Child & Family Services

Family Mental Health Program

When Do Families Need Counseling?

Healthy families provide emotional, physical and economic support for their members while sustaining an individual's well-being. Families do more than support each other: they are the building blocks of our society. Our Family Counseling Program supports Child & Family Services' belief that strong families build strong communities.

Today's families, no matter how strong and stable, may suffer stress for a variety of reasons including unemployment, poverty, divorce, substance abuse, family violence and other life problems which can seriously disable a family.

Any of the following behaviors when enduring or excessive, may indicate the need for professional counseling:

• Difficulty functioning in one's normal capacity
• Extreme emotional reactions (excessive anger, fear, sadness, depression)
• Breakdown in communication between family members
• Withdrawn behavior
• Violence or the threat of violence to oneself or others
• Feelings of helplessness or hopelessness
• Children with behavior problems at home or school
• Difficulty in coping with a traumatic incident

What Is the Child & Family Services Family Counseling Program?

Child & Family Services Family Counseling and Family Mental Health Programs are based on the family systems approach. A trained counselor will assess the client's situation within the context of the family and community. The counselor and the client will then work in areas they determine most likely to resolve the problem. Counseling may be as brief as one to six sessions, or may require a longer period of time. Services are determined on an individual basis by the client and counselor.

Special Services For Special People

Our counseling programs includes specialized services to respond to specific needs.

• The Family Mental Health Program provides psychotherapy and psychiatric services.
• Preventive Services with special emphasis on children's needs, are provided to serve families at risk of breakdown.
• The Domestic Violence Intervention Program provides individual or group counseling for men, women and children.
• Cathedral Park Counseling provides crisis counseling, information and referral for workers in downtown Buffalo.

The Family Mental Health Program

Our Family Mental Health Program is licensed by the New York State Office of Mental Health. Services provided to adults, children and families include:

• evaluation;
• treatment;
• crisis intervention;
• and medication, education and management.

The goal of the program is to help clients improve functioning by strengthening individual, family and community supports.

Skilled and Compassionate Counselors

The Family Counseling and Family Mental Health Programs are staffed by professional counselors. More than 90% of the staff hold Masters of Social Work degrees. Staff are specially trained and experienced in family counseling techniques.

Counseling services are confidential and affordable. Some specialized program services are funded by government contracts. Other services are provided on a sliding fee scale based on family income or reimbursed by private insurance. No one is turned away because of inability to pay.

For more information, contact the Child & Family Services office nearest you:

Buffalo 330 Delaware Avenue Buffalo, New York 14202 Phone: (716) 842-2750 FAX: (716) 842-0668	Cheektowaga 2470 Walden Avenue Cheektowaga, New York 14225 Phone: (716) 681-5718 FAX: (716) 681-5300
Mary Talbert Clinic 923 Main Street Buffalo, New York 14203 Phone: (716) 881-2591 FAX: (716) 881-0652	West Seneca 4086 Seneca Street West Seneca, New York 14224 Phone: (716) 674-2206 FAX: (716) 674-2415