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UPPER BAY
COUNSELING &
SUPPORT SERVICES, INC

Helping Individuals ~ Strengthening Families ~ Uniting Communities

FOR INFORMATION & TO MAKE
AN APPOINTMENT

Call intake & assessment at:
410-996-3450
or
Toll Free: 1-800-467-0304

Child Services

On this page:
Getting Started  /  Counseling  /  Medication  /  Psychological Testing  /  School-Based Services   /  Child Psychiatric Rehab  /  Specialized Child Trauma Treatment  /  Early Childhood Services  /  Health Home

Getting Started

When a child first comes for treatment, he or she will go through an “Intake and Assessment.” This consists of a series of routine questions, including current concerns, family history, and developing a diagnostic impression and treatment goals.

The assessment will be completed by a licensed, experienced professional and reviewed by a team of professionals to determine the appropriate course of action. If you need a court-ordered evaluation, these are also available.

To schedule an appointment, click here for contact information.

Counseling: Individual, Family & Group

Counseling assists individuals with understanding their problems, setting specific goals that help to resolve those problems, and working towards those goals in a non-threatening, child-friendly environment.

Individual counseling

Each client works in confidence with just one other person, the therapist, in an exclusive, one-to-one relationship. The therapist tailors each person’s treatment to meet his or her specific needs.

Family counseling

In these counseling sessions, the therapist helps family members learn how to work together on family issues. Family Counseling focuses on the entire family system and supports the family in making healthy changes to support the child.

Group counseling

In group counseling sessions, clients who share similar problems work together to discover possible solutions and to encourage each other to make positive changes. A therapist facilitates the group by suggesting topics and by encouraging participation.

Home-Based Services

Staff members provide individual and family services in homes of individuals served. This service is currently limited to clients with Maryland Medical Assistance benefits. Prior to the start of and home-based treatment, the staff member will address the importance of safety issues and professional boundaries. (For this service, please contact Intake and Assessment and make your request for home-based services.)

For Parenting Classes

See section on “Parenting the Love & Logic Way” on our Community Services page.

Medication Evaluation & Management

At any time during treatment, a child may be referred to one of our staff prescribers to determine if medication would be beneficial. A medication evaluation would then be provided by a Psychiatrist or Nurse Practitioner. If medication is recommended, the prescriber will oversee ongoing medication management for that individual.

Note: only a small percentage of the children evaluated by Upper Bay Counseling require treatment involving medication and medication management. Also all clients who receive medication through Upper Bay Counseling will have access to a therapist.

Psychological Testing

For Psychological Testing, one of Upper Bay’s Psychologists uses standardized instruments to assess the cognitive, emotional, and/or personality functioning of individuals. Psychological testing can confirm the presence of mental health symptoms, determine the presence of a mental health diagnosis, and offer treatment recommendations. Specific areas addressed include problems with attention, suitability for medical procedures such as bariatric surgery, spinal cord nerve stimulators, and hepatitis C treatment, as well as substantiating a need for accommodations for college students.

School-Based Services

Upper Bay Counseling & Support Services provides therapy and other clinical services to students in the public schools. Our licensed therapists work with children in the school setting who need assistance by offering individual, group, and family counseling.

Upper Bay’s school-based counseling program serves both the Cecil County and Harford County public school systems. This program offers comprehensive emotional and behavioral health services to the children in need.

Medication evaluation and management are linked with clinical services to assure case coordination between all entities.

In addition, school-based counselors regularly consult with school personnel and attend conferences directly related to the student’s treatment and academic status. Counselors also provide care coordination services, which link the behavioral health services with school behavior, family environment and functioning, and other agencies that may be involved with the student.

Child Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program (PRP)

The Child PRP offers emotional and psychiatric support for elementary through high school students. This program takes place in a community setting and is available in both Cecil and Harford counties. PRP is open to children who receive Maryland Medical Assistance and are currently being seen by a licensed mental health therapist who is actively enrolled as a provider in the Medicaid Program(does not need to be a UBCSS therapist).

Children who attend this program participate in community activities and benefit from guidance and education provided by a trained staff.

In collaboration with treatment team members, Child PRP focuses on each participant’s need, helping him or her to develop social skills, to improve friendships and relationships with peers, and to manage his or her behaviors in an effective manner.

Specialized Child Trauma Treatment

The Specialized Services for Child Trauma offers a strengths-based approach to treating children who have either witnessed or experienced physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, death or a variety of other traumatic experiences. The meaning attached to such experiences is as important as the event itself. The first goal in trauma treatment is helping clients establish a sense of safety and security. Throughout treatment, creative and expressive therapeutic modalities are utilized to allow clients to access their feelings, beliefs and experiences that they may not have words for. It also assists clients in becoming connected with their bodies, which often leads to a sense of empowerment.

Treatment includes the use of art, physical movement, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) and Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment (SMART) and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT).

EMDR is a therapeutic intervention that assists clients in reprocessing memories that have been mal adaptively stored. This intervention allows clients to make connections between experiences and core self beliefs. It often leads to the client being able to develop a more positive self belief. The reprocessing of these memories can lead to improved functioning in multiple domains.

Specialized Child Trauma Treatment

SMART is a therapeutic intervention that utilizes sensory integration equipment to assist children in regulating their affect. Children who have experienced trauma are often in a state of fight-flight or freeze resulting in behavioral breakdowns and outbursts when anything unexpected happens in their lives.

Children impacted by trauma are often unable to regulate their affect as evidenced by impulsivity, depression, hyperactivity, reactivity and somatic symptoms. While in the SMART room, children explore the equipment to obtain the sensory input their bodies are seeking. Through the use of the equipment, children are able to move from a hypo aroused or hyper aroused state into an optimal window of arousal. In the optimal window of arousal, a child is able to experience and have an awareness of emotions, demonstrate improved impulse control, flexibility of thought, planning and increased organization. Additionally, the child is more able to engage socially. In the optimal window of arousal, a child is often able to process his or her traumatic experience through symbolic play. This often results in the child gaining a sense of mastery over the traumatic experiences. For example, a child who has fears of physical harm may utilize the equipment to trap the “perpetrators” and keep himself safe. This leads to feelings of empowerment and safety.

Early Childhood Services

Upper Bay Counseling’s Early Childhood Services are available for children ages 2 to 5 years old. These services support healthy relationships, promote safe and healthy environments, and assist parents and caregivers in meeting the emotional and social needs of their children.

Caregiver involvement in the process is vitally important.

Children eligible for this program are those experiencing any level of emotional or behavioral disturbance at home or in their preschool or kindergarten setting. Since play is the natural language of young children, materials for play and creative expression are offered as the primary therapeutic tools. These include sensory materials and a variety of toys, games, art materials and sand. We also offer SMART therapy, Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment. SMART therapy is helpful for children who have experienced trauma and who are struggling with dysregulation at home or at school.

Health Home Services

Ways to Wellness: A Health Home Program

The ultimate goal of the Health Home program is to provide health education and support services that promote overall health and wellness.  (Not to be confused with “Home Health”, a Health Home program does not provide in-home medical treatment.)

Clients are assigned to a Nurse Care Manager who is a Registered Nurse in the state of Maryland.  The Health Home team provides comprehensive management of healthcare needs.  This includes assistance with scheduling, referrals, managing chronic health conditions, providing guidance related to new health concerns, support with health goals, monthly health topics, bi-annual health assessments, and a variety of other personalized services based on client needs.

Health Home services are offered to eligible clients already enrolled in the ACT program or PRP at Upper Bay Counseling & Support Services, Inc.

Health Home services are available in both Cecil and Harford Counties.

For more information, see Health Home FAQ’s.