The Loudoun County Community Services Board www.loudoun.gov/csb located in Virginia has partnered with PRS Inc. www.prsinc.org a nonprofit to help young people living with serious mental health issues. The program called “Linking Individuals and Navigating Care” (LINC) www.loudoun.gov/LINC is a coordinated specialty service program made possible through a grant from the Virginia Department of Behavioral health and Developmental Services.
LINC is designed to help adolescents and young adults, ages 16-30 with their first psychotic episode. “Serious mental illness often makes an appearance during the teen years,” said Wendy Gradison CEO, PRS, Inc. “If we can help them early through a coordinated approach, then young people will have a much better chance of recovering their lives.”
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness www.nami.org, 20 percent of youth between the ages of 13 and 18 have or will have a serious mental illness. The average length of time between onset of the illness and getting help can be almost a decade. LINC seeks to lessen the gap by providing help much earlier.
LINC’s goal is to help young people and their families understand and manage symptoms of mental illness, while also means building skills and supports to allow them to be successful in work and school.
The program consists of an integrated team from PRS and the county Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services (MHSADS) www.loudoun.gov/MHSADS The team provides individualized and flexible services to the participants in the program.
These services include family education and support, care from a coordinated team of professionals, assistance with getting and keeping a job, and assistance with meeting educational goals. The program also focuses on clients’ families so they can better understand mental illness and learn ways to support their family member.
Participants must reside in Loudoun County, be willing to participate in services, and have had their first experience of psychosis within the past 24 months. For more information, email Debra Schuetz at Debra.Schuetz@loudoun.gov or call 703-771-5239.