Community Family Support Services
“I want other parents to know it is ok to seek help for their child. Parents that have children who have a mental illness have it 5 times as hard. Having support helps you and your child succeed every day. This is my first experience receiving HCT and it has been a blessing.”
~Parent receiving Community Care’s Community Family Support Services~
Home and Community Treatment (HCT) – In
Home Clinical Support
Home and Community Based
Treatment (HCT) is an intensive family-based therapy program that provides
children and parents with a Licensed Clinician and a Behavioral Health
Professional (BHP) to assist in managing mental health and behavioral needs of
a child, and increasing the caregivers’ confidence and skill set to do so. The
focus of the work is multifaceted and allows any member living in the home to
participate in generating progress toward goals identified by the family.
How does it work?
When the HCT service begins,
a clinical therapist will come to your home to meet you and your child. The
therapist will talk with you about the concerns you have for your child, for
yourself, and for your family. The therapist will meet with your child and
conduct a mental health assessment, and talk with you about their assessment
findings. Based on those assessment
findings and on what you share as needs and stressors for your family, the
therapist will work with you to create a treatment plan for your child, and
will discuss action steps that will be taken to help meet the goals within that
plan. A significant component of the support that the therapist will provide is
supporting you as the care provider/parent. Parenting is hard, and parenting a child with
mental health and/or behavioral issues is extremely hard. Sometimes it is hard to know what to do. As parents, we love our kids and do not want
to see them struggle. The therapist is there to partner with you to identify
how to best support your child and help them make progress towards their goals.
Working alongside the
therapist is a Behavioral Health Professional (BHP). The therapist and BHP may
be in the home supporting your family at the same time, or may be working with
you and/or your child at different times. For example, if your child is
experiencing day to day difficulties with following directions, staying
focused, or staying safe, a Clinical Therapist and BHP can partner with you to
create a plan that addresses each need and then work with the child, siblings,
and you to implement the plan. The HCT
Clinician and BHP work intensively, providing individual and family therapy and
skill building sessions each week for a defined time period. Community Care’s
staff are trained in several approaches and treatment modalities. A combination
of parenting curricula and individual treatment modalities are used, depending
on the identified goals and age of the child.
The HCT service is typically
a 3-6 month service. HCT is intensive
and is often in the home for 4-10 hours a week.
Community Care provides these services with a focus on Unconditional
Positive Regard and the philosophical belief that entering a family’s home is
an honor and privilege. The changes that we have had the pleasure of witnessing
stay with our staff.
Who can receive HCT?
HCT is a service of MaineCare;
therefore, the child being referred must have MaineCare to qualify. The service
is also a mental health service so the child must have either a mental health
diagnosis or behaviors that could be indicative of a mental health diagnosis.
If your child has behaviors that are concerning to you as a parent, you can
call us to make a referral and discuss the potential appropriateness of HCT.
In which geographic area is Community Care’s HCT
Provided?
Community Care’s HCT program
is located in multiple areas across the state of Maine. Please call to inquire
as to whether HCT serves your area.
Make A Referral