LOS ANGELES CHILD GUIDANCE CLINIC3031 South Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(323) 373-2400
www.lacgc.org
Elizabeth W. Pfromm, M.S., MPA, Executive Director
The Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic provides quality mental health services to a community in great need by ensuring easy access and promoting early intervention. Since its foundation in 1924, the Clinic has provided continuous mental health services to the high need, underserved communities of Central and South Los Angeles. Intervening early on in a child's life to prevent future problems is a crucial aspect of the agency's mission. Working with parents in a safe and comfortable environment, the Clinic educates them about the benefits of mental health services in addressing the emotional and behavioral problems of their children, as well as the importance of their involvement in the treatment process. The Clinic offers services in English and Spanish at three community-based sites in South Los Angeles, as well as in natural settings such as homes and schools.
The Clinic's Early Intervention and Community Wellness Divisions offer an array of prevention and early intervention programs to address the mental health needs of children ages 0-5. Many children growing up in the communities of South and Central Los Angeles experience multiple stressors such as domestic and/or community violence, poverty, abuse and neglect - that can negatively affect healthy development. Resulting emotional and behavioral issues often interfere with a child's ability to learn and succeed. Early intervention decreases the likelihood for future high level services while increasing the likelihood of positive outcomes.
The Atlas Family Foundation provides funding to support the programming of the Early Intervention and Community Wellness Programs. These programs work to ensure that children, ages 0-5 who would otherwise not be identified as needing mental health services until reaching school age, receive access to specialized mental health services. Service components and their goals include:
- Access Center's Walk-In Clinic - to increase access to mental health and community services including highly relational care;
- First Steps Program - to improve attachment bonds between high-risk infants/toddlers and their caregivers;
- MAT Assessments - to increase access to mental health care for children who are detained by the L.A. Department of Children and Family Services;
- Outpatient Services - to reach out to young children already exhibiting behavioral and emotional problems;
- Early Intervention Day Treatment - to provide interventions to a targeted population of very young children displaying multiple behavioral problems so severe that they interfere with early learning and relationship forming;
- Child Psychiatry Residents Training - to provide psychiatry residents with on-site training in the diagnosis and treatment of young children;
- Family Resource Center - to provide a high relational support center to help parents navigate child welfare, special education, and mental health services and resources; and
- Early Intervention Training Institute - in response to the expanding need for early childhood mental health training in Los Angeles County. The Institute's goals are to increase the capacity of key "gatekeepers" and expand Early Intervention workforce development to identify children at risk for or experiencing emotional, behavioral and social delays. The Institute trains professionals and paraprofessionals in assessment and effective interventions with at-risk children and their families in a variety of settings, such as mental health agencies, Head Start programs, day care centers, and child welfare organizations.
The clinic anticipates outcomes will reflect an increased number of parents/caregivers with young children who feel supported and are able to access appropriate services. Outcomes will also reflect a decrease in the number of children who are experiencing severe emotional and behavioral problems.
Recent AFF grant:
$52,500, December 2010
