Behavioral Health Services you may not know about by ASA Now

There are services available for your foster or adoptive child you may not know about. Title 19 (foster/adopted) children and Title 21 (Kids Care) children are entitled to receive Direct Support and Specialty Providers based on their individual needs. All services are determined through a CFT but below is a list of covered services:

• Family support services – assists the family caring for the child by providing individualized, home and community based behavioral support through empirically validated interventions.
• Individual, family and/or group counseling; including trauma informed practices – having a child with acute behaviors affects the entire family. Counseling is provided to the family unit as often as the family and/or referring party requests. Counselors work to help decrease stress and increase positive behaviors while improving familial relationships.
• Respite Services – intended to provide rest or relief to parents or guardians that experience a high level of stress as a result of caring for children with behavioral health needs. There are different types of respite options that families are entitled to receive such as Emergency, in-home or out-of-home respite. Respite services can be planned or unplanned. Respite services are available 24 hours a day. Children are eligible for a maximum of 600 hours and may be utilized by caregiver as needed.
• Expressive therapies (art, drama, play, sand tray) – are provided in conjunction with a trauma therapist, with the exception of Art Therapy, this can be provided solely by an individual agency.
• In-home supports – based on your families unique needs.
Peer Run Organizations– provided by parents who have experience raising a child with behavior health. They are available to attend CFT’s and can help you advocate for your children’s needs. They also provide parent peer support, family education, respite, and youth mentor services.
• Parent Management Training – guided discussion and role play to teach parents very specific ways to interact with their child to improve aggressive, oppositional and antisocial behavior.
• Triple P Parenting Program – aims to prevent or reduce severe behavioral, emotional, and developmental problems in children by enhancing the knowledge, skills, and confidence of parents, counseling, hands-on parenting skills training and groups.
• Phase of Life Services – Birth to Five provides a developmental stage screening and determination is made for on-going treatment. Transition Aged Youth focuses on educational and job preparedness training, development of independent living skills. Can include academic training, college preparation, life skills, career workshops and employment support.
• Equine Therapy – Specialized Equine Assisted Therapy programs utilize interactive activities with horses during each session to help work on therapeutic goals.
• Mentoring – provides support services that allow adults to be positive role models in the lives of children, adolescents and young adults. Services include role modeling, coaching, instructing life skills, offering family support and budgeting.
• After School Programs – provided during after school hours and at varied times during summer and holiday breaks.

Evidence Based Therapies:
• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA): the use of these techniques and principles to bring about meaningful and positive change in behavior for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy: cognitive behavioral therapy which supports an array of chronic or severe mental health issues, including self-harm, eating and food issues, addiction, and post-traumatic stress, as well as personality traits.
• Trauma Focused CBT: a component-based model of psychotherapy that addresses the unique needs of children with PTSD symptoms, depression, behavior problems, and other difficulties related to traumatic life experiences.
• EMDR- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: a psychotherapy treatment that was originally designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories.
• Moral Recognition Therapy- MRT: a cognitive-behavioral counseling program that combines education, group and individual counseling, and structured exercises designed to foster moral development in treatment-resistant clients.
• Multi-Systemic Therapy- MST: evidence based intervention for youth with conduct disorder for youth 10-17 years old.

For children exhibiting unsafe behaviors, there are options besides disrupting or out-of-home placement such as:
• Meet Me Where I am: provides intensive in-home support to children and families who are struggling with emotional and behavioral issues that are causing significant distress.
• Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP): highly structured therapeutic treatment program that is designed to help children who struggle with emotional and behavioral management.

Stabilization Services:
• Family and Communities Team (FACT), Hospital Stabilization Team: focused on youth transitioning out of acute care hospitalizations and residential treatment centers. Promotes community stabilization, skill development, resiliency.
• Child Crisis Hospital Team (CCHT), Hospital Stabilization Team: services are designed for children who have been discharged from a hospital for behavioral health needs, been turned away from a hospital due to not meeting criteria or can be utilized as a prevention service to avoid further crisis escalations and disruptions.

ASA Now’s mission is to “support and strengthen the most vulnerable population” by empowering them with the education, support and skills necessary to be successful in all areas of life. They offer life skills, tutoring, extra-curricular activities, food boxes, social connections, information and trainings on how to receive behavioral and medical services, and much more. ASA Now is “committed to ensure that all families who have been touched by foster care succeed.” Prevention is at the forefront of their purpose, and this fall they will open the doors to Jacob’s Mission Community Center in Mesa, AZ. After-school tutoring, life and trade skills, extra-curricular activities, sports, support groups, equine and much more will soon be available to families in need. To learn more or to volunteer visit them at www.ASANow.org

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