WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HM 61

STUDY AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL STORYTELLING TREATMENT

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Day Hochman-Vigil and 3 co-sponsors

CYFD should study and implement autobiographical storytelling as a trauma-informed approach for children in care, partnering with SLPs and mental health professionals to support la

Signed
#health&healthfacilities #memorials #other
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HM 61

HM 61: Study Autobiographical Storytelling Treatment (New Mexico)

Overview

  • Type: House Memorial (HM61), memorial urging state agencies to study and implement autobiographical storytelling as a trauma-informed strategy for children, particularly those in foster care.
  • Status: Signed into effect (April 22, 2025). Effective date tied to standard memorial timing: 90 days after legislative adjournment or June 20, 2025, whichever applies.
  • Introduced: March 14, 2025
  • Subject: Health & Health Facilities; Memorials; Other
  • Relationship to other bills: Related to HB 345 and HB 534 (trauma-informed efforts and use of autobiographical storytelling).

Purpose and Intent

  • Acknowledges autobiographical storytelling as a trauma-informed therapeutic approach aligned with narrative therapy.
  • Requests the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) to partner with speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and licensed behavioral/mental health professionals to integrate language development and trauma-informed storytelling for families and caseworkers.
  • Aims to help children in CYFD custody develop autobiographical stories and experiences that support emotional health and language development, while designing activities that focus on present caregiving rather than solely past trauma.
  • Seeks a practical strategy plan for families in which traumatic memories may arise at home.

Key Provisions

  • Collaboration and Training:
    • CYFD would collaborate with SLPs and licensed trauma-informed mental health professionals to provide language development trainings and workshops for families and caseworkers.
  • Child-Focused Narrative Work:
    • CYFD would assist children in care to develop autobiographical stories and experiences that aid emotional well-being and language skills.
  • Program Design:
    • Develop events and activities tailored to present-day caregiving contexts, avoiding emphasis solely on traumatic past events.
  • Family Support Plan:
    • Provide families with a strategy plan to follow if traumatic memories surface at home.
  • Administrative Transmission:
    • A copy of the memorial is to be transmitted to the CYFD secretary.

Who Is Affected

  • Primary: Children in foster care and other CYFD-supported youth in New Mexico.
  • Implementers: CYFD, with input from SLPs and licensed behavioral/mental health providers; foster families and other caregivers.
  • Stakeholders noted in fiscal analysis include the Health Care Authority (Medicaid), and the broader behavioral health system serving children.

Fiscal and Procedural Context

  • Fiscal Note: No new appropriation is included in HM61.
  • Potential Costs:
    • In related analysis (HB 534), CYFD indicated possible annual costs around $230,000 to contract with SLPs for trainings and workshops.
    • CYFD could potentially absorb additional training costs within existing Behavioral Health Services Division budgets; FY24 expenditures were about $46 million (roughly $3.7 million under budget).
    • A prior Government Results and Opportunities (GRO) appropriation of $1.5 million (through FY27) could support trauma-informed training, though expenditures to date are not reported.
  • Administrative Considerations:
    • The memorial notes potential capacity constraints within CYFD for expanding children’s behavioral health services.
  • Timeline:
    • The memorial itself does not specify a detailed implementation timeline or outcome reporting requirements.

Significant Considerations and Risks

  • Benefits:
    • Aligns with recognized trauma-informed practices and research suggesting storytelling can aid healing and language development.
  • Risks:
    • Potential for re-traumatization if storytelling activities are not properly structured or are conducted in unsafe environments.
    • The memorial does not explicitly mandate voluntariness, safety protocols, or disclosure handling procedures.
  • Operational Notes:
    • Some concern raised about specifying only SLPs for conducting autobiographical storytelling; other qualified professionals (social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists) may also facilitate such activities.

Summary

HM61 requests CYFD to study and implement autobiographical storytelling as a trauma-informed strategy for children in care, emphasizing collaboration with SLPs and mental health professionals, language development, and caregiver-focused activities, with a safety plan for trauma memory occurrences. While no new funding is authorized, potential costs exist under related initiatives, and implementation would depend on CYFD’s capacity and existing budgets. The measure received committee approval and was signed into law as a memorial in April 2025.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.