The document provides information about Dinuba Children's Services (DCS), a mental health counseling agency that focuses on serving children ages 0-18 in Northern Tulare County, California. DCS provides various services, such as individual and family therapy, medication support, crisis intervention, and psychiatric evaluations, to help treat children's mental health needs and support them in becoming productive members of society. Referrals to DCS can come from parents, schools, and other community organizations and the agency works closely with partners across different sectors.

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Dinuba Children’s
Services

2. Mental Health, summarized
Mental health is how we think, feel and act as we cope with life. It also
helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others and make
choices. Like physical health, mental health is important at every stage
of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
Everyone feels worried, anxious, sad or stressed sometimes. But with a
mental illness, these feelings do not go away and are severe enough to
interfere with your daily life. It can make it hard to meet and keep
friends, hold a job or enjoy your life.
Mental illnesses are common – they affect about one in five families in
the U.S. It is not your fault if you have one. These disorders –
depression, phobias, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and many others -
are real diseases that you cannot will or wish away. Fortunately, they
are often treatable. Medicines and therapy can improve the life of most
people with mental illnesses. (Medlineplus)

3. Mission Statement
To provide public benefit through
helping people develop skills,
motivation and resources to
become productive members of
society; healthy in body, mind and
spirit.

4. Dinuba Children Services(DCS)
 DCS is a counseling agency which focuses on the mental
health needs of children ages 0-18
 DCS is a contracted service of the Tulare County Health
& Human Services Agency
 DCS is a community-based agency which works together
with families in their home, school and other agencies in
the community
 DCS provides services to Medi-cal and Healthy Families
recipients residing in Northern Tulare County

5. Community Based
Agency
 DCS works with other community agencies
 Law enforcement/Probation
 Child Welfare Services
 School Districts
 Health clinics/Physicians
 Central Valley Regional Center (CVRC)
 Foster Family Agencies
 Turning Point Drug and Alcohol
 Courts
 Adult Mental Health

6. Populations at Risk
 Mentally Ill children
 Untreated mental illness is the leading cause of disability and
suicide
 Without treatment, children’s mental health can severely
intervene in their daily life’s, at school, in their families, with
the legal system and in the community
 With treatment children can better become productive members
of society, be healthy in body, mind and spirit
 Children’s life's are at risk, if their mental health needs are not
treated!

7. Services
 Individual Therapy/Counseling
 Family Therapy/Counseling
 Medication Support Services
 Crisis Intervention
 A crisis call is received then a Crisis worker responds (at schools, homes and in the
community) to do an assessment on client
 Crisis worker is there to deescalate and contract for safety
 If unable to contract or other circumstances compromise safety then a 5150 Hold considered
(hospitalization)
 Criteria to determine 5150 Hold;
 Danger to self
 Danger to others
 Greatly disabled

8. Services
 Psychiatric Evaluations
 Tele-Psychiatric – Board Certified Child
Psychiatrist
 Linkage Services
 Rehabilitation Groups
 Groups include:
 Social Skills
 Anger Management
 Girls Self-Esteem
 Parenting/Support
 Relaxation/Stress Relief
 Early Childhood Intervention

9. Referral Process
 A referral to DCS can come from parents, schools,
Probation, Child Welfare Services, self-referral, courts
and from physicians
 Upon initial call, an appointment is scheduled for an
assessment
 Upon completion of assessment, the case is assigned to a
clinician
 Timeframe from initial call to begin treatment is about
3-4 weeks
 Treatment is started!

10. Values at DCS
 National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics
 Service
 Social justice
 Dignity and worth of the person
 Importance of human relationships
 Integrity
 Competence
 In addition…
 Workers advocate for clients
 Respect clients self-determination
 Have commitment to clients (Legal obligations and the well being
of the client)
 Informed consent, Confidentiality, HIPPA

11. Organizational Structure
of DCS
Program Director
Assistant Program Director
Team Leaders
Staff