Family-Based Autism Mental Health Services

Family-Based Autism Mental Health Services offer a nontraditional, community-based approach that works with the strengths and resources of families in their homes and neighborhoods. This treatment is for families caring for children and adolescents with emotional problems, behavioral problems, and autism spectrum disorder. These services help to enhance behavior skills, family strengths, facilitate collaboration among systems, and achieve continuity of care.

The primary purpose of this service is to keep families together and reduce the need for out-of-home placement. The program also may be used as a step-down treatment to help families stabilize and reunite when a child returns from hospitalization, foster care, or another placement.

Contact Us

Please call 412-798-6870 or 412-624-1000 for more information.

Services

Program participation by the child and family member is voluntary. Parents or guardians must be willing to work actively with the treatment team. Families and their team develop a crisis plan. The family receives the crisis pager number during their first session. Program services include:

Family therapy
24/7 crisis prevention and intervention
Advocacy
Case management
Family support services

Treatment

The treatment model is considered brief, although treatment can last up to 32 weeks. There are several parts to the treatment model, including:

Services are delivered by a team that uses Eco-systemic structural family therapy to help the family achieve the changes they would like to see. The team approach enhances continuity of care, offers flexible scheduling to families, and works to achieve goals through creative problem solving and behavioral interventions in collaboration with the family.
The team works with families to develop realistic treatment goals.
Families are linked with the most appropriate professional services and community supports.
The team collaborates with families and other service systems through routine meetings.