Children’s Intensive Services

57418 C.R. 681
Hartford, MI 49057 
(269) 621-6251
Fax: (269) 621-6044

Purpose:

Children’s Intensive Services are designed to assist youth with mental illness (MI) and/or serious emotional disturbance (SED) and their families in the community, who typically are not responsive to traditional therapy. CIS services help mobilize family capabilities and resources, in efforts to enable parents to provide a growth producing family environment.

The usual goal of the CIS program is 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 achieve their maximum potential for independence.

Staff:

Master’s level Clinical Case Managers have at least one year experience in the assessment and treatment of severely dysfunctional 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 severely dysfunctional families and their children with mental illness/serious emotional disturbance.

Intensive Services Assistants (paraprofessional staff) must successfully complete training.

Children’s Services Supervisor is a Master’s level human services professional with at least three years experience in assessment and treatment of severely dysfunctional families and their children.

Eligibility:

• Under 18 years of age or parent of a young child that meets criteria.
• Family is located within Van Buren County.
• Mental Health Diagnosis with IQ above 70.
• Priority will be given to MI/SED youth at risk of out-of-home placement.

Services:

• Case Management
• Clinical Intervention
• Crisis Response
• School Intervention
• Medication Monitoring
• Prevention
• Home-Base/Infant Mental Health
• Juvenile Justice Diversion
• Early Intervention/Parent Education (Prevention)

Referral Process:

Consumer is opened through the single entry Access Unit.

VBCMH Clinician contacts:
Children’s Intensive Services Supervisor: Francene Berglund, MA, LLP, LBSW
(269) 657-8361 ext. 6729 or (269) 621-6251 ext. 6729, or (269) 427-6729

“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 & Organizations

Association for Children’s Mental Health

Alliance for the Mentally Ill

921 North Washington
Lansing, MI 48906
517-485-4049
1-800-331-4264

ARC/Michigan

1325 S. Washington Avenue
Lansing, MI 48910
1-800-292-7851

Michigan Disability Rights Coalition

241 E. Saginaw, Suite 450
East Lansing, MI 48823
1-800-760-4600

Michigan Protection & Advocacy Services, Inc.

106 W. Allegan, Suite 300
Lansing, MI 48823
1-800-288-5923

United Cerebral Palsy-Michigan

3401 East Saginaw, Suite 216
Lansing, MI 48912
1-800-828-2714