Community Support

Community support is a key service of the Youth Community Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program funded by MO HealthNet. This service is initiated when psychiatry or outpatient therapy services have proved insufficient or the level of risk of out-of-home placement is significant. The service is an individual intervention designed to coordinate and provide services and/or resources to children, adolescents and their families to improve family functioning, peer relationships, social competence and school success. The support is person/family centered and is driven by the youth’s treatment plan that is developed collaboratively with the family and other professionals. The length of time the youth participates in the program and intensity of services varies depending upon the individual family’s situation, but typically lasts from 12-18 months and contacts may be weekly gradually diminishing as the youth progresses.

Community Support Specialists are persons who typically have either a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in a human services field and are trained to support youth and their families in accessing community resources, working with behavioral health professionals, schools, juvenile justice or other community agencies.