COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEENSCREEN®

Most mental health issues in young people go undiagnosed or unrecognized during the critical developmental period of adolescence. Early identification of these issues is paramount to ensuring they will be dealt with in a timely manner.

The Columbia University TeenScreen® program is a free and voluntary adolescent screening tool that assesses physical and emotional well-being. It is a reaction to growing concerns over high incidence of depression, violence, alienation, substance abuse, intolerance, and daily stress in our schools today. The screening, conducted by a licensed mental health professional, detects emotional problems experienced by teens while the issues are still in their early stages. The screening involves a variety of assessment tools including a paper questionnaire, an interactive software interviewing program and a face-to-face interview. After securing permission for services, a case manager helps the student with guidance and follow-through.

Columbia University TeenScreen® is a proactive step designed to ensure our students' safety and get them help when needed. For more information about the program and how it is being implemented here in the Tulsa area, contact DeAnna Ukena at (918)382-2405, or dukena@mhat.org.

For additional background on the program and how it works, visit http://www.teenscreen.org.