OceanMHS Children’s Services offers several programs that accept referrals from parents, caregivers, schools and community based treatment providers. To find out more about these programs, or to set up an initial appointment, please call our Access Center at 732-575-1111.

Bayside: Special programs address special needs. Bayside is a partial day program that helps youth between the ages of 12 and 17 years old address their emotional and behavioral needs with education, counseling and support. This program prevents unnecessary hospitalizations, or effectively transitions a youth from hospitalization to successful home living.

The youth at Bayside are actively involved in education and emotional support groups, individual and family counseling and social and recreational activities. At each of these youth gain insights and learn new skills that help them to achieve long lasting success. Our on staff psychiatrists meet with the youth and families, performing evaluations, assessments and prescribing/adjusting medications, as needed.

With the Bayside program, we see youth succeed every day with improved moods and outlooks, positive self esteem, a leap in individual confidence, and positive participation and communication in program activities, community activities and home life. We watch families communicate more effectively and grow closer as a result. Most importantly, we see youth looking forward to a successful future, knowing they can set and reach goals, continue to grow and learn in positive ways, and move beyond perceived limitations.

Turnaround: Turnaround is a concentrated service to effectively combat substance abuse in the target population of adolescents twelve through seventeen years old. It is a unique treatment concept that involves group dynamics and skills training for both the adolescent and his/her family. Turnaround supports family unity. These topics include chemical dependency, self-esteem, anger control, cognitive restructuring, assertive communication, problem solving, goal setting, and dysfunctional family roles.

OceanMHS Children’s Services provides therapeutic foster care services to foster care parents and the children placed in their care. If you are interested in becoming a therapeutic foster care family click here for more information. Youth are referred for services through the Contract Services Administrator, PerformCare, at (877) 652-7624.

Connections Treatment Care Home Program: This is a unique blending of two existing programmatic formats: Therapeutic foster care and intensive home-based services. The target population is that grouping of children between the ages of 8 and 17 who are potentially at risk of abuse, neglect, or psychiatric residential placement. The Connections program is also utilized as a step-down measure following residential placement. Each treatment care home is licensed according to the DYFS Children's Group Home Manual.

Connections Transitional Care Program: All perspective clients of the Connections Transitional Care Program are referred directly from the Division of Youth and Family Services Central Regional Offices. This program is an alternative to traditional shelter care. The Connections Transitional Care Program provides safe and secure housing for children/adolescents in a non-physically restrictive environment for a period of time not usually exceeding 30 days. Families in the community share their homes with youngsters. The Connections staff and families work in conjoint to alleviate the stressors, facilitate the transitional living, and to secure community resources.

Services funded by the Division of Child Behavioral Health Services (DCBHS must be accessed through the Contracted System Administrator. Please contact PerformCare at (877)652-7624 to access the following services.

Youth Case Management: The Youth Case Management Program serves children and adolescents diagnosed as suffering from a serious psychiatric disorder. The Youth Case Manager will provide direct services and act as a "broker" and advocate in obtaining the treatment and support needed for successful community living.

Homestead – Psychiatric Community Residence: A residential facility for adolescents ages 11-17. Homestead is a 24 hour group home where the expected length of stay is 3-6 months.

OceanMHS Children’s Services collaborates with the juvenile justice community to provide intensive, in-home counseling services to youth on probation or at risk of detention with the goal of reducing at risk behaviors and minimizing recidivism. These programs (following) require a referral from Ocean County Family Court, Ocean County Juvenile Probation or the Ocean County Multi-Disciplinary Team.

Directions: The Directions Program offers comprehensive mental health assessment and counseling services to court involved males and female juveniles and their families who have been referred by the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT). Interventions used are individual in-home family counseling, psychiatric evaluations, psychological evaluations, and mentoring services.

OceanMHS Children’s Services collaborates with DYFS to provide programs that ensure children remain at home, do not lose an out of home placement, and receive casework and counseling services for themselves and their parents. These programs (following) require a referral from a DYFS caseworker.

Child, Adolescent, and Family Services (CAFS): CAFS therapist work with families, oftentimes in their homes, or in other locations throughout the County, as needed. They provide individual therapy and family therapy. By meeting with families in the home, they can constructively work to help families identify and change negative behaviors and create a positive, proactive alternative in the environments where families live, interact, and communicate most often.

Family Focus: Family Focus provides intensive therapy to families at our Toms River office. Both individual and family therapies are used to maintain the youth in the home environment. If that is not possible, Family Focus may work towards helping the youth adjust to an out of home placement while continuing to work towards reunification with the family.

Family Preservation Services "Harmony": The primary goal of Harmony is to prevent children and adolescents from being placed out of their homes. Referrals to the Harmony program originate from the Ocean County District Offices of DYFS. Families are seen within 24 hours of the referral. Specialists work in the homes and are on call 24 hours a day/seven days a week. Harmony is an intensive program that lasts from four (4) to eight (8) weeks. The program provides crisis intervention, behavior modification, concrete service provision, supportive counseling, and psycho education. Harmony gives the family an opportunity to select their goals; learn new skills; handle their own problems; and change their lives for the better.