For the latest news about the pandemic and information from children’s mental health for our partners and providers, visit information about behavioral health and COVID-19.
For updates related to agency-wide DHS programs, visit the DHS homepage. It has information for providers, counties, tribal nations and members of the public as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. There you can also sign up for COVID-19 DHS emails.
Children’s Therapeutic Services and Supports (CTSS) is a rehabilitative mental health package covered by Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP). CTSS establishes policies and practices for certification and coverage of mental health services for children who require varying therapeutic and rehabilitative levels of intervention.
Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS)
Leads federal efforts to promote the prevention and treatment of mental disorders on behalf of adults who have serious mental illness and children with emotional disorders
MentalHealth.gov
Provides one-stop access to U.S. government mental health and mental health problems information and aims to educate and guide the general public and others
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Transforms the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery and cure
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Provides information about possible signs, evaluation, treatment, and resources for families of children with autism spectrum disorder and related conditions
Children and Youth with Special Health Needs (CYSHN)
Works to improve population health through building the capacity of all systems that serve families of children and youth with special health needs
Children’s Mental Health and Family Services Collaboratives
Information, including directory, map and reports, about community partnerships working together to coordinate efforts to address the needs of children with complex problems
County Web Sites
Links to county web sites with contact, resources and services information
Help Me Grow
Provides resources for families about the development of young children for parents and professionals which include information on developmental milestones, videos, caregiver strategies to support development, screening and evaluation, and how to talk about developmental concerns
Local Mental Health Advisory Councils
Information about county local mental health advisory councils designed to involve consumers, families, providers, and public policy makers in improving local mental health services
Minnesota Association of Community Mental Health Programs (MACMHP)
Information about resources, training and networking for community-based mental health providers
Minnesota Tribal and County Health Care Directory
Information for contacting counties or tribes with questions about Minnesota Health Care Programs
Office of Ombudsman for Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities (OMHDD)
Promotes the highest attainable standards of treatment, competence, efficiency, and justice for persons receiving services for mental illness, developmental disabilities, chemical dependency, or emotional disturbance in children by receiving and investigating complaints against government agencies and/or officials
Special Education Programs
Provides resources to guide parents and educators through specialized instruction process for students with disabilities
Subcommittee on Children’s Mental Health
Provides information to the State Advisory Council on policies, laws, regulations, and services relating to children’s mental health
AspireMN
Promotes leadership, advocacy and quality standards in the delivery of an array of services for troubled children and their families Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM)
Committed to education, advocacy and support designed to enhance the lives of those affected by autism from birth through retirement
Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health (MACMH)
Promotes positive mental health for all infants, children, adolescents and their families
Minnesota Disability Law Center (MDLC)
Provides free civil legal assistance to Minnesotans with disabilities on legal issues related to their disabilities
NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
Dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults with mental illnesses and their families through education, support and advocacy
PACER (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights) Center
Serves as parenting training and information center for families of children and youth with all disabilities from birth through 21 years old
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
Committed to the optimal physical, mental and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults, including a focus on role of primary care clinicians in managing mental health concerns
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Protects and advances the rights of adults and children with mental disabilities
Child Mind Institute
Dedicated to finding more effective treatments for childhood psychiatric and learning disorders, building the science of healthy brain development and empowering children and their families
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
Dedicated to building better lives for Americans affected by mental illness by advocating for access to services, treatment, supports and research, raising awareness and building a community of hope
National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health (NFFCMH)
Provides advocacy at the national level for the rights of children and youth with emotional, behavioral and mental health challenges and their families, provides leadership and technical assistance to nationwide network of family run organizations and collaborates with other organizations to transform mental health care
National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health (TA Center)
Dedicated to improving, sustaining and expanding systems of care and the services and supports they provide to improve the lives of children and youth with or at risk for mental health challenges and their families
Additional questions can be directed to dhs.ctss@state.mn.us.
To clarify requirements to CTSS Day Treatment providers, the Behavioral Health Division has prepared the following guidance.
Per available day, psychotherapy must be provided:
Any remaining time should be devoted to skills training.
Also, it is not allowable for a provider to count one hour per day as maintenance or transition for quarantine and still consider this day treatment unless the child is transitioning into or out of the program.
A full hour of service is considered if the service hour starts no more than eight minutes late or ends no more than eight minutes early. If transportation delays fall within this timeframe, a full hour of service is met.
The minimum size allowable for a group is two people. The provider must document in all group members’ notes that the group size was two due to the absence of the third (or more members) due to illness or other allowable reason.
It is allowable for an “on-site” qualified mental health professional to be virtually accessible as long as it is in compliance with the licensed professional’s licensing board requirement, is deemed appropriate based on the skill level of the supervisee (at the discretion of the supervisor) and the situation at hand, and is reflected in the supervision plan.
Psychotherapy hour can be provided via telehealth on a limited basis and not part of a permanent plan with the therapist joining via telehealth and the skills worker on site for children ages 6 and up, as long as the professional is leading the session.
Also, skills training can be provided on days without psychotherapy if there is not a mental health professional available to provide therapy. In these instances, however, this service cannot be provided as day treatment because day treatment requires at least one hour of psychotherapy.
Additional questions can be directed to dhs.ctss@state.mn.us.