Child & Youth Treatment
Child and Youth treatment services are offered by a variety of providers and in many different settings. You should explore an agency’s current services as they may change. If an agency has an Intake number, you should first call this number to determine what services are offered, if your child is eligible. We have tried to list the providers that focus on children or have special programs for them. Not every provider that offers youth treatment services has been listed since many are already listed in the Adult Outpatient Services section above. Note that agencies use different age criteria for determining if a person is an adult, child or adolescent. Some programs or agencies will consider adolescents as young as 13 years old as adults, while others will consider adults to be over 18 years old. It is always best to check resources under both adults and children if you have any question as to the age criteria.
Many providers offer a range of services which may include counseling, psychiatric care, intensive care, assessments, home-based services, respite, support groups, day treatment and school-based intervention. “Wraparound” services offered by Erie County and its provider agencies have been designed to serve children, who meet the necessary criteria, by addressing a broad range of psycho/social/emotional and physical needs.
Some providers, especially the larger ones, may serve individuals of all ages however some serve only children and/or adolescents. Note that agencies use different age criteria for children and adolescence, e.g., one may consider children as under age 21 and others may consider children as under 19.
First Episode Psychosis (FEP)
The onset of serious mental illness often occurs in the period of adolescence to young adulthood. It can be difficult to diagnose with certainty, but the most current research seems to be indicating that if treated early, with proper medical support and appropriate medications, the long-term damage from the illness may be lessened. Special programs offer intensive early intervention and treatment during and through the period of adolescence and young adulthood. See resources at First Episode Psychosis in Child & Youth Psychiatric Care.
Children, Youth and Trauma-Informed Care Resources
Children’s mental health and well-being can be greatly affected by individual, community, or global trauma. To understand some of these effects and learn more about helping children recover, ask your child’s service provider about how they use trauma-informed practices. There are additional resources at The National Child Traumatic Stress Network.
