Children’s Intensive Services

57418 CR 681
Hartford, MI 49057
(269) 621-6251
Fax: (269) 621-6044

Purpose:

Family Intervention Services (FIS) are designed to assist youth with mental illness (MI) and/or identified with a severe serious emotional disturbance (SED) and their families in the community, who typically are not responsive to traditional therapy. FIS helps mobilize family capabilities and resources, in efforts to enable caregivers to provide a growth producing family environment. The usual goal of the services provided by FIS are to help increase the ability of families to cope with the daily stresses involved in the care of MI/SED youth and to help the consumers to achieve their maximum potential for independence.

Staff:

Master’s level clinicians have at least one year experience in the assessment and treatment of families and their children with mental illness/serious emotional disturbance while Bachelor level case managers have at least three years of supervised experience in the assessment and treatment of families and their children with mental illness/serious emotional disturbance.

Direct Support Professionals must successfully complete training. Family Intervention Services supervisor is a Master’s level child mental health professional with at least three years of experience in the treatment of families and their MI/SED children.

Eligibility:

  • Under 21 years of age or caregiver of a young child that meets criteria.
  • Youth resides within Van Buren County and is Medicaid eligible.
  • Youth has a primary DSM/ICD diagnosis of mental illness (MI) and/or meets  criteria for a serious emotional disturbance (SED) whose primary diagnosis is not caused by IDD or substance use. In the case of Infant Mental Health, a caregiver may have a DSM/ICD diagnosis that results in a caregiving environment that places the child at-risk for developing a serious emotional disturbance and/or multiple social/emotional need areas identified on DECA.
  • Potential risk of out-of-home placement for the identified youth due to severe and chronic dysfunction and/or duration/severity of symptoms.

Services:

  • Children’s Case Management (MI/SED youth)
  • Home Based (MI/SED youth)
  • Early Intervention (IMH Prevention)
  • Parent Education (caregivers with children up to age 12 yrs)
  • 0-3 Screening
  • Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (designated licensed daycare program)

Referral Process:

Family Intervention Services questions:
Francene Berglund MA, LLP, LBSW
(269) 427-6729

Consumers are opened through the single-entry Access Unit (269) 657-5574 or 800-922-1418.

**FREE** Youth Intervention Screen (available for non-adjudicated youth aged 4 to 18 yrs living in or going to school in Van Buren County.)

  • Can help youth in need of behavioral health services.
  • Can help link to appropriate services and provide follow up.

For more information contact the Youth Intervention screener:
Jennifer Tryan MA, LLP
(269) 427-6733

“I See Children As Kites”

I see children as kites you spend a lifetime trying to get them off the ground. You run with them until you are breathless – they crash – they hit the roof top – you patch and comfort, adjust and you teach, you
watch them lifted by the wind and assure them that someday they’ll fly.

Finally they are airborne, they need more string and you keep letting it out. But with each twist of twine, there is sadness that goes with the joy.

The kites become more distant and you know it won’t be long before that beautiful creature will snap the life line that binds you together and soar as it is meant to soar. Free and alone. Only then do you know you did your job.

-Erma Bombeck

Advocacy Groups & Resources:

VBCMH Crisis Line: 1-800-922-1418
Suicide and Crisis LIFELINE: 988
Michigan Alliance for Families
www.michiganallianceforfamilies.org
Citizens Mediation Services
www.citizensmediation.org
Association for Children’s Mental Health
www.acmh-mi.org