Family Care Network Annual Report

therapeutic
behavioral
services (TBS)
TBS provides short-term, one-on-one
individualized behavioral counseling
intervention designed to stabilize
the behavior of children/youth and
prevent removal from home or to
assist children/youth transitioning
back into the home from a higher
level of care. In November 1999,
we began providing TBS for County
Mental Health and has since worked
with 1,266 very high-needs children/
youth. Of the program days provided
to these children/youth, 94% have
been successful as indicated by:
• Diversion from a more restrictive
placement
• Family and school stability
2017-2018 Outcomes
Youth/Families Served 51
Total Program Days 7,448
Successful Program Days 94%
outpatient
counseling services
We provide outpatient counseling
services to children, youth, individuals
and families with the primary focus
to strengthen and preserve families.
Counseling services include: child
therapy; individual and family therapy;
marriage counseling; parent-child
conflict resolution; parent education
and training; and grief counseling.
javi
Javi had always felt like an outsider. Coming from a patriarch family that
strongly identified with their heritage, Javi was always told he was too
sensitive, which put a strain on his relationship with his dad. At only
14, Javi’s dad expected Javi to “be the man of the family,” and take care
of his younger brother and the house while he worked. With these
pressures on his small shoulders, Javi started showing signs of distress—
he withdrew even more from his friends and family; instead of sleeping
at night, he started roaming his neighborhood alone; and because
he didn’t sleep, he fell asleep in class or ditched school altogether.
Recognizing that Javi was on a downward spiral, his guidance counselor
referred Javi to TBS for critical support.
Javi’s team first noted that Javi’s family dynamics contributed greatly
to their challenges. Javi was withdrawn and felt rejected by his dad;
his father was confused, short tempered and resorted to yelling when
upset; and his younger brother found himself caught between the
two. The team was aware of the family’s strong cultural identity so Javi
was matched with a counselor who shared his culture. Because they
could relate to one another, Javi and his worker connected quickly.
Javi felt understood and accepted by his worker, which helped him
engage more freely with him. And with his worker’s help, Javi larned
how to identify his emotions and how to express them in better ways.
He also learned that being himself was the best person he could be.
While Javi’s dad also felt connected to their worker, he still struggled
with the idea that his son was “too emotional.” He didn’t want his son
to be seen as “weak” but he also loved him and didn’t want to lose
him. After a lot of team meetings and trying different interventions,
Javi’s dad finally agreed to participate in family therapy which was a
major step forward for the entire family.
It took a lot of time and therapy for the family to finally see themselves
as a bonded unit. The TBS team helped each member learn how to
communicate in healthier ways while family therapy helped them all
learn more about one another as people, both of which helped them
to set more realistic expectations and build stronger connections. No
longer feeling the weight of his family’s unrealistic expectations, Javi
feels more free to be himself, which had opened up new and wonderful
possibilities for him.
2017-2018 Outcomes
Of the 13 individuals who received
outpatient counseling services,
95% had positive outcomes as
indicated by:
• Completion of treatment goals
• Resolved crisis
• Improved functioning
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