for a job that is well-suited to your strengths and needs
- Having a successful job interview
- Registering for college classes and/or vocational classes
Transitions Facilitator
If you are connected to multiple services or trying to get connected to services, this can feel pretty overwhelming. Transition facilitators primarily support individuals by helping them to manage the services they are connected to and coordinating care, and/or getting them connected to the services that are right for them.
Outreach Clinical Assessor
Oftentimes, being assessed is one of the first steps in accessing mental health services. After being assessed, your needs will become clearer, providing an idea of who may be the most helpful support to have on your team. The Outreach Clinical Assessor works to complete these assessments and support you by providing recommendations for services and collaborating with you to determine the level of support you need at that time.