Youth & Family Counseling Service (YFCS) has been helping area residents coping with mental illness, substance abuse and behavioral health issues since 1918. Started years ago as the Mission of Help by St. Paul's Episcopal Church, the organization became a private, nonprofit, and non-sectarian agency in 1961.
The mission of YFCS is to provide affordable professional counseling without regard for the individual ability to pay.
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Services Offered
Families and Couples
Families and couples come to YFCS for assistance with a variety of family issues, such as divorce, domestic violence; parenting; money, intimacy, infidelity, stage of life issues and other common relationship struggles. Treatment approaches reinforce the skills and strengths of individuals and families and emphasize personal growth, development and situational change.
Group Psychotherapy
Similar to individual therapy, group therapy's goal is to help people cope with difficulties as they grow and develop in their professional and social lives. Positive peer groups represent a powerful intervention that is a source of persuasion, stabilization, and support, particularly when clients are working to identify personal goals and interests and/or overcome thoughts and feeling associated with anxiety and/or depression.
Fees and Payment
This is a non-profit agency
We accept most insurance and credit cards. We'll work with you to accommodate your needs
We offer sliding scale fees, therefore, allowing us to accommodate the financial needs of all our clients regardless of income or socio-economic status
Services Offered To: Adults Couples Teens Children
Special Groups: Bilingual
Payment: Sliding Scale Pro-bono Medicare
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 New Jersey's program usually depends on the severity of your condition and financial circumstance. Read our full guide to New Jersey'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.