Behavioral and Mental Health Services

The Behavioral and Mental Health Services Program provides counseling services for infants, toddlers, youth up to age 18 and families throughout Kent and surrounding communities.

Overall Behavioral Health program:

Childhood and Adolescent behavioral health programs take a heavy toll over a lifetime with significant impacts on rates of economic independence mortality and morbidity rates
These Behavioral problems are reflected and perpetuated by social inequities and disparities and are characterized by increased alcohol/drug use suicide, violence and trauma.
According to the 2015 Roadmap project 41% students who are having difficulties graduating high school have at least one identified mental health or substance use disorder history/problem
During the past year , our success rates for all our Behavioral health programs is 83%
In the past year we had a Washington state audit, conducted every four years reviewing all aspects of our behavior health programs. We received a 92% overall rating.

Substance Use disorders counseling:

There is an increase in adolescent marijuana use ,since the recent legalization of marijuana in the state of Washington due to the relaxed laws and higher availability, in addition to decreased perception of risk.
There is also an increase also in youth alcohol use. Since Washington State has allowed distilled alcohol in all grocery stores and outlets there’s a greater higher availability to our youth and young adults.
During the past year there’s been a dramatic increase in the use of heroin. Due to a trend that began several years ago with the increase prescriptions for OxyContin and oxycodone. Currently heroin is much cheaper and much easier available then prescription medication.
The majority of our referrals are referred from the Juvenile court system, Diversion and Drug court and local area schools.

Mental Health counseling:

According to the recent 2014 Washington State Healthy survey, youth in the South end schools have reported increased thoughts of committing suicide in the past year and increased number of identified as feeling nervous or anxious for two weeks or more in the past year.
KYFS MH are seeing an increased number of children, youth and young adult, diagnosed as clinically depressed and anxiety disorders.
We are also seeing an increase in trauma related disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorders.
The primary referrals are from the local area school districts, and other Healthcare organizations.
We have added in the past year, to our mental health counseling programs, groups and will continue to enhance and increase groups in mental health counseling throughout the next year.

Infant Mental health counseling:

We’ve continued to increase and expand our infant mental health program adding PCIT (Parent-child interactive training) to our counseling program.
We continue to provide evidence-based parenting support and education groups using the Incredible years model
Our infant mental health counseling we are in place to stem or reduce the detrimental effects on Adverse childhood experiences (ACES). Early brain research shows that particularly working with infants and children up to the age of three dramatically assist in a healthy social emotional development of the child.

Co-occurring counseling:

Throughout the last year we have increased and enhanced our co-occurring programs to include both integrated and parallel co-occurring services.
We have seen an increase in the past year, in our adolescent/youth admissions, where two or more mental health and substance use disorder issues are present

Increased need for funding to support and expand all Behavioral health programs to accommodate the need for quality and extensive clinical care.
Severity levels of our clients are continuing to increase increasing with multiple issues, so funding to support ongoing education and training and to attract excellent clinicians, is needed.