MELA provides counseling services starting from age 12 years old and up. We are located at the heart of East Los Angeles and Montebello area convenient and ready to help those in need by offering services much need in our community.
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Services Offered
Substance Abuse Disorder Maintenance and Prevention - Through MELA's counseling programs, both women and men who lost their children to the court systems because of substance use disorders or domestic violence, have had their children returned to them by working with our counselors to strengthen their own efforts. Clients learn how they can control their need to use drugs and/or alcohol which includes our teaching self-esteem, life skills, health education, social activities, business skills, parenting, anger management skills and MELA generally has a pot luck luncheon with all our programs upon a clients completion.
Breakthrough Parenting - Parents are usually sent to MELA to help them learn how to best handle their children in all situations. It is not easy to be a parent and each child is unique and therefore must be cared for differently then their other children. Through this program, parents will learn the best approaches to take care of their child's needs.
Reconciliation Through Anger Management - There are times when anger becomes out of control and private patients will often come to MELA to learn how they can learn ways to control their anger. Their are clients sent from the court system to MELA so we may help provide ways they can learn to maintain control of their anger and give them alternatives behaviors.
Drug addiction - Drug addiction is the most severe form of a substance use disorder (SUD). An SUD develops when a person's continued use of alcohol and/or drugs causes significant issues, such as health problems, disability, and failure to meet responsibilities at work, school, or home. An SUD can range from mild to severe. Addiction is a complex, chronic brain disease characterized by drug craving, seeking, and use that persists even in the face of devastating life consequences.
Fees and Payment
Our programs are based on the theory that consistent rewards for positive behaviors produce incremental steps toward personal responsibility and productive lifestyles. MELA provides services through various payment methods such as L.A. County's Substance Use Disorders programs, Medi-Cal, CalWorks, General Relief, private pay, and MELA has a sliding scale fee for low income clients. We're also a non profit agency.
No referral or insurance required to become a new client.
Services Offered To: Adults Teens Children
Special Groups: Bilingual
Payment: Sliding Scale
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Qualifying for assistance from California's program usually depends on the severity of your condition and financial circumstance. Read our full guide to California's program.
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.