WHO WE ARE
Visalia Youth Services (VYS) is an outpatient children’s mental health services program serving Visalia and the surrounding community. VYS is a contracted service provider of Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency. Our mission is to empower the Visalia Community by providing an exceptional care experience serving the mental health needs of our children, adolescents and families.
711 N. COURT ST . VISALIA, CA 93291
MONDAY-THURSDAY: [8 AM-7 PM]
FRIDAY: 8 AM-5 PM
PHONE: (559) 627-1490
AFTER HOURS CRISIS NUMBER: (559) 730-9922 or 1 (800) 320-1616
FAX: (844) 368-0871
E-MAIL: vysaccess@tpocc.org
Our Commitment
We are committed to help the Visalia Community achieve Wellness, to reduce stigma, increase mental health awareness and provide the highest quality of care possible, as if it were for our very own children…because it is.
The well-being of our children can be affected by traumatic events like abuse, violence, bullying, divorce and lead to mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Children can also be affected by other mental health disorders, like ADHD that cause difficulties in school. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we live and increased stress on children and families due to isolation, stress, economic difficulties and more. These issues can leave children and families feeling vulnerable, distressed and searching for help…
We Are Here to Help
We provide a comprehensive array of mental health services for children, adolescents, and their families, including therapy, rehabilitation counseling and medication services. We collaborate with community partners to ensure a transparent, supportive and coordinated care experience that emphasizes the well-being of every child and family. Our caring and vested staff are comprised of mental health professionals such as therapist’s, counselors, nurses and psychiatrists.
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Medi-Cal Beneficiaries ages 0-18. Visalia Youth Services is able to respond a Youth in crisis in the Visalia or surrounding community regardless of insurance status. Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions regarding eligibility or need assistance in accessing mental health services.
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Referrals to VYS can be made by parent/guardians, schools, medical providers or other community partners via phone call, walk-in email or Online Referral.
ONLINE REFERRAL
IVAN RODRIGUEZ, LCSW
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Mary’s Story
Mary experienced depression and felt hopeless, questioning whether her life was worth living. She struggled with depression exacerbated by isolation and stressors associated with academic, cultural, and family expectations. Throughout the COVID pandemic, VYS overcame challenges in providing sustainable mental health services to help her process her feelings, identify the underlying factors that can cause such overwhelming feelings of anxiety and depression. Together, we explored her thoughts and feelings around life goals, finding meaning in family expectations and culture while developing the needed coping skills to help her resume a zest for life and pursue her dreams. Mary worked through depression, suicidal ideation and self-harm, achieved wellness and recovery and graduated with a 4.4 GPA and was accepted to UC San Diego!
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Visalia Youth Services served 2,060 unique clients during the 2021-2022 fiscal year. Over 46% (502) of our cases were discharged with either Goals Met (380) or partial goals met (122). In 2022, we exceeded over 1,100 cases during the month of April and averaged over 1010 cases each month. Despite the volume of cases, the program achieved some notable highlights:
o Timely Access: 1st Offered appointment for Intake Assessment of 3 days in Calendar Year 2021 and through 2022!
o Psychiatric Evaluation: 1st Offered appointment of Psychiatric Evaluation within 5 days (March-August 2022)!
o VYS presented at the 42nd annual California Mental Health Advocates for Child and Youth (CMHACY) leading a workshop presentation titled Quantifying Suicide Risk during the Pandemic.
o VYS joined community partners from Visalia Unified School District and Tulare County Health and Human Services in a state-wide webinar on suicide prevention hosted by CA Department of Education.
o The VYS Online Referral portal, deployed in May 2019 during Mental Health Awareness month and the first of its kind in Tulare County, exceeded over 2,500 online referrals
o Trained Visalia Police Department (Campus Safety Officers) in use of C-SSRS (2021)
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□ Active Parenting of Teens and Young Children (0-5).
□ Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
□ Active Parenting (Teens/Young Children)
□ Co-operative Parenting & Divorce
□ Parent Management Training (PMT)
□ Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
□ Parent-Child CARE (PC-CARE)
□ Coping and Support Training (CAST)
□ Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills
□ Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT)
□ Eye Movement and Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy
□ Intensive Care Coordination (ICC)
□ Screening, Brief Intervention & Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)
RESOURCES & PARTNERS
