Clinical Services

Access, Information and Referral

Representing the initial entry point into CHC, expert staff in Access, Information and Referral answer more than 4,500 calls a year from parents and caregivers, offering them encouragement, a referral to other community resources, or information about how CHC can help their child. The department assists with scheduling appointments, financial counseling, insurance matters and CHC financial assistance.

Initial Clinical Assessments (ICA): Meet with a senior clinician to discuss any concerns you may have about your child or adolescent.

Evaluation: Following an assessment, you may decide to continue with a thorough evaluation of your child. The evaluation involves one or more CHC specialists from our clinical departments

Treatment: CHC also offers treatment services including individual and family psychotherapy, medication management, social skills groups, educational therapy and tutoring, speech & language and occupational therapy, art therapy and home/school behavior management.

Groups Program

Therapeutic groups help kids of all ages deal with a variety of challenges from development delays, behavioral problems, learning challenges, and/or emotional struggles. Every group includes parent debriefing to help you translate the skills to life at home. Some groups also include a separate parent component.

Download Brochure: Winter/Spring 2010 Classes for Parents & Therapeutic Groups for Kids

Click here for more information about our Groups Program.

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Art Therapy

Art Therapy is a type of psychotherapy that combines traditional verbal ("talk") psychotherapy with nonverbal communication through the creation of artwork.
Art therapy is important because it is a portal to understanding how a child experiences their world and the world around them. Art directives help release complex feelings that can often be difficult to express. A key aspect is that no
artistic talent is required or necessary and mistakes are encouraged.  Art therapy can serve as an adjunct to existing, ongoing treatment(s) or on its own as the primary psychotherapeutic modality. The CHC Art Therapy Program offers groups and individual sessions structured to meet the needs of each child. The program
is unique in that it serves both clinic clients and EBC school students.

The following criteria describe the types of children who might benefit from a referral for art therapy services:

• Young children whose verbal skills are not fully developed and are experiencing emotional difficulties
• Children who are experiencing physical or emotional pain and have
  difficulty talking about what they are going through
• Children who are developmentally delayed and have difficulty
  verbalizing their feelings
•  Children with poor social skills and in a need of a non-threatening, nonverbal means of communicating with peers

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Children with Complex Medical Problems (CCMP)

The Program for Children with Complex Medical Problems (CCMP) serves children who have experienced life-threatening injuries or medical conditions and who, because of the injury or condition, its treatment or its long-term effects, are at risk
for psychosocial and educational problems.

Program Goals

• To work with primary care pediatricians, pediatric groups and pediatric departments in the Bay Area to address the psychosocial and educational needs of children with complex medical conditions.
• To facilitate children's return to school or community activities after
  extended or frequent absences.
• To address the concerns of children and families with complex medical conditions and chronic illnesses, including contact and networking, information and counseling needs.
• To provide ongoing support to children as they continue in school, with support made available via assessment, treatment and advocacy services.
• To provide education to children and families about health promotion, including self-management skills, adherence to medical regimens and
  health-protective behaviors.
• To work closely with the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital staff, including the H.E.A.L. program, in order to assist in children's transitions from
  hospital-based care to home and community.

Assessment, treatment and advocacy services are available through CCMP.
Financial assistance is available.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact Access, Information and Referral at (650) 688-3625. If appropriate, the access counselor
will schedule an initial clinical assessment with a CCMP clinician, who will review
the child and family's concerns and recommend the most suitable services to address the child's needs.

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Behavior Management

CHC offers two services to help children control their emotions and behaviors in more positive ways.

Behavioral Specialist Outreach Program (BSOP)
This program provides behavioral specialists to K-12 public and private schools.
The behavioral specialists partner with teachers and therapists to encourage children to make positive behavior choices and to establish a classroom environment that is conducive to learning.

The Behavioral Specialists:

• Assist schools in meeting state special education mandates.
• Allow teachers to maximize classroom time for academic learning by minimizing behavioral disruptions.
• Teach children and families lifelong positive behavior support strategies.
• Develop behavior support plans and train staff on the execution of interventions in the classroom.
• Provide training for students in social skills, conflict resolution and anger management.
• Provide crisis support for students and school staff.
• Provide transitional support for special education students who are transitioning to less restrictive environments.

Behavioral Consulting Program

This program provides parents and schools with professionals trained in Applied Behavioral Analysis. These professionals will conduct an assessment and develop
a behavior plan and interventions based on a child's individual needs.

Behavioral Consultants offer:
School Consultations - where they assess classroom instructional methods
and activities; conduct functional analysis assessments; develop individual and classroom behavior intervention plans and assist in plan implementation and
staff training.

General Consultations - where they provide general support to school districts/ SELPAs regarding assessments, compliancy issues, and federal and state laws.

Home-Based Assessment Services - where they conduct a "single discipline" assessment upon referral from a clinician or participate as a member of a CHC interdisciplinary assessment team. These services are designed to assist parents
of children with behavior issues in the home and to develop home behavior plans.

Implementation and Follow Up - where they train staff and/or parents on how
to implement school-based or in-home behavior plans while also offering ongoing professional support, data collection, and hands-on training.

In-Services/Trainings/Seminars - where they train professionals and/or parents in specific areas of applied behavioral analysis, behavior management, current laws, and crisis management.

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