Lorain County Office provides counseling for youth identified with depression
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded three communities across the country up to $16.8 million to improve behavioral health service outcomes. The communities include: Lorain, Ohio; Fall River, Mass; and Union City, NJ. These cities were identified as being hit especially hard the last several years due to the downturn in the economy. The local project is called "Partners Realistically Integrating Durable Empowerment" or PRIDE. "Our goal in these communities is to build a sense of renewal and resilience in individuals facing economic hardship and needing help with the emotional impact," says SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D. In collaboration with the Lorain County Board of Mental Health and the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board of Lorain County, Bellefaire JCB will treat adolescents who will be indentified by the Lorain City Schools as having depression. The agency will treat identified teens using cognitive behavioral therapy, an evidenced-based treatment model. Other local providers are also involved in PRIDE, providing services for adults.
All programs serve children and teens, ages 6 to 17, and their families.
Outpatient Services
Outpatient Therapy
Bellefaire JCB mental health professionals provide individual, family, and group counseling. Using evidenced-based practices, treatment plans are tailored to the specific needs of each client and family. Commonly addressed problems include:
- Parent-child conflicts
- Attention deficit-related disorders
- Oppositional behaviors
- Problems with mood, anxiety or motivation
- Victimization from sexual or physical abuse or neglect
- Aggression
- Adjustment to stressors
Psychiatry Services
Ongoing outpatient psychiatry services are available for children and adolescents in need of medication to address mental health diagnoses. Psychiatry services include a complete psychiatric evaluation followed by ongoing psychiatry appointments.
Juvenile Offender Program
Youth, between the ages of 12 and 17, who have been adjudicated delinquent with a charge involving a violent act and referred by the juvenile court, are eligible for this program. Clients are suspected of having a mental health diagnosis evidenced by behavioral, cognitive, and/or affective impairments. Referrals come directly from the court.
The program includes conducting a culturally competent, comprehensive psychological evaluation, including drug/alcohol assessment, to include: a DSM-IV multi-axial diagnosis, a Global Assessment Scale Score, and a behavioral assessment. There is also identification of violent behavior with recommendations for level of care and level of risk to the community.
Placement in a secure residential treatment facility or accessing community services are options.
School Based Services
Counseling
Bellefaire JCB provides ongoing individual, family, and group counseling for students in school, allowing children and families access to behavioral services in a familiar, convenient setting. Teachers and other school staff are encouraged to provide frequent and direct input into treatment planning and interventions.
Consultation/Education/Prevention
Mental health counselors provide targeted behavioral interventions in the school setting, including: group therapy for students and education for parents and teachers; consultation to parents and school staff regarding problematic behaviors; student observation; and participation in meetings related to youth, their functioning, and the impact of their mental health issues on the academic setting.
Student groups address topics such as: conflict resolution, grief recovery, anger management, divorce/separation, social skills, self-esteem, and coping with depression. Workshops for teachers and staff have included: managing mental health disabilities in the classroom, de-escalating behaviors on the school bus, and designing behavioral interventions to deal with issues such as impulsivity and attention deficit behaviors.
In Home Services
WRAParound Services
Intensive in-home services are provided, typically, for three to six months with 2 to 4 hours of service per week. Afterwards, families are transitioned to less intensive outpatient care in the community in which they live. The program uses a multi-systems approach to help families creatively solve their problems, and includes interventions for family preservation, cognitive behavioral therapy and wraparound services.
While working on family issues, the WRAP counselor coordinates services with the courts, schools, peers, therapists and other interested parties. The goal is to empower the family to help the youth operate functionally and safely within the community. The program includes:
- In-home assessment
- Individual and family therapy
- Professional services
- On going consultation and monitoring
- Aftercare planning
JOP WRAParound Services
Similar to WRAP except this service is more intensive, involving 4 to 6 hours per week and is reserved for those clients in the judicial system who have gone through Bellefaire JCB's Juvenile Offender Program comprehensive evaluation and received a recommendation for this service.
Lorain Substance Abuse/Mental Health (LSA/MH) Treatment Program
Co-occurring Integrated Treatment
Best practice research shows that providing combined mental health and substance abuse counseling is the most effective treatment for adolescents with co-occurring disorders. Our master's degree level counselors are dually trained/licensed in mental health and substance abuse treatment and provide individual and family counseling, group counseling, crisis intervention and case management services, which include linkage and advocacy with school, courts, and other community resources. Sessions are held in the family's home or community, averaging two to three times per week for a total of 3 to 6 sessions per week for 90 to 120 days. The intensity of services, location and times of sessions are tailored to meet the individual needs of families. It's an intensive, integrated approach that includes the entire family system to help adolescents heal.
Bellefaire JCB Lorain County Office
To learn more, call: 800.879.2522
Tamara Iwaszkiw, MSSA, LISW-S, Director of Lorain Programs
(440) 324-5701 ext. 11
Liz Wolanski, LPCC-S, Supervisor of Lorain Programs
(440) 324-5701 ext. 14