Strengthening Families with Expansion of Behavioral Health Services

By Senior Public Relations Specialist Michelle Mincks

Child and Family Outpatient Services, a referral-based program, offers a wide range of supportive care to individuals, children, and families with developmental and behavioral needs. Services are integrated with case management, primary care, psychiatric evaluation, and medication management.

“We provide services for the whole family – not just the child,” SCF CFOS Supervisor Shanel Kusma said.

The program offers resources and services to assist parents with developing skills and tools to reduce and mitigate the negative effects of trauma and stress on families.

Southcentral Foundation Child and Family Outpatient Services offers play therapy, a process that allows children to express and process feelings, thoughts, and experiences through their natural desire to play.

“I curate a calm, safe, supportive, evidence-based space for children and their families to take a breath, learn, connect, and make informed choices together,” SCF CFOS Clinician Brianna Aspelund said.

Parenting styles, like traditions, can be passed from generation to generation. There are factors such as a parents’ own trauma history, interpersonal violence in relationships, substance misuse, and mental health that can present barriers. This may affect how a parent shows affection, encourages social and emotional development, approaches discipline, and models healthy coping techniques.

“Lead by example and begin the healing process with yourself,” Aspelund said. “You deserve a space to process the active dynamics in the family that did not start with your child – perhaps not even with you.”

Resources are available at CFOS to support every stage of your child’s development, from the early stages to navigating adolescence.

The Teens Responsibly Accepting Individual Life Skills program, known as TRAILS, is a referral source located in the same building, for adolescents in middle and high school with severe emotional disturbance who experience problems in their daily lives, in school, at work, or in their community. These are teens who seem sad or anxious; have trouble getting along with friends, siblings, parents, and teachers; and may have disruptive behavior.

“There is nothing more beautiful to me than holding space as the layers of loneliness and shame strip away as someone remembers their innate worth and belonging to our community,” Aspelund said.

The TRAILS program emphasizes interpersonal skills, physical wellness, social skills, emotional self-regulation, and resilience to achieve successful adjustment and interaction within the youth’s home.

“We have an experienced team who partners with customer-owners to build rapport and to develop tailored plans, based on the needs of each family,” SCF CFOS Manager Nathan Stamm said.

To learn more about behavioral health resources at SCF, contact your primary care provider or your child’s provider.