Children Services of Fortwood Center
Fortwood Center provides many therapeutic services to children, adolescents, and families in Hamilton County beginning with an initial evaluation, and if required, an evaluation by a child psychiatrist.
Children’s Programs Include:
- Outpatient Mental and Behavioral Health Assessments
- Individual and Family Counseling
- Medication Evaluation and Treatment
- Case Management
- Early Intervention and Prevention for “At Risk” Children
- Parenting and Anger Management Classes
- Homeless Families and Children Outreach
The two most frequently diagnosed mental disorders in youth today are ADHD and depression. Children with ADHD symptoms show school failure rates double to triple those of other students. Untreated depression is the number one cause of suicide in teens.
Children are referred to Fortwood Center by school counselors, pediatricians, family physicians and parents. Referrals also come from community agencies, hospitals, mental health agencies, children’s homes, juvenile court and the Department of Children’s Services. This can include children who are in legal trouble, suicidal, or expressing aggressive behavior.
SCHOOL OUTREACH PROGRAMS
- PROJECT BASIC: Fortwood’s Project BASIC (Better Attitudes and Skills in Children) provides an onsite full-time counselor at Calvin Donaldson School. This counselor consults with teachers regarding psychological development of children with emotional disturbances, in addition to providing character education and group work for children with behavioral problems.
- PREVENTION CURRICULUM : Fortwood Center provides a Prevention Curriculum to youth ages 8-16 through the state’s Intensive Focus Prevention Program, targeting the attitude and behavior of youth who are at risk for alcohol, tobacco and other drug use or abuse throughout Hamilton County.
Our intensive focus program’s prevention specialist works with small groups in a positive, caring, and safe environment that encourages replacing negative habits with new ideas on how to break destructive cycles. This hands-on approach uses materials that conform to state guidelines including videos and other group tools. Program results can be achieved in 12 sessions and certificates of accomplishment are awarded upon completion.
CHILD & ADOLESCENT HOMELESS OUTREACH
Fortwood’s Child & Adolescent Homeless Outreach Program is funded by a grant from the state. The goals of this program is to assist each homeless child and their parent in finding a stable place to live and help the child remain in school. Fortwood helps these families by coordinating outreach services through local non-profit and government agencies.
PARENTING WORKSHOPS
Fortwood Center’s Parenting Workshops help small groups of participants learn various skills to address daily parenting challenges. Topics of discussion include: effective discipline techniques, active communication, how to diffuse power struggles, techniques to build courage, character and self-esteem in children, and address difficult topics (such as sex, drugs and aggressive behavior). Participants are parents who have been ordered by the court to participate in these classes. Fortwood recently added grand-parenting classes to help equip grandparents in raising children in today’s society.
ANGER MANAGEMENT WORKSHOPS
Fortwood Center’s Anger Management Workshops are psycho-educational classes for adolescents (ages 13-18) that teach anger management and coping skills as well as skills for positive decision making. Objectives of the class are to help improve anger management and to reduce instances of negative behaviors that may result in legal trouble. In 2007 we had 86 anger management participants. Fortwood Center’s Case Management program assists the client and their family in accessing clinical treatment, housing, education, employment medical and other support services that are necessary for successful community living. The case manager is an advocate for the client and helps the client comply with their treatment plan to avoid relapse.