Baltimore County Department of Health
6401 York Road, 3rd floor
Baltimore, MD 21212-2130
Email: health@baltimorecountymd.gov
Phone: 410-887-3828
Fax: 410-887-3786
TTY user call via Maryland Relay
The Child and Adolescent Services Team in the Bureau of Behavioral Health/Core Service Agency contracts for and monitors publicly-funded services for children and adolescents with severe emotional and behavioral problems, who are at risk for out-of-home placement, and their families.
The Bureau of Behavioral Health/Core Service Agency does not provide clinical services. Rather, the Child and Adolescent Services Team access funding, including state grants and Medical Assistance for specialized treatment programs for children and their families. Services are then provided via contractual arrangement with private mental health and social service agencies (usually non-profit).
Outpatient Mental Health Centers, licensed by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, provide outpatient treatment and serve the largest number of consumers. The centers treat children and adolescents (as well as adults) with emotional and behavioral problems, with a range of severity. Services include individual and family therapy, psychopharmacology, and school consultation. Group therapy and school-based clinics are available at some sites. For a list of Outpatient Mental Health Centers contact MAPS-MD.
Specialized programs, serving a smaller, but significant number of consumers, include a wide array of innovative home and community-based services. These services, dependent upon funding, may include:
- Case Management
- In-home family-focused behavioral counseling
- Respite services, home-based and out-of-home
- Therapeutic after-school programs
- Psychiatric Rehabilitation Programs (PRP)
- Psychiatric residential treatment centers
- School-based mental health clinics
- Daycare consultations
- Community Conferencing
- EPSDT-Therapeutic Behavioral Aides
- Residential Treatment Centers
- Voluntary Placement Diversion Program
Multi-systemic Therapy (MST)
Multi-systemic Therapy is an intensive community-based therapy for youth with juvenile justice involvement. This evidence-based model program has outcomes including: improved family functioning, increased school attendance, and reduction in recidivism in the juvenile justice system.
Transition Age Youth Project (TAY)
The Transitional Age Youth Program assists adolescents between the ages of 18 to 21 with a history of severe emotional behavioral problems towards the goal of independent living.
Eligibility
Many, but not all programs require:
- Psychiatric Axis I diagnosis
- Medical Assistance Insurance
- An IQ of 70 and above
- Referral by a mental health professional
Fees
Medical Assistance reimburses on a fee-for-service basis for services authorized by the Public Mental Health System. Some services require this insurance. For consumers without Medical Assistance, some services have a sliding-scale fee and some have no fee.
For copies of referral and other forms for services go to Child and Adolescent Services Forms. For additional information, contact the Bureau of Behavioral Health at 410-887-3828.
The Adult Team:
- Provides oversight and consultation to a number of mental health programs in Baltimore County
- Approves placement in the County's Residential Rehabilitation and Supported Employment Programs, as well as approving extensions for crisis beds.
- Has limited funds available for one-time assistance to Baltimore County residents with a mental illness who meet eligibility requirements. The fund provides assist to Baltimore County residents with mental illness in avoiding.
An application for the Adult Flexible Fund and Residential Rehabilitation Program can be accessed under Mental Health Resources, and must be completed by a psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor, social worker, or case manager working on behalf of the consumer in need.
The Geriatric Services Team works with seniors and their families who need help coping with typical problems that arise with aging such as depression, anxiety, relationship conflicts and difficulties coping with loss and other life changes. Services offered include pre-screening evaluations, consultations and discussion groups.
The Geriatric Services Program consults with other County agencies around issues impacting older persons with mental illnesses. For access to Geriatric Services, contact Pat Karpook of Bay Life Services at 443-777-2200.
Peers: Seniors in Partnership/Education Program is a program that helps elderly individuals living in the community to cope with isolation and depression. Senior volunteers and elderly persons in the community with a mental illness are matched for support and companionship. This program is available to provide presentations to community groups and senior centers. For more information, please contact Susan Parks of the Mental Health Association of Maryland at 410-235-1178.
The Bureau of Behavioral Health administers a Crisis Mental Health System through a contract with the Affiliated Sante Group, Inc. The primary goal is to help the individual in crisis remain in the community by avoiding an unnecessary hospitalization or removal from the natural environment. The Emergency Mental Health System serves as the central hub in the public mental health system. To receive any of the services listed below, please call 410-931-2214.
Operations Center: Telephone Triage and Crisis Hotline: 24-hour crisis line to help citizens, providers and emergency response personnel find appropriate information and resources for mental health services, general community resources, and crisis/suicide prevention hotline at 410-931-2214.
Mobile Crisis Teams: From 10 a.m. to 1 a.m., seven days per week, teams of mental health clinicians and plain-clothes police officers are available to respond to persons in crisis.
In-home Intervention Team: Specialized mental health professionals assist individuals and families on an on-call and temporary basis. The service is designed to help stabilize less urgent crises and provide linkages to on-going services.
Urgent Care Clinic: When an urgent mental health appointment is needed, a clinic is available from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Monday–Friday and weekends hours. Non-Mental Health Emergency Housing: Temporary housing for those with a mental illness may be provided on a day-to-day basis for those displaced in the community.
Critical Incident Stress Management: Specialty trained clinicians are assembled to respond to community disasters and provide psychological intervention.
Residential Rehabilitation Program (RRP) Services
Residential Rehabilitation Program (RRP) services are designed to provide assistance to eligible adults who have serious and persistent mental illness and are in need of psychiatric rehabilitation in a supervised residential setting. Services include assistance with activities of daily living, community integration, medication monitoring, and development of independent living skills, with the ultimate goal of moving independently into the community. In order to be eligible for RRP services in Baltimore County, an applicant must be a resident of Baltimore County, have a diagnosis that meets the priority population definition for adults, be eligible for Medical Assistance and have a clear need for rehabilitation. The following levels of support are available:
General Level: Staff provide a minimum of one face-to-face visit in the residence per individual per week, and are available on-call 24 hours a day and 7 days a week to respond to emergencies in each residence.
Intensive Level: Staff provide a minimum of 40 hours of support in the residence per individual per week, and are available on-call 24 hours a day and 7 days a week to respond to emergencies in each residence. Although there are no one-to-one staffed residences available, there are a small number of intensive level residences which offer 24 hours a day, 7 days per week staffing.
MISA Level: MISA services offer support for individuals who have a mental illness and are also substance abusers. This level is considered intensive, and aims to prevent relapse by educating and support participants on the relationship between their mental illness and their substance abuse.
It is very important to understand that RRP services are not the same as housing, and that housing is only provided as part of the RRP services. All residents are expected to contribute to the cost of their care, and are expected to do their part towards the care and cleanliness of the resident. Typically, residences have an average of three occupants, each with his/her own bedroom, although there are some residences with shared bedrooms and more or fewer occupants. Residents have rights and responsibilities, and each RRP service provider offers their own unique variances to the rules that need to be followed. Residents are responsible for their own housekeeping, and in most cases, their own cooking. Each resident must participate in a productive daytime activity while in RRP. An application (PDF) for RRP services can be mailed or faxed to the Residential Specialist.
The Supported Employment (SE) program is part of a mental health initiative that partners with the Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) to provide and promote employment opportunities for eligible adults with mental illness. Services may include job readiness training, job coaching, assistance with finding employment, and support to maintain employment in the community. To learn more about eligibility and accessing this services, call 410-887-3828 and ask to speak to a member of the Adult Services Team.
Revised February 2, 2010
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