Program Purpose
The purpose of the Bayfront Youth & Family Services´ residential program is to provide an intensively structured rehabilitative environment for those adolescents aged 11-17 who have not been able to be treated in existing community care facilities within Los Angeles County, as well as other counties outside of Los Angeles.

This program services those emotionally disturbed adolescents identified by Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Children and Youth Services Bureau, as needing an intensive mental health treatment setting. The program is funded by AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children). In addition, the program provides a non-public school for adolescents funded by the Long Beach Unified School District.

Independent Living
The program offers clients the opportunity to participate and attend classes in the Independent Living Program (ILP) through a local Community College.

Life Skills
Skills assessments and evaluations which highlight the individual need, strengths, and abilities of clients, focusing on health and wellness, education and vocational goals that assist in the improvement of self-care and independent functioning.

Community Outings and Activities
Creative social activity and incentive programs for clients that promotes a healthy community re-orientation and promotes the positive development of client self-esteem.

A Qualified and Diverse Staffing Team
A strong support staffing team that is culturally sensitive, professional, caring, and well trained to assist in every aspect of programming.

Mentoring Partnerships
A solid commitment in insuring a positive adult/child connection which supports growth, trust, as well as teamwork between the pair.

Day Treatment Intensive (DTI)

Our DTI program provides the following services:

Process Groups: Staff facilitates these groups to help clients develop the skills necessary to deal with their individual problems/issues by using the group process to provide peer interaction and feedback in developing problem-solving strategies and to assist one another in resolving behavioral and emotional problems. Process groups are based on the premise that much of human behavior and feeling involves the individual´s adaptation and response to other people and that the group can assist individuals in making necessary changes by means support, feedback, and guidance. It is a process carried out by informally organized groups that seek change. Day rehabilitation may include psychotherapy instead of process groups or in addition to process groups.

Skill Building Groups: Staff help clients to identify barriers/obstacles related to their psychiatric/psychological experiences and, through the course of group interaction, become better able to identify skills that address symptoms and behaviors and to increase adaptive behaviors.

Adjunctive Therapies: Staff and clients participate in non-traditional therapy that utilizes self-expression (art, recreation, dance, music, etc.) as the therapeutic intervention. Participants do not need to have any level of skill in the area of self- expression, but rather be able to utilize the modality to develop or enhance skills directed towards client plan goals.

Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy means the use of psychosocial methods within a professional relationship to assist the person or persons to achieve a better psychosocial adaptation, to acquire greater human realization of psychosocial potential and adaptation, to modify internal and external conditions that affect individuals, groups, or communities in respect to behavior, emotions, and thinking, in respect to their interpersonal processes.

Psychotherapy is provided by licensed, registered, or waivered staff practicing within their scope of practice. Psychotherapy does not include physiological interventions, including medication intervention.

Therapeutic Behavioral Services (TBS)

What is TBS?
TBS is defined by the Department of Mental Health (DMH) as one-to-one therapeutic contact between a mental health provider and a beneficiary for a specified short-term period of time which is designed to maintain the child/youth´s residential placement at the lowest appropriate level by resolving target behaviors and achieving short-term treatment goals. A contact is considered therapeutic if it is intended to provide the child/youth with skills to effectively manage the behavior(s) or symptom(s) that is the barrier to achieving residence in the lowest appropriate level.

What are considered TBS Services?
According to DMH, the distinction between TBS and other services is that a significant component of this service activity is having the staff person on-site and immediately available to intervene for specific periods of time. The service is focused on resolution of target behaviors or symptoms which jeopardize existing placements or which are a barrier to transitioning to a lower level of residential placement and completion of specific treatment goals.

What is the role of the TBS worker?
The TBS worker is to:

• When entering the home, notify the administrator/caregiver of his/her arrival.
• Provide a weekly schedule of his/her times to be observing and interacting with the client.
• Provide coaching, interventions, observations of the TBS client.
• Discuss any issues or problems with the client with the Lead Youth Counselor/Therapist/Caregiver.
• Present updates of the client´s progress at Treatment Team meeting(s).
• Be present during the TBS client´s daily activities, including school, groups, and other activities.
• Offer rewards that are consistent with the client care plan and the client´s level system.

What are examples of interventions?
Examples of interventions are:

• Assisting the child/youth to engage in or remain engaged in appropriate activities.
• Helping to minimize the child/youth´s impulsive behavior.
• Helping to increase the child/youth´s social and community competencies by building or reinforcing those daily living skills that will assist the child/youth in living successfully at home and in the community.
• Providing immediate behavioral reinforcements.
• Providing appropriate time-out strategies.
• Providing cognitive behavioral approaches, such as cognitive restructuring, use of hierarchies, and graduated exposure.
• Collaboration with and support for the family/caregivers´ efforts to provide a positive environment for the child.

What is the TBS worker not to do?
The TBS worker is never to:

• Provide coverage for staff.
• Interact with other children in the unit/home, unless in the course of providing direct services to the TBS client.
• Assist the client with homework, or to assist the client´s teacher with school education activities.

Zinzmeyer Academy

A division of ChildNet Youth and Family Services, Inc., Zinsmeyer Academy is a private, nonpublic school certified by the California Department of Education and fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The Academy opened in 1990 with a mission to provide a safe environment for children needing specialized education and counseling services in a setting designed for optimum success. Serving 4th-12th grade students, the Academy offers small class sizes and provides door-to-door transportation for all community students. In addition, The Academy is located adjacent to Bayfront Youth and Family Services Residential Treatment Center and provides special education and counseling services to all eligible Bayfront residents. All qualified students have the opportunity to participate in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) basketball and baseball programs as well as the Academy’s excellent Art Program. All activities and individualized curriculum are designed to assist students with improving social skills and reaching their full academic potential.

 

1. What services will my child receive?

Answer: All children are assessed by a qualified Physician to determine immediate medical needs. Each child is evaluated by a licensed clinician upon intake and an individual treatment plan reviewed and approved by a Psychiatrist with oversight by the facilities Medical Director. Each child’s treatment plan is then implemented by a qualified staffing team.

2. How long is a resident´s length of stay?

Answer: Residents usual length of stay is between 6 months to a year.

3. When will my child be able to have visitors?

Answer: Visitors are welcomed every day including weekends. Visiting hours vary, Weekdays from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM and Weekends from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM.

4. When will my child be able to receive phone calls?

Answer: Clients are able to use the telephone immediately to contact family members and daily during telephone hours as specified by Bayfront´s program guidelines.

5. What about school?

Answer: Each child is assessed for and involved in an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Bayfront clients attend an accredited nonpublic school adjacent to the Residential Facility (See "Zinsmeyer Academy" above) and attend classes 5 days per week.