YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES
Alternative Paths provides Youth Psychiatric Services through a Board Certified Child Psychiatrist for youth in need of psychiatric medications.
Children who are believed to benefit from child psychiatry services will complete a diagnostic psychiatric evaluation with the doctor to evaluate the physical, genetic, developmental, emotional, cognitive, educational, family, peer, and social components of the child’s life to determine a diagnosis and determine whether the child could benefit from the use of medication as a part of their mental health treatment.
Medication and child psychiatric services at Alternative Paths are provided in conjunction with an integrated approach that involves counseling and case management treating the child’s mental health needs, as determined by a clinical assessment.
OUR CHILD PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES TEAM
Dr. Victoria DeLong
Dr. Bushra Qureishi
COUNSELING SERVICES
Behavioral health counseling and therapy provide professional guidance through a variety of proven psychological methods and techniques. Alternative Paths’ counseling services allow individuals to discover their optimal level of personal happiness, interpersonal satisfaction, and day-to-day functioning in the community.
Our clinicians work with the child and their families to develop strategies for the effective management of mental health symptoms, we believe that it is important to provide clients with an array of tools that can have a significant impact on their daily living and reduce the negative effects of their mental health symptoms.
Counseling services are offered through individual or group sessions, depending on the client’s needs and clinical area of focus.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES
Youth CPST services are provided in the home, school, or other community settings.
Youth Community Psychiatric Supportive Treatment (CPST) is a service designed to assist the client and their families in managing symptoms and behaviors associated with mental health disorders. CPST services for youth are provided in conjunction with counseling or psychiatric services and work to reinforce the goals determine in the client’s treatment plan.
INTENSIVE HOME BASED TREATMENT (IHBT)
Intensive Home Based Treatment (IHBT) is a comprehensive service provided in the client’s home and includes in-home counseling and case management services.
In order to qualify for IHBT services, youth must meet the following qualification criteria:
Must be clinically determined to be a person with a severe emotional disturbance (SED).
Must be under the age of 18 years old.
Must meet one of the below criteria:
Youth must be at risk of out-of-home placement due to their mental health condition.
Youth who are or have transitioned back home in the last thirty days.
Youth requires high intensity services to safely remain in the home.
Intensive Home Based Treatment services are high intensity and require the clinician to provide services in the home an average of three to five hours per week. IHBT services may be offered in conjunction with psychiatric medication services.
The IHBT clinician works with the client and their families, and collaborates with other child-serving agencies, as appropriate to provide wrap-around services necessary to maintain mental health stability and maintain the youth in the home.
IHBT services are typically provided at the high intensity level for approximately 3 to 6 months, with the client transitioning to a less intensive level of care upon completion of the IHBT program.