Family Based Menttal Health Services enable the family to maintain its role as the primary care giver for their children and adolescents. These services are also used as a step-down for children returning to their family following out-of-home placement.
Services are delivered in the home and community at times most convenient to the family in a manner that promotes family cohesiveness. Services are governed by the child or adolescent’s and family’s need. They may include:
- Family and individual therapy
- Referral, coordination and linkage to other agencies, social services and community services, as appropriate
- Crisis intervention and stabilization
- Assistance in obtaining relief services such as babysitters, homemakers, respite care and supportive services such as transportation and recreation, and developing a network in order to receive these services
- School-based consultation and intervention
- Support for the parents in implementing effective behavior management and parenting approaches to the presenting problems of their child or adolescent
- Psychiatric care and referral
Program Philosophy
The goals of the Family Based Mental Health Services are to:
- Enable parents to care for their children and adolescents with a serious mental illness or emotional disturbance at home
- Strengthen and maintain the family unit
- Improve family coping skills
- Improve family communication skills
Who Receives Services?
Family Based Mental Health Services work with children and adolescents younger than twenty-one years of age with a serious mental illness or emotional disturbance who are at risk of psychiatric hospitalization or an out-or-home placement and their families.
Counties where WellSpan Philhaven provides Family Based Services:
Admissions
Family Based Mental Health Services must be recommended as most clinically appropriate for the child or adolescent by a physician or licensed psychologist.
- Services are recommended as an alternative to out-of-home placement or used as a step-down from hospitalization or residential treatment, or as a result of little or no progress in a less restrictive or intrusive service.
- There is severe functional impairment of the child or adolescent
- Treatment in the context of the family is determined to be necessary to effectively treat the child/adolescent
- A parent or guardian agrees to Family Based treatment
- Behavior is assessed to be manageable in the home setting