Our main focus is the reduction of psychiatric symptoms experienced by children and adolescents in order to help them become emotionally healthy and thrive in their environment. We categorize these outpatient services as Intensive Mental Health Services, Non-Intensive Mental Health Services, Prevention and Early Intervention Services, and Initiative Programs.
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Services Offered
Intensive Outpatient Services - For children and families in crisis situations, teams of therapists and case managers provide field-based services multiple times weekly, along with a 24-hour crisis intervention phone hotline, to stabilize the crisis situation and reduce the likelihood of the child being placed in residential treatment centers and psychiatric hospitals. Programs within our intensive services are Full Service Partnership (FSP) and Field Capable Clinical Services (FCCS) FSP offers services to children 0-18 years old and has some funding available to provide supportive services to others within the family.
Non-Intensive Outpatient Services - For children ages 0-21 and families with mental health needs, skilled therapists work collaboratively with the child, family, and others involved in the child's life via weekly therapy, medication, and case management services in the office, school, or home to address their self-identified goals and to improve functioning in the home, school, and community. Two programs included in these services are Family Preservation and Enhanced Mental Health services for children who are involved with the Department of Children Services.
Medication Management - For many children, counseling services are most effective when in conjunction with psychiatric medication support. At CFGC, we carefully assess the needs of each child and the values and wishes of the family when considering medication services for our clients. The decision to include psychiatric medication support is a decision made between the family, the therapist, and the psychiatrist. If medication is prescribed, it is carefully monitored by our highly skilled psychiatrists who are specifically trained in working with children.
Child Abuse Info - the Community Family Guidance Center's mission is to help Southeast Los Angeles County's underserved children and their families heal from trauma, abuse, emotional, behavioral and mental health issues through proven interventions and compassionate guidance.
School-Linked Services - CFGC provides Prevention and Early Intervention, Non-intensive and Intensive mental health services directly at school sites to reach children and adolescence that would not normally receive needed mental, emotional and behavioral supports outside of the traditional school setting. Our programs are designed to remove barriers such as transportation, scheduling issues that conflict with parent(s)/or guardian's work schedules, and lack of financial resources.
Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - The goal of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is to help children, adolescents, and their parents/caregivers overcome trauma-related challenges such as anxiety, depression, and withdrawal. TF-CBT is designed to reduce negative emotional and behavioral responses following child sexual abuse, domestic violence, traumatic loss, and other traumatic events. It also provides support and teaches skills to the parent/caregiver to cope with their own emotional distress and to support their children.
Individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - Individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (ICBT) is intended as an early intervention program for individuals who are experiencing or may be at risk for symptoms of anxiety, depression, and the effects of trauma which impact multiple areas of daily living. This treatment modality is a collaborative effort between the therapist and client and utilizes different therapeutic methods to address negative thought and behavior patterns that interfere with daily functioning. ICBT treatment can be utilized for transitional aged youth and adults. Currently this program is only open to parents of clients at our agency.
Reflective Parenting Program - The Reflective Parenting Program (RPP) is an innovative 10-week workshop series that engages groups of 6-10 parents in an in-depth experiential learning process. Each week includes instruction, discussions and exercises to engage parents in various topics related to their child's development. The workshops enable parents to discover new ways to think about the links between behavior, feelings, and actions, while learning strategies and techniques designed to enhance their reflective functioning. These interventions help children feel more secure in the parent-child relationship and provide families with tools that will be critical to the child's developing capacity to form and maintain intimate, mutual, and supportive relationships in the future.
Parent Child Interactive Therapy - The goal of Parent Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT) is to improve the parent-child relationship. This EBP focuses on children ages 2-7 with acting out behaviors. The treatment sessions utilize specialized play and family therapy interventions to build positive parenting skills and improve attunement and attachment between the child and caregiver. The therapist is able to provide direct coaching to the parent via a one-way mirror and earbud audio system, thus enabling in vivo practice in implementing new parenting techniques
Managing and Adapting Practices - A family centered, culturally sensitive parenting and family strengthening program provided in a group therapy setting. This program has been proven to increase positive family relationships and decrease problematic behaviors such as delinquency, adolescent drug abuse, poor school performance and involvement in the juvenile justice system through enhancing family's protective factors.
Fees and Payment
Most clients served through these programs have Medi-Cal Insurance. We do, however, have some limited funding for the uninsured or those unable to access other services, as well as programs developed to meet the needs of individuals without Medi-Cal coverage. We are also a nonprofit organization.
Services Offered To: Teens Children
Payment: Sliding Scale Pro-bono Medicare Medicaid
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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.