Bridging the Gap: How AIMWell Helps Children Access Mental Health Care Sooner
January 20, 2026
by Jami Bolton
National Children’s Alliance
Timely access to mental health services can be life-changing for children who have experienced abuse. Yet with a national shortage of mental health providers, particularly those trained to help kids heal from the trauma of abuse, children may wait weeks or even months for treatment. While evidence-based mental health services can significantly improve outcomes for these children, many families either aren’t aware of the services available to them or experience other barriers that prevent them from accessing mental health referrals.
That’s where AIMWell: Advocates Impacting Mental Well-Being, can make a difference. This is an enhanced version of our training you may remember that was previously known as Enhance Early Engagement (E3) with our first cohort in 2020. E3 was a partnership with the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and they have continued their partnership for AIMWell.
In Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs), victim and family advocates are often the first and most consistent point of contact for families. AIMWell builds on this relationship by equipping advocates with the tools and resources they need to identify a child’s mental health needs early, build trust with the caregivers, and guide families to the appropriate evidence-based trauma treatment.
The training program was developed with input from more than 1,500 CAC leaders and backed by research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. At its heart, AIMWell is practical, evidence-based, and designed for real-world implementation. Training includes pre-recorded webinars, live interactive sessions, coaching calls, and take-home tools such as screening instruments and family engagement scripts.
AIMWell trains victim advocates to:
– Recognize trauma symptoms and their impact on children.
– Conduct brief, validated mental health screenings.
– Use motivational interviewing to build trust and address caregiver hesitations.
– Navigate referrals and remove barriers like transportation or cost.
– Follow up to ensure families remain engaged in care.
Additionally, over one-third of children who come to a CAC endorse suicidal thinking in the two weeks prior to their visit. The Care Process Model for Pediatric Traumatic Stress (CPM-PTS), the screener utilized in the AIMWell training, screens for suicidal ideation and teaches victim advocates to develop safety plans that have resulted in less than 7% of kids needing an ER visit.
And it is working. In CACs implementing AIMWell, victim advocates referral rates rose significantly for both children and caregivers. Families reported greater trust and understanding with 97% sharing that they knew the next steps to access therapy, and 93% felt hopeful that their child would receive the help they needed. Nationally, we are also seeing a decline in caregiver hesitation to seek treatment for their child, demonstrating that trained advocates are breaking the stigma of mental health services, removing barriers to access and opening doors for children to heal.
“The most helpful things I learned was around engagement and having a new tool that can help families,” shared one recent AIMWell participant.
Although CACs remain dedicated to investing in AIMWell training, additional support helps ensure more staff can access it without delay. Thanks to the generous support of the Ronald W. Naito MD Foundation, NCA was able to waive registration fees for the Fall 2025 AIMWell cohort, making it possible for 46 CAC staff to receive this vital training. Because of this investment, more children and families now have advocates equipped to connect them to the mental health care they need to begin healing.
__________________________________________________________
Join us for the AIMWell Informational Call on February 4, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. ET to learn more about the Spring AIMWell training and the Care Process Model. The AIMWell training equips Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs), Victim Advocates, and multidisciplinary team members with practical tools to ensure more children access and complete the mental health services needed for healing.
Learn to strengthen collaboration, improve family engagement, streamline mental health processes, and implement evidence-based treatment pathways aligned with NCA standards. You’ll also learn how to use the screener Care Process Model for Pediatric Traumatic Stress (CPM-PTS)
Ready to register for AIMWell? Sessions will take place on the following dates:
– Welcome Call: March 18, 2026, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. ET
– Care Process Model Training: March 24, 2026, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET
– Live Call 1: April 15, 2026, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET
– Live Call 2: April 22, 2026, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET
– Live Call 3: April 29, 2026, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET
– Live Call 4: May 5, 2026, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET
The NCA Institute for Better Mental Health Outcomes is focused on strengthening the workforce that addresses child trauma. Offering meaningful, measurable value to children, families, clinicians, and the constellation of professionals that assist kids after abuse, the Institute delivers holistic mental health training that’s evidence-based and affordable for Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC)-connected professionals.
Lastly, click this link to be directed to the NCA Institute for Better Mental Health Outcomes Training Calendar for our other learning opportunities.
Jami Bolton is the NCA Institute For Better Mental Health Outcomes Training Specialist. She supports the Institute by organizing trainings and assisting clinicians and CAC members. Former Director of Training for New York’s State Chapter, she values quality education for CAC professionals.
