Family Based Mental Health (FBMH)

Family Based Mental Health (FBMH) Services are team delivered and aimed to provide services to the entire family in a home or community based setting. Our highest priority is to preserve the family unit by creating a safe and healthy family environment.

Teams provide 24/7 around the clock crisis services. Our therapists receive extensive training on trauma, abuse, and attachment issues so they can help children and families work through events and feelings. FBMH follows all CASSP principles.

Our teams provide services to children and adolescents who have experienced many kinds of trauma. When children experience trauma or loss, there can be some changes in personality or behavior. Trauma can come in a variety of forms including domestic or sexual violence, natural disasters, accidents, house fires, robberies, bullying, divorce, abandonment, death, and more.

Oftentimes trauma can cause a child to experience a sense of intense fear, terror, or helplessness. Sometimes, a child will go through the events until they are no longer disturbing or hurtful. In other cases, instead of facing the memory, the child will push it out of the way. This can work for a while, but when the memory is not worked through, it keeps its disturbing power. The more a child avoids facing the memory, the worse it may become.

Their feelings can be expressed in many different ways, which might not make sense to some adults. This is common and with time, the behaviors and feelings can fade as the child works through them. Children should be given the chance to share and talk about their feelings. If they are not, it may send the message that even adults are too afraid to talk about it. Therapy is a great way to help a child and family work through the events and feelings, to prevent these types of responses in the future.

The Stern Center aims to prevent psychiatric hospitalization or out-of-home placement of a child or adolescent with emotional disturbances. When appropriate, the program assists in reuniting families whose child or adolescent has been placed outside of the home. This can be accomplished by providing intensive treatment as well as partnering with various other child serving programs and agencies that may be involved with the child and family. Teams often link families to other supports and agencies within the community.

To qualify for FBMH, your child must have an Independent Comprehensive Child Evaluation completed by a Licensed Psychologist or Clinical Evaluator. If the evaluation recommends that FBMH is medically indicated, the County Mental Health Department and the Managed Care Company will assess the medical necessity and frequency for the final authorization of services. Please contact our offices for more information on FBMH therapy

Services can be provided in Fayette, Greene, or Westmoreland Counties.