Our programs deal with children's mental health, children's physical health care, the prevention of child abuse, the treatment of family violence, teen pregnancy, childcare, and parent education. Integrated mental health services include comprehensive assessment and immediate assignment to the appropriate service(s): individual, family, and/or group therapy; psychiatric evaluation and medication management; school-based and intensive in-Home treatment.
Summary: The Child & Family Agency partners with community agencies to ensure that our clients are provided the services needed. Child & Family Agency nurtures children and families to develop their strengths through its service, partnership and advocacy.
You May Also Consider (Sponsored)
Quick Start Online Therapy: Tell Us a Little About Yourself and Get Matched With a Therapist Right for You
Take a simple guided quiz and let us know your preferences. Get matched to an online therapist right for you. Convenient and affordable online therapy from your phone, tablet or computer.
Have you been in therapy before?
Services Offered
Home Based Counseling - Home-based therapists recognize that, due to illness, transportation problems, disability, finances, childcare issues, level of crisis, or a wide range of other reasons, it can be challenging to get to a therapy office for an appointment. With this in mind, some therapists offer home-based therapy as a solution, not unlike the way many rural doctors to this day still make house calls.
Functional Family Therapy - A program that serves adolescents between the ages of 11 and 18 and their families to help in the reduction of negative behavior and improving the quality of family lives. Families with teens struggling with issues such as school attendance, substance abuse, peer conflict, and/or following household rules.
Intimate Partner Violence - This Department of Children and Families (DCF) funded program provides child centered services for families negatively impacted by family violence. The program offers brief, solution focused interventions geared toward increased safety and reparative experiences for parent/ child relationships. While initial intake and assessment sessions may occur in an office setting, most of the parent/child work will take place in the family home. Child and Family Agency's Integrated Family Violence team believes that small changes can lead to significant improvements in the lives of children and families.
Office Based Counseling - Masters' level trained clinicians provide counseling to address issues including family stress and conflict, child and adolescent behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, anger problems, adjustment to life stressors, trauma, peer problems and other behavioral health difficulties.
Child Guidance Clinic - The Child Guidance Clinic provides diagnostic and counseling services to children, ages 3 to 18, who are experiencing emotional and/or behavioral difficulties. Family Therapy is the context for much of the clinical work done at Child & Family. Caregivers are routinely involved in their child's treatment. Individual Counseling with Children and Adolescents includes play therapy, crisis intervention and other evidence-based models. Trauma Focused Counseling for children who have experienced trauma such as sexual and physical abuse is major service of Child & Family Agency. Diagnostic and Evaluation Services include a full range of psychiatric, psychological and psychosocial assessment services to children and their families.
Community Counseling - Providing the services within the school setting removes many of the barriers, such as lack of transportation or childcare, to accessing mental health services. Students accessing mental health services do so to help them find ways to cope with a variety of issues such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse problems, traumatic experiences, loss, family conflict, or peer problems. Mental health counselors provide services that include mental health assessments, referrals to psychiatric services or other needed services, and ongoing counseling.
School Based Services - These centers are licensed by DPH as Outpatient Clinics and are staffed by Certified Nurse Practitioners and Masters-prepared Mental Health Clinicians. Our YPP program serves pregnant and parenting teens. The program provides teens with before birth, after birth and parent education. The program also provides assistance with childcare, health insurance, food, housing, education and employment.
Fees and Payment
The Child & Family Agency is a non-profit, voluntarily supported organization. A sliding scale assures that no one will be refused service for financial reasons.
Services Offered To: Adults Teens Children
Special Groups: Bilingual
Payment: Sliding Scale Medicare Medicaid
If You Call, Please Let Us Know How it Went:
Were You Able to Make an Appointment?
One quick last question. Who was seeking counseling today?
Do you know the reason they are not accepting clients?
Qualifying for assistance from Connecticut's program usually depends on the severity of your condition and financial circumstance. Read our full guide to Connecticut'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.