The Side by Side Skill Development and Coaching Program provides a team of Mental Health Providers, Skills Coaches, and Peer Mentors who walk side-by side with our Members “moving as one” to help them build life skills, manage emotions, and connect with others through personalized coaching and lived-experience peer to peer support.
services
skill developMENT
Side by Side Skills Coaches help children, teens, and adults who have mental or behavioral health needs.
The goal of coaching is to help our Members feel better, do better in school or work, and get along better with others.
A Skills Coach helps our Members learn new skills to manage stress, emotions, and behaviors, setting goals, solving problems, and making a plan for a better future.
Coaching can happen at home, in school, or in the community — wherever our Members feels most comfortable. The Coach can also help connect the Member and their family to other services like a doctor, therapist, or support group.
Coaching is not the same as therapy, but works alongside therapy and other supports to give more support. It’s meant to help people with things they deal with every day.
practice sessions
Side by Side Skills Coaches help our Members practice the skills they need to live a better life.
A Skills Coach helps our Members practice skills like talking with others, managing emotions, making good choices, and solving problems.
Practicing skills in real-life situations teaches Members how to take care of themselves, get along with others, and handle everyday problems.
Practice can take place in groups or one-on-one. It can take place at home, in the community, or in a program center. The goal is to help people become more independent and confident.
Skills Practice helps people learn life skills so they can feel better, get along with others, and do more things on their own.
Skills Practice is not a class or therapy — it allows Members to practice their newly learned skills in a safe and supportive manner.
Peer to peer mentoring
Peer Mentoring is a service where someone who has gone through their own mental health challenges helps others who are going through the same thing.
Mentors are not doctors or therapists. They are real people with lived experience and understand how it feels. They listen, give support, and share ideas that helped them.
At Side by Side, Mentoring means getting help from someone who understands what Members are going through because they’ve been there too. They help Members feel less alone and remind them that things can improve.
Mentoring can happen one-on-one or in a group. It’s about building trust, sharing experiences, and helping each other grow.
Program Benefits
Learn how to deal with feelings in a healthy way
Get help setting and reaching goals for school, work, or life
Get support when life feels hard at home, school, or community
Build better relationships with friends, family, and others
Feel more confident making choices and solving problems.
Learn important life skills
Have someone to talk to who listens and cares
Feel more in control of life and have hope for the future.
evidence backed service model
Youth engaged in Wraparound services demonstrate 20–25% greater improvement in symptom reduction and overall functioning
Youth engaged in Wraparound services demonstrate 15–20% reduction in re-offending rates and stayed arrest-free longer over time
Youth engaged in Wraparound services are over 4 times more likely to be on track educationally
Youth engaged in Wraparound services demonstrate 25–30% higher likelihood of staying at home/in community compared to controls.
Resources
Barbot, B., Bick, J., Bentley, M. J., Balestracci, K. M., Woolston, J., Adnopoz, J. A., & Grigorenko, E. L. (2016). Changes in mental health outcomes with the Intensive In-Home Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Service: A multi-informant, latent consensus approach. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 25(1), 33–43. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.1477 PubMed
Bruns, E. J., Pullmann, M. D., Sather, A., Denby Brinson, R., & Ramey, M. (2014). Effectiveness of Wraparound versus case management for children and adolescents: Results of a randomized study. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 42(3), 309–322. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-014-0571-3 National Wraparound Initiative (NWI)
Coldiron, J. S., Hensley, S. W., Parigoris, R. M., & Bruns, E. J. (2019). Randomized control trial findings of a Wraparound program for dually involved youth. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/1063426619861074 National Wraparound Initiative (NWI)
Graf, D., Fuhrer, R., Karr, C., Luderer, M., Renner, T. J., & Schlegelmilch, F. (2024). Effectiveness of home treatment in children and adolescents compared with conventional inpatient treatment: Systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Medicine, 22, 375. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-024-03448-2 BioMed Central
Olson, J. R., Benjamin, P. H., Azman, A. A., Kellogg, M. A., Pullmann, M. D., Suter, J. C., & Bruns, E. J. (2021). Systematic review and meta-analysis: Effectiveness of Wraparound care coordination for children and adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 60(11), 1353–1366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2021.02.022 JAACAP
Ruffolo, M. C., Kuhn, M. T., & Evans, M. E. (2005). A randomized study of multiple family group psychoeducation: Child and family outcomes. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 13(4), 200–212. https://doi.org/10.1177/10634266050130040201 SAGE Journals
Van Loon, A. W. G., Creemers, D. H. M., & Asscher, J. J. (2019/2023). The effectiveness of school-based skills-training programs for adolescents: Randomized controlled trials (protocol and results papers). BMC Public Health, 19, 1677; follow-up RCTs report symptom reductions and improved skills. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6999-3 BioMed Central
Holmqvist Larsson, K., & Zetterqvist, M. (2024). An emotion regulation skills training for adolescents and parents: Perceptions and acceptability of methodological aspects. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 993124. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.993124 PMC
Burns, B. J., Farmer, E. M. Z., Angold, A., Costello, E. J., & Behar, L. (1996). A randomized trial of case management for youths with serious emotional disturbance. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 25(4), 476–486. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp2504_12 Taylor & Francis Online
Louisiana Department of Health. (2024). Community Psychiatric Support and Treatment (CPST) & Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) clinical policy (LA.CP.BH.90c). louisianahealthconnect.com
Virginia DMAS. (2024). Community Psychiatric Support and Treatment: Draft service definition (for youth/adults). Virginia Medicaid
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