Step 3: Articulate the Program Vision for Mental Health Services

At this stage, you’ve already learned about the importance of having a vision for mental health services that includes:

• Having everyone understand what is meant by “mental health” in your program
• Developing a multidisciplinary approach to mental health that addresses the relationships of child, family, and staff wellness
• Defining clear roles for families, staff, consultants, and administrators
• Developing a clear statement of expected goals and outcomes for your mental health approach

Now, it's time to work on making this vision clear and translating it into an actionable strategic plan, with input from the team members.

For your first two-hour strategic planning meeting with your team, start by developing a written vision statement for your mental health services that defines the overall approach to mental wellness in your program — an “imagined future” that you are striving to create. The vision statement should reflect your program’s guiding principles of children’s mental health. Obtain group consensus on this written vision statement and use it as a touchstone for developing your strategic plan — everything else in the strategic plan should be related to helping your program achieve this vision.

Once you have agreed upon a vision statement, develop a plan for sharing it broadly with the rest of your staff. As you learned in the Developing a Mental Health Vision section, it is essential that everyone — from bus drivers and cooks to the executive director — understand what you are trying to achieve in terms of mental wellness.

Last Updated: August 6, 2025