Counseling Team
410-887-5823

What is the Counseling Team?

The Counseling Team is the outreach and prevention branch of the Youth and Community Resources Section of the Baltimore County Police Department. We are a staff of skilled counselors who work with young people and their families with the goal of preventing crime and fostering positive interpersonal relationships and life skills. Interviews are conducted at Police Athletic League (PAL) Centers, schools, counseling offices, Resource Centers, and other community agencies. The Baltimore County Police Department has the largest Team of non-sworn counselors devoted to crime prevention in the country.

What Do We Do?

The counseling staff offers a variety of services to Baltimore County youngsters and their families.

• Help families resolve conflicts between parents and children in the community who have had contact with patrol officers. 
• Offer assessment, individual, group, family and crisis counseling. 
• Provide assistance to PAL Centers which include facilitating athletic, skill-building, and counseling groups. 
• Assist School Resource Officers, Juvenile Offenders In Need of Supervision (JOINS) Program, Community Outreach Units, and police patrol officers in their efforts to assist families and communities to solve problems. 
• Work with school officials in targeting and attempting to resolve status offenses such as truancy.
• Provide training to members of the community on a variety of topics. 
• Conduct classes and workshops in schools.

How Do We Do This?

We work with people by examining behavior, evaluating if it works, and formulating a plan for change. With the aid of counselors, clients learn to satisfy their own needs and take effective control of their lives. The staff assists clients to design an individual plan to accomplish their goals.

Examples of goals may include improving communication skills, raising self-esteem, enhancing performance in school, at home, and in the community. Issues such as multiculturalism, substance abuse, pregnancy and AIDS prevention, child abuse, decision making, problem solving, crime and delinquency prevention can also be addressed with clients.

Who is Eligible?

Baltimore County youngsters (up to age 18) and families who are willing and motivated to change the way they are doing things in their lives.

How to Access Services

All police reports for running away and ungovernable/incorrigible behavior are automatically followed up by contacting the family concerned and offering counseling services.

Anyone interested in the Counseling Team's services may simply call 410-887-5823 for further information or to schedule an appointment.

Areas Served:

Revised June 29, 2007