Short-Term Crisis Stabilization
Help when you need it and a direction for tomorrow.
Northern Rivers Family of Services offers short-term overnight therapeutic programs for youth ages 5–17 experiencing a period of acute stress, mental health issues, or a psychiatric crisis that requires a 24/7 staff-secured nonhospital setting. These family-centered programs are designed to equip families and youth with a plan for success at home, in school, and in the community.
The Northern Rivers Difference
Our short-term programs are staffed by knowledgeable, caring professionals who specialize in trauma-informed care and are invested in the success of everyone in our care. From the moment treatment begins, we work with each youth, adult, and support system to identify challenges, develop resources and community supports, and build on strengths. We do more than help avert a crisis: We help children, families, and adults build and follow a long-term, client-driven plan for success. We offer a continuum of care providing just the right amount of intervention required.
Healy House
Support for families that includes programming for children ages 5–12. We provide customized supervision, clinical support, nursing care, and tutoring, focusing on helping children stabilize through a consistent, nurturing structure combined with behavior modification. Our primary goal is to stabilize a crisis situation to prevent the unnecessary use of a hospital emergency room or hospital admission.
Services
- Crisis stabilization
- Behavior support
- Case management
- Counseling
- Daily living skills training
- Education support services
- Health services
- Medication management, training, and monitoring
- Overnight room and board accommodations
- Socialization
Benefits
- Immediate stabilization of a situational crisis in a nonhospital setting
- Improved daily functioning at home, in school, and in the community
- For children living with their families, a plan to manage a child’s behaviors and emotional needs
- For children in foster care custody, a comprehensive document to offer guidance to services providers
- Assessment for social determinants of health and linkages to needed supports and services
Access
To be admitted to the program, a child needs to meet the following criteria::
- Be between the ages of 5 and 12 at admission
- Demonstrate functional challenges consistent with a DSM-V diagnosis, which can be expected to be resolved with short-term overnight therapeutic intervention
- Experiencing emotional or behavioral problems or experiencing a situational family crisis that cannot be safely managed in the home
- Requires a highly structured, 24/7 therapeutic environment to prevent hospitalization
To make a referral to Healy House, call 518.292.5499.
North Star
This new short-term overnight crisis stabilization program is for youth ages 12–17, which provides support for families and youth. Our primary goal is to stabilize a crisis situation to prevent the unnecessary use of a hospital emergency room or a hospital admission. As a youth’s crisis stabilizes, the program develops a plan of care to address underlying difficulties that led to the crisis, including making referrals for needed treatment supports and services for both the youth and the family.This new short-term overnight crisis stabilization program is for youth ages 12–17, which provides support for families and youth. Our primary goal is to stabilize a crisis situation to prevent the unnecessary use of a hospital emergency room or a hospital admission. As a youth’s crisis stabilizes, the program develops a plan of care to address underlying difficulties that led to the crisis, including making referrals for needed treatment supports and services for both the youth and the family.
As a part of New York state’s Delivery System Reform agenda, North Star was developed to add a community-based crisis stabilization service. Our regional partners (Adirondack Health Institute, Alliance for Better Health, and Better Health for Northeast New York) are funding the first year of operation so that we can begin providing these services while the state completes the approval process for payment. This means that the service is generally available to those youths who are either Medicaid eligible or enrolled. Once in operation, the program will work with private insurance payers to establish access and payment for these services.
Services
- Behavior support and crisis stabilization
- Case management and care coordination
- Comprehensive intake assessment
- Daily living skills training
- Education support servicesHealth services
- Individual, group, and family counselingMedication management, training, and monitoring
- One to one monitoring for recipients assessed with high risk behavior
- Overnight room and board accommodations
- Socialization
Benefits
- Immediate stabilization of a situational crisis in a nonhospital setting
- Dedicated 5-bed suite in a new state-of-the-art building designed specifically to meet the needs of youth and families dealing with behavioral health challenges
- Comprehensive services, supports, and care management
- Assessment for social determinants of health and linking families to needed supports and services
- A quick, safe return home with a plan and supports for long-term success
- A step-down from hospital level of care for a youth who is in stable condition but needs time to access needed home and community-based services
Access
To be admitted to the program, a child needs to meet the following criteria::
- Be between the ages of 12 and 17 at admission
- Demonstrate functional or mental health challenges consistent with a DSM-V diagnosis, which can be expected to be resolved with short-term overnight therapeutic intervention
- Experiencing emotional or behavioral problems or experiencing a situational family crisis that cannot be safely managed in the home
- Requires a highly structured, 24/7 therapeutic environment to prevent hospitalization[
To make a referral to North Star, call 518.292.5499.