Community-based organizations (CBO) starting must practice advocacy in their business. Advocacy for them means promoting their services and defending their operations. This practice could be conducted with governmental agencies for passing licensure, policy approval, corrective action plans, and contract negotiation. Yet many small CBOs need more paperwork, delays, frustration, and impatience. These new organizations need one step to rise to the occasion when necessary.
The challenge for the small CBO is that they need more knowledge and time for advocacy. Larger CBOs benefit from belonging to associations that can lobby for them. Whether they be the National Council on Wellbeing, California Alliance of Child and Family Services, California Council on Community Behavioral Health Agencies, or The Association of Children’s Residential & Community Services, these organizations offer their members entrance to decision makers. Their staff has connections with lawmakers and governmental entities. However, the small CBO may not have the budget to support membership. In the future, these organizations and others will help them navigate the system. But what do they do in the meantime?
As we discussed earlier, having the Three P’s is necessary to be successful in advocacy. But that alone is not enough. The one step that is crucial for a small CBO is networking. While there are many benefits to networking, one extra one is knowing decision-makers. Developing and cultivating these relationships takes a long time but is highly worthwhile. I have often worked with executives at new CBOs to guide them to the right people, and the networking pays off in the present and the future. Serving on committees, volunteering for projects, and other efforts can add to the networking approach. If an executive struggles with a supervisor or manager, advancing to the top of the agency’s food chain is worthwhile. Sometimes this means looking up who the state department chief is and approaching them. This process is not to create an adversarial relationship but to improve connections. Networking with the right person can reduce delays, improve contracting, resolve conflicts, and even provide feedback to the governmental agency. The old adage, “It’s not what you know, but who you know,” is vital in the behavioral health field. Even a small CBO needs to assert itself for advocacy for their agency.
Praxes Behavioral Health offers consulting services to CBOs. Feel free to contact us for more information.
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PRAXES is a nationwide behavioral health software, consulting, and training company. No one in the behavioral health industry has a better reputation, and if you give us the chance, we’ll show you why! At PRAXES, our services improve the efficiency and structure of behavioral health agencies serving children and families nationwide. PRAXES brings over 45 years of administrative and clinical expertise. With more than 100 client companies nationwide, we offer the expertise to advance the quality of behavioral health services. We accomplish these goals through our new clinical decision software, our training of best practices, and helping companies meet regulatory standards. At PRAXES, we believe in being creative and fostering new ways to serve children and their families. Our vision is to empower the families our agencies serve with skills that not only improve their functioning, but help them to thrive in their everyday lives. When you give us the chance, you’ll be connected directly to our friendly staff, so you can expect immediate attention to your inquiry. So, don’t wait, call now!
Dan Thorne has unique perspectives on the field of mental health. As a clinician, he has had over 40 years of experience working with clients in the Southern California area. After obtaining his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Irvine, he worked with children in the Orange County Juvenile Hall. Here he honed his earliest techniques on at-risk children. After that, he obtained his Master’s degree in Counseling from California State University, Fullerton.
In the 1990’s, Dan turned his attention to the clinical and administrative side of behavioral health organizations. For three years, he was the Assistant Administrator of Starting Point, a chemical dependency facility in Costa Mesa, CA. In 2001, he took an opportunity to be the Director of Harbor View Community Services Center in Long Beach. When he arrived, the Center had only 80 clients and 13 staff. When he left, there were over 400 clients and 75 staff. Dan created several programs through their contract with the Los Angeles County Departments of Mental Health and Child and Family Services. Under his guidance, Harbor View became one of the leading providers of children’s services in Los Angeles County.
While improving the results of the client’s parents at the Center, Dan reflected on his experiences as a parent. His children themselves had special needs such as mental and intellectual challenges, and Dan knew the toll it takes on the parent. In order to help the child, the parent has to be healthy. From this concept, he created his parenting program. After years of refining it, teaching it to his staff at the Center, and then taking the results and comments from these efforts, he became the developer of the current PRAXES program. It is a culmination of Dan’s personal trials and tribulations as a parent along with empirical results and research of over 40 parenting programs.
Our vision at PRAXES is to advance the strength of parents and caregivers of children with special needs (mental health, intellectual, or physical) through education, support, and empowerment. Thus, they can live healthy and functional lives while caring for the child.
Apogee is a clinical decision software designed to help behavioral health practitioners with their treatment and patient engagement. It provides evidence-based and research-based components. Not only do they consist of elements from such practices as Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Seeking Safety, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Functional Behavior Analysis, but also the Intensive Models for Parents, Youth, and Children.
PRAXES has over 30 years of accreditation experience. We know what it takes to get your organization accredited. Whether it’s Joint Commission, CARF, or COA, our team can provide an evaluation of your current status and review the standards which need improvements. We will assist you with the policies, documentation, and training required to be accredited.
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