Children & Adolescent Services

CCYSB has long used action methods in its group work with adolescents (ages 14-18), addressing anger, depression, substance use, difficulty with impulse control and a variety of other developmental and co-occurring issues. We incorporate creative methods that help teens practice life situations, using role play and acting to express, communicate, and solve problems. Often, teens are able to use these methods to make changes and improvements in their behaviors, emotions, and relationships. Each adolescent group is led by two licensed, experienced therapists, who enjoy working with teens! We strive to model teamwork and encourage healthy interaction in the group setting.

Group enrollment begins with an initial full diagnostic evaluation. Qualified assessors determine group appropriateness and fit, while gathering important background information, and details on presenting issues and goals for treatment.

Those in need of more intensive services can attend more than one group per week. Assessors and group therapists will assist you with the development of this plan. Psychiatric services are available to those actively enrolled in group services.

All Groups meet weekly, operate on rolling admissions, and are limited to enrollment of 8-10 clients per group.

Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) is a short-term, problem-focused, evidence-based model which serves youth (6-18 years-old) and their families. BSFT serves children with conduct problems, problematic family relationships, substance use, oppositional and defiant behavior, delinquency, aggressive & violent behavior, risky sexual behavior, and anti-social peer involvement. BSFT focuses on problematic interactions within the family, replacing them with healthier interactions.

This model of therapy involves the entire family in counseling sessions and focuses on changing the way family members interact so that positive relationships are strengthened, and negative behaviors are reduced. BSFT is based on the assumption that the family is the most important and influential system in the lives of children, that each family is unique, and that the behavior of each member can be understood only by considering the family context in which it occurs.

BSFT is a strategic approach that uses pragmatic, problem-focused, and planned interventions that improve relationships in the family and helps parents develop strong, consistent, and effective parenting skills. It is a flexible approach that can be adopted to a broad range of family situations in a variety of settings. Current data shows that BSFT has led to a significant level of improvement in 89% of the families served in the program. Referrals are screened by a trained BSFT therapist to ensure that the presenting issues are appropriate for the model. Typically, families have a successful termination within 6 months, or up to 24 sessions.

The Carroll County Youth Service Bureau is licensed as a Brief Strategic Family Therapy © (BSFT©) Provider. As part of this license, CCYSB receives BSFT training, supervision, and adherence/fidelity monitoring from the Family Therapy Training Institute of Miami.

**The use of evidence-based interventions aligns with our agency’s vision to be the foremost mental health provider for youth, adults, and families in Carroll County by providing innovative, culturally sensitive, and highly-effective treatment. CCYSB curently uses five treatments which are evidence-based models requiring fidelity to the model.

The core goal of the partnership between CCYSB and CCPS is to support the development and well-being of youth and families of Carroll County by bridging the gap between two of the most influential environments in a child’s life – home and school. This collaborative relationship has resulted in initiatives that provide support and interventions for social, emotional, behavioral, and developmental challenges that extend into the youth’s school experience.

Referrals are made through the Student Services Department of CCPS and are not accessible through self-referral.

Click HERE for a list of services under this program.

This treatment model serves young children from birth through age five and their parents/caregivers. One of the main goals of Child-Parent Psychotherapy is to support and strengthen the parent-child relationship as this relationship is central to the child’s healing, development, and well-being.

One of our main goals through Child-Parent Psychotherapy is to support and strengthen your relationship with your child. We believe that you are central to your child’s development and well-being. If your child is facing challenges, you are critical to your child’s healing. Unfortunately, many families go through stressful experiences. Families and children we work with teach us that young children (even babies) are very sensitive to stress in their environments. They are not immune to these experiences, but they can recover with the support of parents and other caregivers. Very stressful or scary experiences can teach young children unspoken lessons that then affect their development and their behavior. Stressful experiences can also affect young children because these experiences can affect the mood and functioning of the grown-ups around them. Young children learn from watching us. Our worries can become their worries, and when we are under significant stress, we might become irritable, impatient, or withdrawn. Young children often blame themselves for their parents’ moods and behavior.

We believe in the commonly used phrase “it takes a village to raise a child”. We hope that we can become part of your village.

What happens during CPP?

We work together in three stages:

1. Getting to Know the Child & Family – we spend time meeting alone with parents or caregivers to understand the family’s:
   • Needs & Challenges
   • Strengths & Values
   • History & Experiences
2. Addressing Family Needs – we usually meet once a week with the parent or caregiver and child. We help parents or caregivers and children to:
   • Understand each other
   • Talk and play about difficult experiences
   • Respond to difficult feelings and behaviors
   • Create a family story that leads to healing
3. Wrapping Up & Planning for the Future –
   • We celebrate changes the family has made
   • We talk about how parents and caregivers made changes happen
   • We consider how endings and goodbyes may bring up different feelings
   • We talk about what will be needed in the future

**The use of evidence-based interventions aligns with our agency’s vision to be the foremost mental health provider for youth, adults, and families in Carroll County by providing innovative, culturally sensitive, and highly-effective treatment. CCYSB curently uses five treatments which are evidence-based models requiring fidelity to the model.

Carroll County Youth Service Bureau’s Children’s SMART clinic is a systematic approach to identifying children ages birth to age eight who are at risk for experiencing developmental, behavioral,
and social/emotional concerns. The goal is to ensure that the child and the entire family gain access to appropriate intervention, treatment, and resources.

The SMART clinic provides psychological evaluations and recommendation review with a board-certified psychologist. These services are designed to address the social, emotional, and mental health needs of the child. A multi-disciplinary team will work with the family unit to determine the best course of treatment to meet the child’s needs. CCYSB is a member of the team and will be the provider for the psychological testing process.

