Child Clinical Services

At LifeStream, we know that mental illness and substance use doesn’t just affect adults; that children and their families can be impacted too. That’s why we offer children’s clinical services at each of our outpatient facilities located in Lake, Citrus and Sumter Counties, as well as through our schools, community-based programs and child and family services programs services programs. We provide comprehensive mental health and substance use disorder services helping individuals and families understand the symptoms of emotional and mental health conditions and providing access to effective, evidence-based counseling services. Psychiatric evaluation and medication management may also be provided.

Mental Health Child

Services are provided to children with emotional or behavioral disturbances requiring therapeutic intervention to stabilize functioning at home, in school, and in their communities. These services are designed to relieve distressing symptoms and improve behavior, interpersonal and other skills needed to function in the home, peer and school environments. Services include help to caregivers and families that build stability and parenting skills. Access is provided to a child psychiatrist for evaluation and medication treatment if needed.

Turnabout Program

Turnabout provides a stage model of treatment, provided by a Masters prepared counselor, where adolescents, who have a substance abuse issue, may be involved in a variety of therapeutic approaches and other services. Individual treatment allows teenagers to explore and learn skills to help with psychological factors, which may include a mental health issue, anger issues, and other environmental/family issues that may be contributing to their drinking and /or drug use. Family therapy is also recommended to help families break down defense patterns to facilitate discussion and share solutions to common problems.

Children’s Community Action Team

(CAT) – The program offers parents and caregivers of youth ages 11-21 with serious behavioral health issues a safe and effective alternative to out-of-home placement. The CAT model utilizes a team approach that “wraps around” the family to address their unique challenges with community-based treatment. In addition to the standard mental health outpatient services such as therapy, case management and psychiatric care, the team can provide assistance to the family by providing services such as tutoring, respite care, outings for social skills development, assistance with transportation to appointments, vocational skills development, engaging youth in “pro-social activities,” sober living skills/relapse prevention, and coordination with school district personnel, local criminal justice, and child welfare. Services are provided in the home and community to meet the needs of the families.

Children’s Clinical On-Site Services (CCOS)

The children and adolescents of CCOS meet state criteria for services and display significant disruption in age-appropriate functioning. They are often disruptive in the classroom, demonstrate oppositional and non-compliant behavior with authority figures, and display physical aggression with peers. A lesser number of these individuals exhibit withdrawn, isolative behaviors and deficits in social skills that prevent quality interaction with others. Others may be involved with the juvenile justice or child welfare system, with whom we work closely. Evidenced-based therapeutic approaches, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, solution-focused brief therapy, play therapy, parent-child relationship therapy are provided in the home, at schools or in the community. Access is provided to a psychiatrist for evaluation and medication treatment if needed.

Potentials Youth Based Intervention Services

This program is a service that is offered to at-risk students at selected schools in Lake and Sumter Counties. The counselors see students during the school day for individual and/or group counseling, depending on the needs of the student. Student needs can include behavioral problem resolution, substance use education, academic issues, anger management and improving social skills.

Youth and Family Recovery Program (YAFR)

YAFR provides services to youth who are abusing primarily marijuana and alcohol and who would be appropriate for an outpatient level of care. Treatment involves individual sessions with the youth, as well as 4 sessions with the family and/or caregiver. The principle behind the model is to connect youth with positive community activities to discourage substance use and reinforce healthy recreational interests and peer groups.

Mobile Response Team (Child/Youth & Young Adults)

Mobile Response Teams are a 24-hour, 7 day per week service that provides assistance for mental health and substance use crises for children, adolescents and young adults up to age 25 in Lake, Citrus and Sumter Counties. The team will provide on-demand crisis intervention services in any setting in which a behavioral health crisis is occurring, including homes, schools and emergency rooms. The team will work to divert individuals to the least restrictive service that will assist them in resolving the immediate crisis and provide follow up care, thus resulting in the individual’s safety and the safety of the community.

Juvenile Treatment Alternatives for Safer Communities

(J-TASC)- The juvenile TASC program is designed to accept referrals for services by the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) for juveniles residing in Circuit 5 who are screened and determined to be in need of assessment for substance use or mental health problems, and who meet the eligibility requirements for the program. All juveniles served by the program will receive an interview with an adolescent specialist to identify appropriate mental health and substance use issues, recommendations and referrals.