We work with children under 12 years of age (and their families) struggling with severe emotional, behavioral and social difficulties. We specialize in behavioral problems such as aggression, impulsivity, poor social skills, anxiety, sadness, depression, fear, and suicidal thoughts.
We believe that children do well if they can. When they can't, we need to understand what is getting in the way of their success (this means crucial thinking skills are not fully developed.
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Services Offered
The Child-Centered and Family-Focused Approach Crossroads Children's Mental Health Centre team members understand that when a child is struggling, the entire family is affected. Providing help to children means also helping their caregivers (parents or guardians) to develop the skills and strategies to support the child's progress towards mental health.
We work in partnership-with the child's caregivers and the child - to determine the needs of the child and family, and to develop an individualized plan for treatment and supports most appropriate to meeting those needs.
In-home Treatment Providing treatment and support in the home is very valuable. It gives the child and family the opportunity to learn and apply new tools and behaviours in their everyday living environment.
A Child and Youth Worker delivers services to the child and their family in their home, helping to achieve goals that the case worker and family set together. Following the development of a prearranged scheduled, the case worker will make regular visits to the home.
Other Crossroads Children's Mental Health Centre (CCMHC) team members with specialized expertise in such areas as child and family therapy, counselling and early childhood education may also provide support as needed.
Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health * KINDERGARTEN PROJECT: Full day Kindergarten has been in place for several years, and there has been a number of behavioral challenges. This phenomenon has been reported in school boards across the province. Challenges include: managing transitions, self regulation skills and resiliency. These challenges can affect the child's well-being and and could have an impact on their mental health longer term. So together with some of our community partners we developed a Kindergarten Project.
Clinical Treatment Professional Child and Family Therapists provide a range of clinical services including counselling for children and caregivers, (both individually and together), and family therapy.
Specialized Treatment Services * Firesetting - The Arson Prevention Program for Children (TAPP-C) was designed to identify, assess and intervene with children and adolescents who engage in inappropriate fire setting behaviour.
This program consists of a mental health assessment to determine the level of risk of the child continuing to be involved in fireplay and subsequently, the development of treatment recommendations aimed at reducing the child's risk of future involvement in fire setting behaviour. Additionally, clients receive fire safety education provided by the program's collaborators, Ottawa Fire Services.
Fees and Payment
There is no charge for our services. We are non-profit and funded primarily by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. We work with children under the age of twelve and their families.
This is a registered charity.
Services Offered To: Teens Children
Special Groups: Bilingual
Payment: Pro-bono
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A community counseling agency is a group therapy practice that offers affordable mental health services. Most are independent non-profit agencies, state agencies, or publicly-funded agencies. A few may restrict who is eligible for services, so it is a good idea to check when you call.
Community counseling agencies are generally more affordable than other therapy providers, but how much more affordable they are will depend on whether you qualify for a discount or sliding scale fee (or if they accept your insurance). Many, but not all, have a policy that they won't turn away anyone due to inability to pay. You should ask about their fees when you first call.
Expect to talk to kind people who want to help you find the care you need. Most community agencies strive to connect you with a live person within 24 hours, if not immediately. If you're asked to hold or leave a message, don't give up; just leave a message and wait. You should hear back pretty quickly.
Most agencies try to set up an initial assessment appointment within a week (some do within 24 hours), though the waitlist to start therapy is usually longer—about a few weeks on average. If you're not eligible or if the agency is not right for you, it's usually still worth it to call or drop in, because staff are knowledgeable about local options and can often refer you to one.