What We Do
- We promote the emotional and psychological well-being of Arlington County youth and families.
- We provide services to children, teens and their families to prevent mental health and substance abuse problems from developing or becoming more serious.
- We assist your child or teen in overcoming problem thoughts, feelings and behaviors that interfere with daily life, and we help to develop skills for healthy living.
Arlington County Behavioral Healthcare Services for Children
As with physical health, our mental health develops and changes as we get older, and it is important at every stage of life. Everyone has mental health, and it can range from being good at times to not so good (even poor) at other times. It’s at these times that our services can help.
These services are available from us:
- Screening, assessment and outpatient treatment
- Care coordination (“case management” for linkage and coordination of needs and services a youth may receive from various agencies or providers)
- Specialized case management for transition-age teens with mental illness
- Short-term intensive care coordination to stabilize acute, high-risk behaviors and prevent out-of-home placement or transition youth back to the community from hospital or residential care
- Detention-based assessment and intervention for youth in the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center
- Court liaison services at the juvenile court to identify those with behavioral health concerns, divert them from court involvement and link them to appropriate services in the community
- Psycho-education for youth with substance use or abuse
- Mental health promotion and substance abuse prevention services in schools and in the community
- Therapeutic recreation for certain age groups on a limited basis
- NEW: Parent-Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT)
For further information about our services, call 703-228-1560.
Learn about Diversion First, a program for youth made possible through an agreement with Virginia Hospital Center. The program began operation in 2019.