River Oak Center for Children: FOCUS (Family Outreach Community Unity Support)

When we first met Jaleesa a year and a half ago, she was a teen in a world of trouble. She had been placed on informal probation for multiple assaults against her teachers, was facing expulsion from school, and was often sent away to live with extended relatives because of her explosiveness.

River Oak's FOCUS program helped Jaleesa change her behavior by providing her with intensive mental health services that helped her express how she was feeling in a safe and non-violent manner.
FOCUS - which stands for Family Outreach Community Unity Support - provides services in the home, school, and community to children and teens with severe emotional or behavioral disorders.

FOCUS aims to help a child or teen live at home by building on a family's strengths and developing the family's skills and natural supports to deal with future challenges. Services can be requested by calling the Sacramento County Child and Family Access Team, Department of Health and Human Services Division of Mental Health, at 916-875-9980.

Today, 14-year-old Jaleesa is attending a Non-Public School, has earned her way off of probation, lives with her mother and sisters, and plans on touring McGeorge Law School to discover what she needs to do to become a lawyer one day. Jaleesa excels at creative writing, poetry, journaling, and giving advice to friends. She is currently transitioning from FOCUS to a transitional age youth program in the community where she will continue to develop her independent living skills, participate in peer groups, and receive medication management and therapy as needed.