It's TGIF -- and we are certainly thankful for the staff of Treatment Services during Juvenile Justice week and beyond. Mental health is a complex and pivotal segment of juvenile healthcare. Juveniles committed to North Carolina's juvenile justice system present with multiple and complex behavioral health needs. Psychological program managers within Juvenile Justice -- such as regional Psychological Program Manager Dr. Janet Clarke-McLean – supervise the work of licensed mental health clinicians and also provide assessment and treatment support for complex cases; and may provide administrative oversight for social work supervisors and nurse supervisors at a youth development center campus.
Clarke-McLean has been providing exceptional mental health services to juvenile justice-involved youth for more than two decades. She is a talented clinician who excels at training YDC-based staff to approach their work with committed youths and their families from a therapeutic perspective; using demonstration, instruction and coaching, Clarke-McLean’s patience, professionalism and unfailingly collaborative approach to her work has enhanced the work of numerous mental health clinicians and social workers over the years, directly and indirectly benefiting countless youth and families.
She also has assisted the Clinical Services and Programs Section in ways that benefit the agency as a whole. In the past year, Clarke-McLean has developed and updated training curricula addressing mental health issues within juvenile justice, and more recently, she developed a sophisticated tool for use in tracking progress of YDC youth in clinical activities monthly. She has served as a senior leader for teams of our YDC-based mental health clinicians being trained in the delivery of evidence-based mental health treatments. She readily lends her considerable expertise as needed in court and supports and trains other clinicians to perform this duty as well. She provides clinical supervision to mental health clinicians in the field and continues to provide mental health services to committed youth having complex mental health needs. Somehow, Clarke-McLean has managed to do this while being unfailingly gracious, supportive and patient, regardless of personal trials or challenges. We think she is one in a million and we are grateful every day for her integrity, compassion, commitment and competence.