FamilyBased Mental Health Services

Helping Families Grow Together

Based in Home and Community

FamilyBased Mental Health Services provides interventions, support services and therapy in the home and community for families and their children or adolescents, who have significant emotional disturbances.

The guiding principle of family-based services is that children grow up best in their own homes. Therefore, intensive individual and family therapy, as well as interventions in the child's life, are provided in the home and community, by a team of two mental health clinicians.

Treatment is responsive to the clients' lives and tailored to each family's unique situation, including cultural forces.

Goal Oriented

A team of two mental health clinicians and the family set goals by identifying the child and family's strengths and assessing the areas of need.

They create a treatment plan which includes specific behavioral strategies and individualized goals. This plan reflects the child or adolescent's developmental needs and will include family, emotional, intellectual, physical, social and cultural factors.

The team periodically reviews progress and establishes new goals as needed. With the family's consent, other agencies providing services to the child may participate in the review process.

Convenient and Flexible

Family-Based services are convenient, since they occur at home or in the community. They are flexible with delivery of services occuring at times most convenient to the family, with emphasis on evenings and weekends.

Brief crisis intervention and stabilization is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The mental health team works with other service providers who are involved with the family to ensure that treatment is consistent and convenient.

Supportive

The mental health team provides support for parents in implementing effective behavior menagement in the home, school and community. Parent training is specific to the child or adolescent and family needs.

Other skills developed may include:

Coping Skills
Problem Solving
Life Skills and
Stress Management

School-based consultation and intervention are also provided if indicated. Parents are assisted in accesing other support services in the community as needed.

Short-Term

The maximum length of service is 8 months. Individual treatment may vary depending on a family's progress.

Prior to completion of services the mental health team and the family develop an AFTERCARE plan to ensure that the family's needs continue to be met.

To Receive Family-Based Mental Health Services

The child or adolescent needs a recommendation by a physician or licensed psychologist and must be diagnosed with a mental health problem or emotional disturbance. He or she must also be determined to be at risk for out-of-home placement. At least one adult family member must agree to participate in treatment.

For more information about our Family-Based Mental Health Services, please call our Family-Based office at 412.343.7166.

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