Imperial County Behavioral Health Services – MHSA Programs - El Centro, CA

About the Facility

The Imperial County BHS MHSA PEI Program, located in El Centro, California, offers outpatient Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF CBT) for children and youth ages 4 to 18, as well as a First Step to Success program for children ages 4 to 6.

TF-CBT services are offered to children and youth ages 4 to 18 to help them navigate the impact of traumatic experiences. These sessions are available in the El Centro clinic as well as in various community locations. Referrals to more intensive treatment, including drug rehab or other behavioral health services, are also available.

The FSS program is administered by school staff and offers pro-social training for children ages 4 to 6. The goal is to help children develop coping skills and relationship skills early in life to avoid mental health problems, to educate parents and teachers about mental health risks even among young children, and to reduce the stigma around mental health issues.

The Imperial County BHS is a Medi Cal program. However, they may refer participants to other mental health or treatment services that accept private insurance such as Bright Health, Cigna, Humana, Magellan, Kaiser, and more. Each insurance plan is different, so be sure to verify your coverage details and out of network benefits by contacting the insurer.

Treatment

Mental Health

Inpatient treatment for drug and alcohol addiction with a focus on mental health is a good fit for people who need closer monitoring and care. Treatment may occur in a hospital setting, a clinic, or a luxury rehab center. Mental health counselors and staff are available 24/7. Therapies typically include group and individual counseling, relapse prevention education, and emotional coping skills training.

Insurance and Financial

Medicaid
Private insurance
Self-pay options
Financing available
Sliding scale payment assistance
Medicare
Military insurance
Financial aid

Programs

Adolescence program

Adult program

Children program

Program for men

Program for women

Young adult program

Levels of Care

Outpatient

Clients receiving treatment at an outpatient rehab typically do not require hospitalization or intensive supervision and support. Outpatient addiction counseling and recovery education are often offered during the morning, evening, night, and weekend, allowing clients to tailor treatment to their own schedule. Partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) programs are the most time-intensive and are designed for clients who are at an increased relapse risk and/or who need more robust therapeutic support.

Aftercare Support

Completing a drug or alcohol rehab program shouldn't spell the end of substance abuse treatment. Aftercare involves making a sustainable plan for recovery, including ongoing support. This can include sober living arrangements like halfway houses, career counseling, and setting a patient up with community programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).

Clinical Services

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a therapy modality that focuses on the relationship between one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is used to establish and allow for healthy responses to thoughts and feelings (instead of unhealthy responses, like using drugs or alcohol). CBT has been proven effective for recovering addicts of all kinds, and is used to strengthen a patient's own self-awareness and ability to self-regulate. CBT allows individuals to monitor their own emotional state, become more adept at communicating with others, and manage stress without needing to engage in substance abuse.

Creative Arts Therapy

Creativity is inherently healing, and can help those in recovery express thoughts or feelings they might not otherwise be able to. Creative arts therapy can include music, poetry/writing, painting, sculpting, dance, theater, sandplay, and more. Unlike traditional art, the final product matters far less than the experience of creation and expression itself.

Family Therapy

Research clearly demonstrates that recovery is far more successful and sustainable when loved ones like family members participate in rehab and substance abuse treatment. Genetic factors may be at play when it comes to drug and alcohol addiction, as well as mental health issues. Family dynamics often play a critical role in addiction triggers, and if properly educated, family members can be a strong source of support when it comes to rehabilitation.

Group Therapy

Group therapy is any therapeutic work that happens in a group (not one-on-one). There are a number of different group therapy modalities, including support groups, experiential therapy, psycho-education, and more. Group therapy involves treatment as well as processing interaction between group members.

Individual Therapy

In individual therapy, a patient meets one-on-one with a trained psychologist or counselor. Therapy is a pivotal part of effective substance abuse treatment, as it often covers root causes of addiction, including challenges faced by the patient in their social, family, and work/school life.

Life Skills

Life skills trainings involve all the skills a person must have in order to function successfully in the world. These include time management, career guidance, money management, and effective communication. Truly successful addiction recovery is based on the ability to not only live substance-free, but to thrive. Life skills teaches the practical necessities of functioning in society, which sets clients up for success in life, and therefore sobriety.

Motivational Interviewing

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a clinical approach to helping people with substance abuse issues and other conditions shift behavior in positive ways. It is more goal-oriented than traditional psychotherapy, as MI counselors directly attempt to get clients to consider making behavioral change (rather than wait for them to come to conclusions themselves). Its primary purpose is to resolve ambivalence and help clients become able to make healthy choices freely.

Trauma Therapy

Trauma therapy addresses traumatic incidents from a client's past that are likely affecting their present-day experience. Trauma is often one of the primary triggers and potential causes of addiction, and can stem from child sexual abuse, domestic violence, having a parent with a mental illness, losing one or both parents at a young age, teenage or adult sexual assault, or any number of other factors. The purpose of trauma therapy is to allow a patient to process trauma and move through and past it, with the help of trained and compassionate mental health professionals.