Community Mental Health Services for ChildrenAt
LifeWays Community Mental Health (CMH), we understand that asking for help
isn’t always easy. We’ve made it our goal to ensure you receive confidential,
person-centered healthcare in a comfortable setting and are treated with the
respect and dignity you deserve,
at all times. Along the way, you’ll
have the opportunity to ask questions, make choices and help decide what your
plan of care will be, in order to provide you or your loved one with the most
appropriate services for your condition with the best quality of care and
service possible.
If you are a Medicaid beneficiary and have a serious mental illness, serious emotional disturbance, developmental disability, or substance use disorder, you may be eligible for some of the mental health Medicaid specialty supports and services listed below.
When you call, you will take part in a brief assessment to find out if you are eligible for services. It will also identify the service(s) that can best meet your needs. You need to know that not all people who come to us are eligible, and not all services are available to everyone we serve. If a service cannot help you, LifeWays will not pay for it. Additionally, Medicaid will not pay for services that are otherwise available to you from other resources in the community. (If you are uninsured or have insufficient insurance, you may be eligible for services as well. Just give us a call.)
Services AvailableAssessment includes a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation, psychological testing, substance abuse screening, or other assessments except for physical health, conducted to determine a person’s level of functioning and mental health treatment needs.
*Assistive Technology includes adaptive devices and supplies that are not covered under the Medicaid Health Plan or by other community resources. These devices help individuals to better take care of themselves, or to better interact in the places where they live, work, and play.
Behavior Management Review: If a person’s illness or disability involves behaviors that they or others who work with them want to change, their individual plan of services may include a plan that talks about the behavior. This plan is often called a behavior management plan. The behavior management plan is developed during person-centered planning and then is approved and reviewed regularly by a team of specialists to make sure that it is effective and dignified, and continues to meet the person’s needs.
Clubhouse Programs are programs where members (consumers) and staff work side by side to operate the clubhouse and to encourage participation in the greater community. Clubhouse programs focus on fostering recovery, competency, and social supports, as well as vocational skills and opportunities.
Community Inpatient Services are hospital services used to stabilize a mental health condition in the event of a significant change in symptoms, or in a mental health emergency. Community hospital services are provided in licensed psychiatric hospitals and in licensed psychiatric units of general hospitals.
Crisis Interventions are unscheduled individual or group services aimed at reducing or eliminating the impact of unexpected events on mental health and well-being.
*Environmental Modifications are physical changes to a person’s home, car, or work environment that are of direct medical or remedial benefit to the person. Modifications ensure access, protect health and safety, or enable greater independence for a person with physical disabilities. Note that other sources of funding must be explored first, before using Medicaid funds for environmental modifications.
Family Psychoeducation (FPE) is a specific method of working in partnership with consumers and
families in a long-term treatment model to help them develop coping
skills to deal more effectively with a serious mental illness. Families
participate in multi-family groups for problem-solving, or as an
individual family in single-family FPE. Family is defined as any
support person in the consumer’s life.
Home-Based Services for Children and Families are provided in the family home or in another community setting. Services are designed individually for each family, and can include things like mental health therapy, crisis intervention, service coordination, or other supports to the family.
Mental Health Therapy and Counseling for Adults, Children and Families includes therapy or counseling designed to help improve functioning and relationships with other people.
Skill-Building Assistance includes supports, services and training to help a person participate actively at school, work, volunteer, or community settings, or to learn social skills they may need to support themselves or to get around in the community.
Treatment Planning assists the person and those of his/her choosing in the development and periodic review of the individual plan of services.
Wraparound for Children and Adolescents with serious emotional disturbance and their families that include treatment and supports necessary to maintain the child in the family home.
Some Medicaid beneficiaries are eligible for special services that help them avoid having to go to an institution for people with developmental disabilities or nursing home. These special services are called the Habilitation Supports Waiver and the Children’s Waiver. In order to receive these services, people with developmental disabilities need to be enrolled in either of these “waivers.” The availability of these waivers is very limited. People enrolled in the waivers have access to the services listed above, as well as those listed here:
Non-Family Training (for Children’s Waiver enrollees) is customized training for the paid in-home support staff who provide care for a child enrolled in the Waiver.
Specialty Services (for Children’s Waiver enrollees) are music, recreation, art, or massage therapies that may be provided to help reduce or manage the symptoms of a child’s mental health condition or developmental disability. Specialty services might also include specialized child and family training, coaching, staff supervision, or monitoring of program goals.
*In addition to meeting medically necessary criteria, services marked with an asterisk require a doctor’s prescription.
If your child is a Medicaid beneficiary, they may be entitled to other medical services not listed above. Services necessary to maintain their physical health are provided or ordered by their primary care physician. If your child receives community mental health services, LifeWays will work with your primary care physician to coordinate your physical and mental health services. If you do not have a primary care physician, your local community mental health services program will help you find one.
