Youth Emergency Services & Shelter (YESS) changes lives by protecting children and empowering families.
YESS provides a safety net of programs designed to help kids when they need it most, including emergency shelter, crisis nursery care, mental health counseling, and care coordination. As Iowa's largest provider of emergency services for youth, the agency connects more than 2,000 children per year with healing and hope.
YESS is a nationally-accredited nonprofit organization that uniquely serves the community's most vulnerable children and creates an environment where families can thrive.
Services Offered
Blumenthal Crisis Nursery
The Blumenthal Crisis Nursery cares for the youngest children when their lives are turned upside down. As Iowa's only site-based, 24-hour emergency shelter for newborns, toddlers, and young children, YESS provides a nurturing, supportive environment and a temporary haven from the trouble and uncertainty in their lives.
Children in the crisis nursery receive specialized services to meet their unique developmental needs
- Age-appropriate activities and games to support children's development
- Counseling services that cater to young children's needs, including music, art, and play therapy
- Basic comfort items necessary for young children in our care
- On-site medical attention and care
- Case management to ensure children receive the support they need
Hope Hall Counseling
Hope Hall provides counseling, behavioral health services and other mental health support to individuals and families in Central Iowa. Our mental health counselors and therapists work with children, teens, individuals, and families every day to build skills, improve quality of life, begin the process of healing, and achieve successes that once seemed out of reach.
Individual child counseling - Individual counseling with a trusted therapist can start the healing process, help clients overcome challenges in their lives, and develop skills to experience healthy emotions and behaviors.
Family and group counseling - By bringing together the parent and child, or even several family members, this process allows whole families to work through challenges, address specific concerns, and provide healing. Expressive Arts Therapy - When talking about a problem is too difficult or doesn't seem to help, children can participate in art therapy, play therapy, and other expressive therapy options that support their mental health and emotional well-being. Behavioral Health Intervention Services (BHIS) - Skill development, supportive teaching interventions, and other behavioral services can help children with mental health challenges improve their overall functioning, communicate effectively, and learn behaviors that help them be successful and happy. Click here to learn more about BHIS services. Substance abuse support - Children struggling with drugs and/or alcohol abuse can receive assessments, comprehensive treatment in group or individual settings, and supportive educational resources. Assessments- Formal and informal assessments can be used to clarify what resources a child needs, recognize their unique strengths, and identify their overall level of functioning. This information is used to develop an individualized treatment plan that will best help a child succeed. Specialized therapeutic support - Hope Hall clinicians are trained in a variety of specialized therapy techniques including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
A community counseling agency is a group therapy practice that offers affordable mental health services. Most are independent non-profit agencies, state agencies, or publicly-funded agencies. A few may restrict who is eligible for services, so it is a good idea to check when you call.
Community counseling agencies are generally more affordable than other therapy providers, but how much more affordable they are will depend on whether you qualify for a discount or sliding scale fee (or if they accept your insurance). Many, but not all, have a policy that they won't turn away anyone due to inability to pay. You should ask about their fees when you first call.
Expect to talk to kind people who want to help you find the care you need. Most community agencies strive to connect you with a live person within 24 hours, if not immediately. If you're asked to hold or leave a message, don't give up; just leave a message and wait. You should hear back pretty quickly.
Most agencies try to set up an initial assessment appointment within a week (some do within 24 hours), though the waitlist to start therapy is usually longer—about a few weeks on average. If you're not eligible or if the agency is not right for you, it's usually still worth it to call or drop in, because staff are knowledgeable about local options and can often refer you to one.
