At-risk Youth program

Parenting is difficult, especially when dealing with a defiant child who is making poor choices. That's where we come in! The therapists at S.O.S. specialize in giving at-risk youth the mental health therapy, anger management skills, coping skills and decision-making skills that they need to be successful. And even more importantly, we give parents/guardians the skills, resources, and support they need to gain control of the situation and maintain their own sanity at the same time. We know it's stressful...we're here to help!

We will:

Connect the family with the resources and support they need.
Provide services in the home...we come to you!
Help kids gain the anger-management, coping, social and decision-making skills they need.
Increase/improve parenting skills specific to the needs of at-risk youth.
Help parents be able to set limits and successfully enforce them.
Provide services in a caring and non-judgmental way.
Improve family communication.
Decrease chaos and frustration.
Help kids and/or adults work through trauma.
Address substance abuse issues.
Provide 24/7 emergency on-call service.

S.O.S therapists have over 50 years of combined experience working with at-risk youth. We've found that a child's environment is the single most significant factor in behavior issues. That's why we take a systematic approach to in-home mental health therapy. We not only work with the child but also with all the adults in that child's system. Our goal is to make the adults in the child's natural ecology the agents of change. We've discovered that this is not only a more effective way to treat at-risk youth, but it is also much more sustainable! It also decreases the chance of the youth being removed from the home and/or needing a higher level of care.

We will:

Increase the parent's/guardian's ability to set behavioral expectations and enforce them using effective consequences/rewards.
Help the family greatly increase their ability to make sure the youth is properly supervised.
Help the adults in the system become the agents of change so that the change is long-term.
Provide services in the home.
Coordinate and communicate with probation, schools, and any other services connected with the youth and the family.
Provide services in a positive and strength-focused way.
Help the family find pro-social activities for the youth and reduce contact with antisocial peers.
Increase the odds that the youth will stay in the community instead of ending up in a higher level of care.
Help youth and families take personal responsibility for their success.
Increase the family's informal support system, thus reducing their reliance on formal systems.
Provide 24/7 emergency on-call service.