Founded in 1967 by a group of parents concerned about rising levels of juvenile delinquency, drug and alcohol use, gang affiliation, violence and child abuse, Helpline Youth Counseling (HYC) was incorporated in 1971 with a primary purpose of providing counseling and assistance to at-risk, low income children, youth and their families.
Services Offered
Youth Services Bureau Prevention and early intervention program aimed at helping young people who are at risk for delinquency or who are on probation. This program includes individual, group, and family services.
ABCUSD School-Based Mental Health Services Prevention and early intervention program providing coordinated and intensive educational, therapeutic and support services designed to reduce behavioral and mental health symptoms among high-risk students in the ABC Unified School District. Services are provided on-site at the schools and also in homes. CARE Counseling Services A variety of assessments and services that may consist of individual and/or family counseling with the focus on social connections, parental resilience, social and emotional competence of children, identification of concrete support in times of need and knowledge of parenting and child development.
Department of Mental Health (DMH) Counseling Services Mental health counseling utilizing evidence-based practices and serving children, youth and adults with mental health, dual diagnoses, and trauma histories.
Family Preservation Program Multi-agency collaborative created and led by Helpline Youth Counseling, Inc., provides intensive home-based interventions to reduce the incidence of child abuse/neglect and to strengthen the family system.
CAL SAFE -Counseling for Abuse-free Living, Support and Family Education Tailored to meet the needs of CalWORKs recipients for which family/domestic violence is a barrier to self-sufficiency. Please contact your local Department of Public Social Services for referral.
School-Based Counseling Services HYC serves children and families in the ABC Unified School District, Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District and Whittier City School District in which there is a risk for child abuse or neglect and/or mental health challenges.
Prevention and Aftercare Services A comprehensive, integrated continuum of prevention and aftercare services and resources aimed to assist families in preventing child maltreatment or address the needs of at-risk families to prevent child abuse. Services include parenting classes, health care outreach, family engagement activities, anger management, health and nutrition classes.
Fees and Payment
Multifaceted comprehensive outpatient substance abuse treatment program for Medi-Cal recipients. Treatment is at no-cost to clients, and serves both youth and adults.
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.
