Countywide : Youths’ Mental Clinic Opens at New Site
The Orange County Health Care Agency’s Children’s Mental Health Services division will have an open house today for its new clinic in Placentia.
The Children’s Mental Health Clinic, at 377 E. Chapman Ave., serves youths from 3 to 18 years old in Placentia, Brea, Yorba Linda, Fullerton, Anaheim, Buena Park, La Habra and La Palma.
Crisis intervention services, individual, family and group psychotherapy, medications and assessment services are available. Counselors are prepared to handle child abuse, parenting and other issues.
About 150 long-term care cases moved with the clinic from Anaheim, but Robles said he expects demand to increase once more people are aware of the new office. In most cases involving long-term treatment, both the child and the family are counseled, Robles said.
The clinic moved from an office at 125 Ball Road, Anaheim, as part of a program to expand services in North County, north region service chief Manuel Robles said.
Most of the center’s clients are referred by school districts, social service agencies and individuals, Robles said, but children or their parents may also make the initial contact. State law requires that a child seeking services without parental knowledge be at least 12 years old, he added.
Robles said most of the center’s ongoing clients are elementary and junior high school age children with behavioral problems, such as fighting or other aggressive behavior, inability to pay attention or disruptive behavior in classes.
The open house will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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