CHDI Hosts Community Data Walk, Exploring Trends in Connecticut's Children's Behavioral Health Data

Blog

On Monday, June 29, 2026, CHDI hosted our first-ever Community Data Walk in collaboration with the Children's Behavioral Health Plan Implementation Advisory Board, funded by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.

Participants—a diverse group of providers, community-based organization staff, state agency staff, family advocates, parents and caregivers, researchers and evaluators, and more—examined the data hosted on the Children's Behavioral Health System Dashboard for Connecticut.

The five categories of data included substance use, workforce, system data, social drivers of health, and depression and suicidality. The event kicked off with a group discussion (ask Aleece & Felicia for slides).

Following was a gallery walk, where participants broke up into five groups, discussed each dataset, and then shared their responses using sticky notes.

Participants review children's behavioral health workforce data at the Community Data Walk

Participants reflect on workforce data.

For nearly two decades, CHDI has collaborated with state and federal partners, providers, and families to improve access to effective behavioral health services for children and youth. As part of this effort—and with funding and support from DCF and CSSD—we have hosted the EBP Conference annually since 2008 to provide training, support, and networking opportunities for clinicians disseminating evidence-based practices across the state. Together, we have developed a workforce in Connecticut that now delivers multiple evidence-based treatments and practices to thousands of children and families each year.

Explore the Data

Breakout session highlights

Conference participants chose from 33 breakout sessions where providers and child-serving professionals enhanced their professional development and earned continuing education credits in a wide range of topics, including:

Best practices in trauma screening
Culturally responsive and stigma-free treatment planning and practice
Effective caregiver interventions and engagement
Proactive suicide and risk assessments
Creative strategies to deliver interventions, such as game design, fandom, Disney stories, tabletop roleplaying games, play, and art therapy
Advancing evidence-based care for special populations, including autistic youth, human trafficking survivors, LGBTQ+ students, students with complex diagnoses, aggressive children and adolescents, adolescents with psychosis, and youth of different races and cultural backgrounds
The impact of technology on youth and family mental health, including social media
Interventions and strategies for working with youth with co-occurring substance use and mental health needs
Guidance for providing effective court testimony
Many other EBP- and condition-specific workshops

Swipe through the photo album to see some of the day's workshops!

Dr. Janelle Posey, LCSW, DSW, of Magnolia Wellness, LLC, presents "Culturally Responsive Treatment Planning: Integrating Identity, Power, and Lived Experience."
Travis Walls, LCSW, of the Child and Family Agency presents "Game Design for Therapeutic Interventions."
Chelesea Ferello, MAATC, LPC, ATR, of The Village for Children and Families presents "TF-CBT Meets Fandom: Experiential Interventions to Engage Adolescents."
Mirella Beltram from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families presents, "Human Trafficking in Focus: Language, Equity, and Statewide Action."
CHDI's Dr. Jason Lang, PhD, presents "Best Practices in Screening Children for Trauma."
Bob Madden, LCSW, JD, of the University of Saint Joseph presents "Substance Use Treatment and Confidentiality for Minors."
A full house for "The Impact of Social Media on Children and Families,' presented by Marcus Stallworth, LMSW, of Stallworth Counseling Services, LLC.