1. Visalia Youth Services
Alyssa Maciel
Professor Cheryl Whittle
SWRK 180: Seminar in Macro Practice

2. Visalia Youth Services
about us…
 Visalia Youth Services is a community-based agency
catering in children’s mental health. The client’s
served are aged from 0 to 18 with emotional and or
behavioral problems. Visalia Youth Services (VYS)
clients are Medi-cal or Healthy Family recipients.
 Mission “To Serve People in Need”

3. Organizational Chart
Board of Directors
Chief Executive Officer
COO COO Legal Counsel
CFO Director of Finance
Regional Exe. Director Human Res Director Regional Exe. Fiscal Department
QIC/HIPAA Staff
Director
Coordinator
Regional Director
Hume Res. Dept. Staff
Deputy Reg.
Staff Director
Program Directors
Program
Directors
Maintenance and
Support Staff

4.  Treatment is specified to meet the needs
of the clients and therefore is given at the
clinic, school and home. Client’s progress
is measured by increased productivity at
VYS Goals home, school, and in the community.
 Services include:
& Services  Diagnostic assessment
Goals:
Visalia Youth Services’ goal is  Individual and family Therapy
decrease, prevent and or
eliminate more serious  Group Counseling -(Recent groups:
emotional and behavioral
Anger management, Parenting
group, Support group for families with
problems for their client’s Aspersers, Independent living skills
well being. group for young adults, Social skills
group provided at school)
Strengthen relationships
within the client’s lives by  Case management
implementing guardian and
 Crisis Intervention
school involvement.
 Therapeutic behavioral services (TBS)
Wants client’s to reach their
highest potential to become  Medication
active productive members of
society.  Consultation with school personnel

5. Referrals
 Clients are referred by volunteer, guardian, school
officials, physicians, (CWS) Child Welfare
Services, County Probation department and (CVRC)
Central Valley Regional Center.

6. For Children Aged 0 to 5 Signs that may
Indicate Services are Needed
 Parent or parents that feel overwhelmed by being a
parent or have mental health problems themselves
 Experiencing major source of stress in family, such
as divorce or death of a loved one
 Alcohol or drug abuse by someone in the home
 Violence or disruption in the home
 Unusual or difficult behavior by the child

7. Signs that Indicate Young Children may
Benefit from Mental Health Services
 Unusual changes in mood or behavior
 Refuses to eat
 No friends and or difficulty getting along with peers
 Does poorly in school, frequently misses and no desire to attend
 Many minor illnesses or accidents
 Very fearful, aggressive, or withdrawn
 Does not want to be away from caregiver
 Many disturbing dreams, difficulty sleeping and or afraid to sleep alone
 Refuses to be around certain family members or friends, acts differently in their
presence
 Displays affection inappropriately or makes abnormal sexual gestures/remarks

8. If One or More Signs Persists Among Young Adults, may
Indicate Mental Health Services are Needed
 Withdrawn from usual routine, including friends, family
and normal activities
 Unexplainable decline in school work
 Neglects appearance and or unusual amount of weight gain
or loss
 Runs away from home
 Violent or rebellious behavior
 Displays physical symptoms with no apparent illness
 Abuses drugs or alcohol

9. Must have One of the Following Diagnoses to
Receive Specialty Mental Health Services
 Pervasive Developmental  Somatoform Disorders
Disorders, except Autistic disorders
 Factitious Disorders
 Disruptive Behavior and Attention
Deficit Disorders  Dissociative Disorders
 Feeding and Eating Disorders of  Paraphilias Disorders
Infancy and Early Childhood
 Gender Identity Disorders
 Elimination Disorders
 Eating Disorders
 Other Disorders of
Infancy, Childhood or Adolescence  Impulse Control Disorders
 Schizophrenia and other psychotic  Adjustment Disorders
Disorders
 Personality Disorders
 Mood Disorders
 Medication-induced movement
 Anxiety Disorders Disorders

10.  EPSDT benefits with relation to
mental health:
Early & Periodic  Mental health assessment
Screening Diagnostic
 Collateral contacts (guardian)
and Treatment
What is it?  Therapy
Comprehensive and preventative
child health program, includes  Rehabilitation (works on coping
periodic
screening, vision, dental, &
skills)
hearing services.
 Medication support services
Purpose:
Identify and correct illnesses and  Day rehabilitation
conditions early, for the purpose
of curtailing more serious  Day treatment
problems later in life.
Goals:  Crisis intervention/stabilization
1.)Assure availability and
accessibility of health care  Targeted case management
resources
2.)Help Medicaid recipients and  TBS services
guardians effectively use these

11. Therapeutic Behavioral
Services
 TBS Services are short-term one on one assistance with
youth under 21 years old who are experiencing severe
behavioral problems
 Services can be provided at home, foster home, group
home, school, and day treatment program
 Behavioral intervention plans help control problem
behavior and goal is to work toward lower level of care and
may be able to return home if living in group home.
 Services are needed when other interventions have been
tried and failed before

12. Cultural Considerations
 Provide services in preferred language
 Provide culturally appropriate assessments and treatments
 Make efforts to reduce language barriers
 Provide services with sensitivity to culturally specific views of illness
and wellness
 Consider own world view while providing services
 Provide oral interpreter free of charge
 Provide written information in various languages
 Continued learning such as meeting to teach employees what it is
like to live with mental illness and working with people from
various backgrounds

13.  Consumer Entitlements:
 Respectful treatment and information on
progress
Human Rights of  The right to a second opinion
the Consumer  Services in a safe environment
 The right to discuss or report concerns or
“Acceptance and problems with the services or providers
participation in the mental
health system of care is  Information or assistance with the
voluntary” complaint or grievance
 The right to retain an attorney
Family Advocate
559-624-7449  The right to authorize, in writing, a
person to act on behalf
Patient’s Right Advocate
1-800-905-5597  The right to services without
discrimination based on race, color, sexual
identity, creed, religion, age or national
origin
 Cannot be asked to relinquish rights as a
condition of admission or for receiving
treatment

14. Visalia Youth Services
711 N. Court St., Visalia Ca 93291 627-1490
Weekdays (M-Th) 8am to 7pm
Fri. & Sat. 8am to 5pm
Suicide/Crisis Hotline 733-6877

15. Works Cited
 http://www.tularehhsa.org
 http://turningpointwebsite.org
 Diversity in Wellness Tulare County
Mental Health Adult & Child Services
pamphlet
 Tulare County Children’s Mental
Health Services Visalia Youth Services
A Contracted Agency of Tulare County
Health and Human Services, A
Division of TURING POINT OF
CENTRAL CALIFORNINA, INC.
pamphlet