Children, Youth and Families
Cornerstone (Transition Age Youth Project) 
The Cornerstone program (formerly known as the Transition Age Youth Project (TAYP)) is a promising new initiative to help young people with serious mental illnesses integrate into their communities and lead productive lives as they transition to adulthood. Southwest Counseling Solutions was selected by the National Council for Community Behavioral Health out of 40 organizations across the county who applied to become the pilot site for the program.

Our Services:

Cornerstone is based on the “Transition to Independence Process” (TIP) model developed by Dr. Rusty Clark and his colleagues at the National Center on Youth Transition for Behavioral Health at the University of South Florida. The model:

  • Is highly effective in helping young persons successfully transition into adulthood, enabling them to achieve personal goals in employment, education, living situation, personal adjustment, and functioning in the community
  • Uses ‘transition facilitators” who:
    • Assess the youth’s needs
    • Assist the youth in setting goals and planning toward those goals
    • Secure appropriate health and human services
    • Work collaboratively with all service providers and caregivers to develop a strong support network for the youth
    • Help the young person to make better choices and learn from his or her mistakes
    • Advise and encourage the young person about pertinent steps to realize goals and lead a successful life

The Cornerstone program is based at our CYF offices at 5716 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, MI 48210. The number is 313.963.2266. For more information about the program, please call or email us.

 

 

Our Results:
  • Cornerstone served 61 “transition age youth” (age 14 – 21) in 2012
  • Cornerstone is an evidence-supported practice based on six published studies that demonstrate improvement in real-life outcomes for youth and young adults with emotional/behavioral difficulties

A recent federal report shows that the 2.4 million young people (age 18 - 26) with serious mental illnesses are less likely than their peers to graduate from high school (64 % vs. 83 %) or enter college (32 % vs. 51 %). These young people also have difficulty in developing work skills, and in accessing appropriate general and mental health care. 

“We recognize that transitioning to adulthood is a daunting task for young people who have a mental illness or substance use disorder. Southwest looks forward to collaborating with other agencies in our community to build a meaningful future for these young people,” said Joseph Tardella, executive director of Southwest Counseling Solutions.

Cornerstone is funded through a grant from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. The National Council and MTM Services, the behavioral health consulting group engaged to lead the project, supported SWCS in designing the program. SWCS not only will receive intensive consultation focused on helping it meet program objectives, but also will be involved in customizing strategies that it can apply after the grant project ends. Data collected from the program will help determine the sustainability of the project to transition youth, both for SWCS and for other public mental health agencies that serve these young people.

 

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