Service Definitions
Assessments: Children’s mental health assessments may involve a variety of testing including: an overall health assessment, psychological, vocational or other types of testing or assessments that look at your youth’s functioning across all environments such as the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS).
Behavior Therapy: Behavior therapy is a broad term for treatment that focuses on youth’s behaviors and the thoughts and feelings that affect it. Behavior therapists also look at how the environment might have an impact on those behaviors. The basic goal of behavior therapy is to reinforce the behaviors you want to see and to eliminate the behaviors you don’t want to see. Behavioral therapy uses rewards and consequences to help children change their behavior and has been found to be effective in improving behaviors at home, school and the community.
Case Management Services: This service is available for youth with mental health challenges and involves a case manager who works to ensure that the family and/or person-centered planning process occurs and that an individualized plan of services and support fits the needs of the youth and family.
Child Psychiatry Services: Children and youth are referred to child psychiatrists for evaluation, consultation and, if needed, psychotropic medication.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT): This type of behavioral therapy focuses on helping children and youth understand the thoughts and feelings that influence their behaviors. It is commonly used to treat a wide range of disorders including depression, anxiety and phobias. CBT teaches youth a different way of thinking, behaving and reacting to situations and can help them feel less irritable, anxious or fearful. CBT can also help young people recognize negative or unrealistic thoughts and turn them into more positive and realistic ones.
Counseling: Individual and group counseling sessions are provided by trained counselors who can help youth cope with challenges in their lives, learn self-confidence and social skills, manage anger and emotions, and develop other positive life skills.
Crisis Residential Services: Short term, out-of-home placements are intended to provide an alternative to inpatient psychiatric services for children who experience a sudden mental health crisis. The residential crisis service provider will partner with you and education services to ensure your child receives school services while receiving crisis services.
Family Therapy: This type of psychological counseling is designed to help improve the way a family functions together. During treatment, a therapist will work with your family to improve your communication, relationships and help you to reduce and resolve conflicts within your home. Family therapy is usually provided by a psychologist, clinical social worker or licensed therapist. The therapist or counselor will look at your family’s strengths and interactions and then help you to reduce conflicts and address issues through a variety of strategies including: building conflict resolution skills, providing parent coaching and guidance, and helping you to improve family interactions as a way to reduce problem behavior. Your specific treatment plan and the things you work on with the therapist will depend on your family’s situation. Family therapy sessions can teach skills that can help you create strong supportive family connections which will help you to get through stressful times together, even after you’re done going to therapy sessions.
Group Therapy: This form of treatment involves a small group of people with similar challenges who meets regularly to talk, and discuss issues with each other and the group leader (usually a therapist). The general purpose of Group Therapy is to create a safe and comfortable place where participants can work out problems and emotional issues, gain insight into their own thoughts and behavior, and offer suggestions and support to others. Young people who have difficulty with friendships or other relationships can often benefit from the social interactions that are a basic part of group therapy.
Home-Based Services: These are intensive services provided in a family’s home and are considered an effective and essential service for children and youth with challenges. The services provided in your home will be individually designed for your youth and family and will focus on helping you and your youth deal with specific behaviors or problems. Examples of the types of services that may be provided include: mental health therapy, crisis intervention and other support services needed by the family. The goal of home-based services is to prevent your child from being placed outside of the home.
Independent Living Services: These services provide support for a young person living on his or her own. These services include therapeutic environment, supervised housing, and job placement. Independent Living Services teach youth how to handle financial, medical, housing, transportation, and other daily living needs, as well as providing assistance to the young people as they learn how to live and get along with others.
Individual Therapy: This form of therapy is sometimes referred to as psychotherapy or counseling. During Individual Therapy services, children and youth work one-on-one with a trained therapist to explore their feelings, behaviors and memories in a safe and caring, environment where they work to better understand themselves and others, set personal goals, and work toward the changes they would like to see in themselves.
Mentoring: Youth Development Specialists work with a youth person intensively to increase healthy activity and involvement in school or the community.
Parent Support Group: Parent Support Groups are provided as an addition to other treatments, and involves educating and coaching you as a parent to manage your child’s problem behaviors at home and school by using the principles of Learning Theory and Behavior Modification. Our groups help parents develop the special skills needed to successfully support and maintain their youth’s progress as they work toward making healthy life decisions.
Psychoeducation: This support service involves providing information to the youth and their family about their mental health disorder(s) and the treatments and strategies used to manage its effect on their life. Being informed helps empower children, youth and their families and helps them to effectively manage their condition.
Recreational Therapy: This treatment/service is designed to restore a young person’s level of functioning and independence in life activities they enjoy by promoting health and wellness and by supporting them by reducing obstacles to their participation in those activities.
Relaxation Therapy: This is a broad term used to describe a number of techniques used to reduce stress, eliminate tension throughout the body, and help to create a peaceful state of mind. Relaxation Therapy has been shown to be effective for young people with anxiety and other disorders. Relaxation training can help a young person learn how to relax their mind and body by relaxing specific groups of muscles or by thinking of relaxing places or situations.
Skill Building Assistance and Community Activities: These activities promote the integration of your child into the community. The therapist will assist your child to learn the skills they need to successfully be involved and engage in meaningful activities in their home, school and community.
Substance Abuse Education: This service provides education and prevention interventions to help your child gain knowledge about the dangers of psychoactive substances such as prescription drugs, alcohol and street drugs like marijuana, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT): This specialty treatment is designed for children who have experienced trauma. During TF-CBT, children and their families learn new skills to help process thoughts and feelings related to traumatic life events; manage distressing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to those events; and enhance safety, growth, parenting skills, and communication. TF-CBT has proven successful with children and adolescents who have significant emotional problems and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, including fear, anxiety, or depression that are related to traumatic life events. Children or adolescents experiencing traumatic grief can also benefit from this treatment.
Art Therapy: Is the use of creative techniques such as drawing, painting, collage, coloring, or sculpting to help people express themselves artistically and examine the psychological and emotional undertones in their art. With the guidance of a credentialed art therapist, clients can “decode” the nonverbal messages, symbols, and metaphors often found in these art forms, which should lead to a better understanding of their feelings and behavior so they can move on to resolve deeper issues.
Positive Youth Development: Is an intentional, pro-social approach that engages youth within their communities, schools, organizations, peer groups, and families in a manner that is productive and constructive; recognizes, utilizes, and enhances youths’ strengths; and promotes positive outcomes for young people by providing opportunities, fostering positive relationships, and furnishing the support needed to build on their leadership strengths.
If you are interested in any of these services, please feel free to give us a call.
St. Vincent Home for Children
7401 Florissant Rd.
Saint Louis, MO 63121
(314) 261- 6011