Mental Health Services Act

NVC and the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) of California

Intention

The intention of this page is to discuss and explore the possible relevance of the Mental Health Services Act aka Prop 63 of California to the support of Nonviolent Communication=

MHSA Background

The MHSA was passed by the voters of California in 2004 as Proposition 63 to encourage the support and development of services to people with severe mental illness. The money's (approximately 750M$ in fiscal year 2005-2006 ) is distributed to the County Mental Health systems by the http://www.dmh.ca.gov/ California Department of Mental Health] (DMH) under the supervision of the Oversight and Accountability Commission

Planning and distribution of the funds is being accomplished in five phases

Community Services and supports program (CSSP)
Capital (buildings) and information technology (IT)
Education and training (human resources) (WET)
Prevention and early intervention (PEI)
Innovation

Innovation

Innovation is concerned with the introduction of innovative programs which have significant likelihood of improving Mental Health Services. As NVC has been shown to have a significant effect on the delivery of Mental Health Services, it would appear that programs based on NVC have a significant likelihood of receiving support from MHSA Funds.

In Jan 09 , DMH published a set of Notice 09-02 concerning innovative programs.

Benefits of incorporating NVC in a mental health setting

Click HERE for research results on the benefits of using NVC for treatment of Severe Mental Illness.

Recommendations

Professionals interested in participating in the development of NVC programs under the aegis of Innovative programs under the Mental Health Services Act might contact the MHSA department of their County Mental Health Departments for more information on how to submit proposals for programs introducing NVC into their local Mental Health Delivery systems.