This program serves youth ages 16-24 who are not in school, not employed, and who may be homeless. CCYSB, along with Human Services Programs (HSP) and the Carroll County Workforce Development (formerly BERC) partner to provide a coordinated county-wide approach to re-engage these youth and reduce youth homelessness.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy is an evidence-based, cognitive behavioral treatment originally developed to treat chronic suicidal ideation, self-harm behaviors and traits of borderline personality disorder. The treatment model has proven effective in treating other complex, and challenging disorders such as substance dependence, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD].

The term “dialectical” means a synthesis or integration of opposites. The primary dialectic within DBT is between the seemingly oppositestrategies of acceptance and change. For example, DBT therapists accept clients as they are while also acknowledging that they need to change to reach their goals. In addition, the skills and strategies taught in DBT are balanced in terms of acceptance and change.

The overarching goal of DBT is a life worth living. Clients who commit to participating in DBT will learn skills to help accept certain aspects of their lives while working on changing other aspects. These skills consist of: mindfulness skills, distress tolerance skills, emotion regulation skills, and interpersonal effectiveness skills.

Clients who wish to participate in comprehensive DBT must commit to all four components of the treatment model:

1. Individual DBT Sessions
   • Focused on enhancing client motivation
   • Helping clients apply DBT skills to specific events in their lives
   • Weekly sessions run concurrently with DBT Skills Group
2. DBT Skills Group
   • Focused on enhancing client’s capabilities by teaching behavioral skills to practice and use in day-to-day life
   • DBT skills are introduced and discussed in the group setting – homework is assigned for clients to practice applying the skill to build mastery
   • Meet on a weekly basis
   • Enrollment for two six-month cycles ensures that skills are covered and mastery is attained
3. Phone Coaching
   • Therapists provide clients with in-the-moment coaching on how to use skills to effectively cope with difficult situations that present in their everyday lives.
4. DBT Therapist Consultation Team
   • Teams meet weekly and are composed of individual therapists and group leaders involved in the DBT program
   • Designed to help therapists maintain competency and motivation so they can provide the best treatment possible

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**The use of evidence-based interventions aligns with our agency’s vision to be the foremost mental health provider for youth, adults, and families in Carroll County by providing innovative, culturally sensitive, and highly-effective treatment. CCYSB curently uses five treatments which are evidence-based models requiring fidelity to the model.

CCYSB, in partnership with Carroll County Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) and Carroll County Local Management Board (LMB), provides behavioral health case management services for youth and their families at risk of involvement in Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services. Family Engagement Program staff assesses the youth and family’s needs and facilitates linkages to services in the community, with the purpose of diverting these youth from involvement, or further involvement in DJS.

The Family Preservation (FP) and Safe & Stable Family Preservation programs are short-term, home-based programs that provide therapies designed to preserve and improve family relationships and prevent out-of-home placement for children. Goals of the programs include prevention of children from entering into foster care, successful transition of children returning home from foster care, and in some cases, the coordinated move of children into secure, permanent family settings.

The Carroll County Public Schools Judy Center Early Learning Hub collaborates with many non- profit agencies in Carroll County to provide comprehensive, community-based early learning and support for children prenatal through kindergarten. We serve families in the following school districts: Cranberry Station, Elmer Wolfe, Taneytown, and Robert Moton. Our goal is to prepare children for success in school and in life.

At the corner of readiness and accessibility …

Our agency is pleased to offer expanded Open Access Services. This program provides time for same-day or next-day walk-in mental health and substance use assessments with a licensed therapist, with clinical recommendations. Provided availability, treatment options will be offered, or we will assist in finding you the appropriate level of care.

Walk-in Assessment Hours:
Tuesday – 8:30 am – noon, and, 2-5 pm
Wednesday – 11:30 am – 2 pm
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Services include assessment, individual, family and group therapy, psychiatric evaluations, medication management, psychosocial evaluations, and liaison with school and local service agencies. CCYSB’s programs and services provide a full-range treatment options to meet the needs of individuals and families experiencing the negative impact of mental health and addiction concerns.

CCYSB offers psychiatric services (assessment and medication management) to clients who receive psychotherapy services within the Clinic, Family Preservation, and the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program. These medical services are provided by licensed psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners.

PCIT is an empirically supported treatment for young children (ages 1-7) with disruptive behaviors. PCIT integrates concepts from social learning theory, traditional play therapy, and attachment theory to enhance the parent-child relationship, increase children’s pro-social behaviors, and increase the parent’s behavior-management skills.

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**The use of evidence-based interventions aligns with our agency’s vision to be the foremost mental health provider for youth, adults, and families in Carroll County by providing innovative, culturally sensitive, and highly-effective treatment. CCYSB curently uses five treatments which are evidence-based models requiring fidelity to the model.

Our Substance Use Disorder Services provides a full range of assessment and treatment services to meet the needs of youth, adolescents, adults, and families experiencing the negative impact of addiction. Our objective is to provide comprehensive recovery-oriented services with the goal of intervention, education, and treatment.

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Talking about suicide is uncomfortable and scary. Youth often turn to friends for help, but peers often don’t know what to say or do. There is no single event or cause for suicide, so there is more than one way to provide support. Suicide often occurs when an individual experiences stressors or health issues in a way that creates an overwhelming sense of hopelessness that makes them feel disconnected from others and desperate. Our goal is to enhance the partnerships between CCYSB and community agencies to strengthen suicide prevention efforts by creating a greater sense of connectedness and support for individuals through outreach, advocacy, and intervention.

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