Mental Health Programs

Dr. Gary M. Blau is a Clinical Psychologist and is currently the Chief of the Child, Adolescent and Family Branch of the Center for Mental Health Services. In this role he provides national leadership for children's mental health and is responsible for implementing the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Program, the Circles of Care Program, the National Children's Mental Health Social Marketing Campaign, the National Technical Assistance Programs, and a wide variety of other programs designed to improve the lives of children and families. Through the Director of the Center for Mental Health Services and the SAMHSA Administrator, he is also responsible for translating the President's New Freedom Commission Report for children and families, and for implementing the children's portion of the CMHS Action Plan.

Prior to this, Dr. Blau was the Bureau Chief for the Bureau of Quality Management at the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF). In this capacity Dr. Blau had responsibility for DCF's oversight of child welfare, juvenile justice, substance abuse and mental health service providers, including outpatient psychiatric clinics for children, extended day treatment programs, emergency shelters, group homes and residential treatment centers. Dr. Blau was also responsible for DCF's administrative case reviews, child fatality investigations, program planning and development, policy and regulation and the DCF Training Academy. Dr. Blau also served as DCF's Director of Mental Health and provided leadership and oversight to Connecticut's mental health service delivery system for children and adolescents.

Dr. Blau was formerly a member of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Director's Division of Children, Youth and Families, and from July 1, 1998 through June 30, 2000 he was the Division's Chairperson. Dr. Blau has received several awards including the prestigious Governor's Service Award, the Phoebe Bennet Award for outstanding contribution to children's mental health in Connecticut, and the Making a Difference Award presented by Connecticut's Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health. He currently holds a clinical faculty appointment at the Yale Child Study Center. Since receiving his Ph.D. from Auburn University (Auburn, Alabama) in 1988, Dr. Blau has worked in children's mental health with a primary emphasis on issues of victimization, child custody, permanency planning and innovative service models. He has held an appointment on the editorial board of the Journal of Primary Prevention, and has numerous publications and presentations in the areas of child custody, primary prevention, managed care and clinical service delivery.