Dr. Michelle R. Munson Spotlights Youth and Young Adult Mental Health in Special Section of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal
Professor and Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs Michelle R. Munson co-edited a special section in the December 2018 issue of the American Psychological Association’s Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal. The special section focuses on Youth and Young Adult Mental Health. Dr. Munson and co-editor Dr. Maryann Davis of the University of Massachusetts Medical School are internationally recognized experts in services and interventions for young people transitioning to adulthood with serious mental health conditions, which generally occurs between 16 and 30 years of age.
"What is significant about this special section,” said Dr. Munson, “is that it summarizes the current context of young adult mental health in the U.S. and provides a set of papers with some of the latest empirical data on recovery and rehabilitation for young adults with serious mental health challenges."
In their introductory editorial, Drs. Munson and Davis address the state of the research since Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal published a 2012 special issue on Young Adults with Mental Health Challenges and they provide commentary on current social policies impacting the population’s employment and education prospects, outcomes that are known to be critical for a successful launch into young adulthood.
The five papers included in the special section provide data on the efficacy of treatment models, shed light on youth and young adults’ attitudes toward help-seeking, and offer guidance for community-based providers serving this age group.
NYU Silver is represented in the section, even beyond Dr. Munson’s role as co-editor. Among the papers is one led by NYU Silver Associate Professor Jennifer Manuel exploring the perceptions of mental health providers who work with transition-age youth regarding innovative treatment engagement techniques that are effective with the population. Another paper examines youth and young adults’ perspectives on help-seeking and was co-authored by 2017 PhD graduates Shelly Ben-David and Andrea Cole, now at the University of British Columbia-Kelowna and New York State Psychiatric Institute, respectively. Drs. Ben-David and Cole collaborated on the paper with lead author Dr. Sarah Narendorf of the University of Houston.
Dr. Davis and her colleagues from the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research in the Department of Psychiatry at UMass Medical School, also contributed several papers to the section, including articles by Dr. Davis and colleagues comparing two approaches of Multi-Systemic Therapy-Emerging Adults; by Dr. Kathleen Biebel and colleagues on the key factors postsecondary students with serious mental illnesses believe support their educational goals; and by Dr. Rosalie Torres Stone, a Sociologist now at Clark University, and her colleagues on the meaning of work for young adults living with serious mental health conditions who are receiving employment supports.
Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal is a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Psychological Association. It has a broad audience, including researchers, policy makers, service recipients, and psychiatric rehabilitation practitioners from a variety of disciplines.