Ideally, a youth receiving support from the CSB’s Youth and Family Services Team feels better due to those services and interventions. Behaviors will have stabilized, and the youth will have improved their level of functioning in all areas of their life — at home, in school and in their community.

- Christine Heaton, LPC, LMFT, Manager – Youth & Family Outpatient Services, Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board

About Youth and Family Services

The CSB Youth and Family Services Team provides a variety of behavioral health services for individuals ages 3-18 and their families.

Youth and Family Outpatient Services provides evidence-based interventions and trauma-informed therapeutic supports for children and youth who have an emotional disability or are at risk of one, mental health concerns, substance misuse and/or co-occurring disorders. Services include individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy and case management, as needed. Psychiatric evaluations and medication management services are also available. There are Youth Medication-Assisted Treatment clinics that can help with substance use issues, including the use of opioids. Services are tailored to address the needs of each individual and are provided in an office setting or through telehealth. Services target specific mental health conditions to reduce symptoms and substance misuse, and focus on behavioral changes, coping strategies and improving the individual’s level of functioning. In addition to CSB locations, Outpatient Services are also now also co-located in 3 County Community Centers.

The Juvenile Forensic Program provides services to youth involved with the Fairfax Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. Services include psychological evaluations, mental health and substance abuse assessments, case management and treatment. The program staff serves the Juvenile Detention Center, Shelter Care II, Stepping Stones, Foundations, and the Beta Program.

The Youth Intensive Program hosts the Resource Team and Wraparound Services.  Staff attend multi-agency meetings to provide behavioral health guidance and expertise to families. Staff help meeting participants understand options available for youth who have significant mental health and/or substance use issues and help match services and supports to family needs. Depending on the youth and family’s needs, staff may provide help in accessing Comprehensive Services Act (CSA) services for both community-based services and out-of-the-home placements through a team based planning process. Services are provided to youth with high risk/acute needs, or those who are at risk of out-of-home placements, such as those who have been hospitalized frequently, as well as those who may be in need of a residential placement or those returning from a residential placement.

Who in the community is eligible and where do they go for assistance?

Any youth residing in Fairfax County or the cities of Fairfax or Falls Church, between the ages of 3-18 (or older if still in a Fairfax County or Falls Church school), are eligible to complete a screening and assessments to assess behavioral health needs.

Access varies based on the services. The best way to learn more is to contact CSB’s Entry and Referral Services.

What are the outcomes or improvements in people’s lives after they have received services??

Ideally, a youth receiving services from the CSB’s Youth and Family Services Team feels better due to those services and interventions. Behaviors will have stabilized, and the youth will have improved their level of functioning in all areas of their life—at home, in school and in their community. Individuals’ mental health will have improved, and the youth has more tolerance for challenging moments and the coping skills to get them through those times. Families will have received support navigating systems and services, and obtained help accessing the supports they need.

Could you share some stories of successes?

Success in behavioral health comes in many ways.

• A child had experienced a home invasion trauma. After participating in play therapy for 6 months, they were no longer fearful at night and felt safe again.

• The Youth and Family Resource Team worked with a youth who experienced several non-fatal opioid overdoses. The Case Manager was able to access CSA funds and helped the youth get into a treatment program all the way in Michigan! They did well there and completed the program. They are still sober.

• During their first session receiving CSB Outpatient Services, a teenager shared that the CSB clinician was their seventh therapist and that they believed there would be an eighth. The clinician worked closely with them and maintained a productive relationship. Through their sessions, the teenager discovered their substance misuse had been self-medicating their depression. The teenager worked with the CSB clinician to successfully develop new coping skills and reduce their mental health symptoms.