Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health

The center provides outpatient mental health services for children and adolescents ages 0 to 18 and their families, and a Transitional Program for adolescents ages 16 to 21. Services are targeted to low-income residents of Avalon, Catalina Island, Compton, Long Beach area, Lakewood, Lynwood, Paramount, Signal Hill, San Pedro, Wilmington and surrounding communities. Age and geographic restrictions apply.

Services include adolescent/youth counseling, including youth with dual diagnosis of co-occuring mental health and substance use disorder problems; comprehensive outpatient alcohol use disorder treatment and comprehensive outpatient drug use disorder treatment; child guidance counseling; developmental assessment for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder; infant and early childhood mental health; juvenile delinquency diversion counseling; mental health evaluations for youth age 18 and younger; medication monitoring; parent child interactive therapy; transitional mental health services for adolescents and young adults, ages 16 to 21; day rehabilitation programs; and psychiatric day treatment.

Developmental assessments are diagnostic evaluations that more deeply evaluate the child's skills in five areas: cognitive, socio-emotional, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and language development. They include psychological testing and are conducted by a multidisciplinary team. Outpatient mental health services, individual therapy, family therapy and medication are provided as needed. The agency also provides child-parent psychotherapy (CPP), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Parent Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT). Services may be provided in the office, child's home or child's preschool or daycare location.

Staff assist clients with a wide variety of emotional and behavioral problems which may include attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression, reactions to chronic illness, behavior problems at school or in the community, and parent-child conflict.