 Early
Intervention & Prevention ServicesBirth & Beyond (Ages
birth to 5)
A home-visitation program, Birth & Beyond is administered
through the River Oak Family Resource Center at the Dunlap House
in Oak Park, works with pregnant women and young mothers to help
improve parenting skills, parent-child bonding and, ultimately,
strives to eliminate or minimize child abuse and neglect. A variety
of well trained professionals are part of multi-disciplinary teams
offering a range of services based on family need. Child Development
specialists, family advocates, nurses, alcohol/drug mental health
and child abuse treatment specialists, and other related professionals
make up the multi-disciplinary teams. Additional family services
are provided, including housing and financial assistance, mental
health counseling, and opportunities for educational advancement.
Differential Response (Ages birth to
18)
In collaboration with Child Protective Services (CPS), this early
intervention, home-visitation program provides a variety of services
to at-risk families needing support to remain safely together.
It also operates out of the River Oak Family Resource Center at
the Dunlap House in Oak Park. The program reduces the rate of
repeat involvement of CPS due to child abuse or neglect reports
through strengthening the family and helping family members deal
with challenges in all aspects of their lives. The services may
include: community resource referrals, family advocacy, parenting
support & education, employment assistance, mental health
services, education resources & advocacy, housing referrals,
health & nutrition education, alcohol & drug programs,
and whatever else they families need.
Building Blocks (Ages birth to 6)
This program targets the youngest of children suffering from developmental
and behavioral problems, psychological trauma, or attachment disorders
and who may be at risk of being removed from their home. Through
coaching and mentoring, parents learn how to understand their
child’s cues and behaviors and then improve their ability
to respond, ultimately helping to develop the child’s relationship-building
and life skills, and minimizing the occurrence of child abuse
and neglect. Services include assessment, parent-child psychotherapy,
parent support, skills building (for both parent and child), education
(regarding development, mental health issues, community supports),
case management and referrals. The Building Blocks team is also
involved with service in the greater community, including outreach,
education, and promotion of early intervention and prevention.
In 1999, the California Mental Health Advocates for Children
and Youth selected the Building Blocks program to receive the
Services Innovation award.
Therapeutic Pre-School (Ages 2 to 6)
A partnership between River Oak and SETA Head Start, the Therapeutic
Preschool is implemented at two Head Start Early Learning Centers:
Crossroad Gardens in South Sacramento and Sharon Neese Center
in North Sacramento. The program provides mental health services
to preschool children with emotional and behavioral challenges
that may lead to dismissal from the mainstreamed preschool. Challenging
school behaviors may include: extreme tantrums, aggression towards
peers or teachers, defiance, challenges relating to others, difficulty
with following directions, inability to focus on or engage with
planned activities, or emotional withdrawn behaviors. The program
uses the Incredible Years curriculum and Creative Curriculum.
The Incredible Years is nationally-acclaimed and proven
by research to assist in the development of emotional and pro-social
skills necessary for success in school. The Creative
Curriculum develops a strong academic foundation to promote kindergarten
readiness. The program success is linked to training and support
components for parents and teachers. Each classroom of 10 students
is staffed by a teacher, an assistant teacher, a mental health
clinician, and a mental health skills trainer. The program operates
4 hours a day; year-round. After participating in the Therapeutic
Preschool, students learn to understand and manage their feelings,
reduce angry outbursts, tantrums, and conflict overall, improve
ability to follow directions, learn how to make friends, and relate
positively to peers, parents and teachers. Children also develop
skills that lead to greater resiliency and improved interpersonal
relationships. Overall, these skills support greater academic
and social emotional competence that is sustained throughout their
life.
Family and Youth Advocacy (All ages
and all River Oak programs)
The mission of this program is to help parents/caregivers engage
in positive relationships with their child’s treatment team
and to empower families to make informed decisions regarding their
child’s mental health treatment through providing information
and other resources. The program offers support groups, family
advisory counsel and family and staff training. Training includes
on-going Educate, Equip and Support: Building Hope classes for
parents across programs providing evidence-based education about
childhood mental health illnesses and treatment options. The advocates
work closely with the County of Sacramento and sit on the Family
Advocates Committee and Executive Board, which develop policy
for advocates in the County. River Oak’s Family Advocate
program is an innovative program, which is currently the largest
in the state of California.
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