Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS) is a nonprofit agency that has been helping teens and families on the Peninsula for 27 years. ACS provides a range of services including
Caravan House, a group home for teenage girls, licensed by the California Department of Social Services, balances residential treatment with the amenities of home. The program is staffed 24 hours a day. Program Director Laurie Linscheid, MS explains the treatment philosophy at Caravan House, "We utilize a structure of privileges and phases to motivate residents to complete tasks and gradually gain more independence. Residents achieve positive behavioral changes that lead to increased self-esteem and social responsibility." On average, girls stay in the program for 15 months. Residents who are not able to return home when they graduate from Caravan House must have the skills to live on their own or in a less structured program. The girls participate in an Independent Living Skills Program to help them prepare for life after Caravan House. Budgeting, job skills, and time management are taught in this essential program.
Counseling at area secondary schools, The On-Campus Counseling Program is headed by five Program Directors who are licensed mental health professionals experienced in working with adolescents and families. Program Directors supervise carefully selected graduate and post-graduate counseling interns from local universities who provide the bulk of counseling at the five schools. The range of issues addressed through the program, includes:
Peer relationships
Depression
Isolation
Divorce
Academic stress
Anxiety
Communication
Grief and loss
Family conflict
The Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program, helps teens and their family members struggling with drug and/or alcohol abuse. We provide assessment, treatment and continuing care in an outpatient setting, allowing families to stay intact as they work through the different stages of the program. Families may be seen as many as three times each week. This is an outpatient, fee-for-service program with rates based on a sliding scale. We have scholarships available for families needing financial assistance. Offices are located in Palo Alto and Redwood City. Our core services include:
Assessment to help families determine the nature and severity of drug and/or alcohol use
Treatment to help teens break the cycle of addiction. Treatment includes
Individual, family and group counseling
Continuing Care to reinforce healthy lifestyles and help prevent relapse.
