Therapeutic Mentoring Services

TM Service Description

UMHS provides Therapeutic Mentoring Services to youth (age 5 to 21) in any setting where the youth resides, such as the home (including foster homes and therapeutic foster homes), and other community settings such as a school, child care centers, respite settings, and other culturally and linguistically appropriate community settings. Therapeutic Mentoring offers structured, one-to-one, strength-based support services between a therapeutic mentor and a youth for the purpose of addressing daily living, social, and communication needs.

Therapeutic Mentoring services include supporting, coaching, and training the youth in age appropriate behaviors, interpersonal communication, functional skill-building, problem-solving and conflict resolution, and relating appropriately to other youth, as well as adults, in recreational and social activities pursuant to a behavioral health treatment plan developed by an outpatient, or In-Home Therapy provider in concert with the family, and youth whenever possible.

Admission Criteria

1) A comprehensive behavioral health assessment indicates that the youth’s clinical condition warrants this service in order to support age-appropriate social functioning or ameliorate deficits in the youth’s age-appropriate social functioning.

2) The youth requires support, education, guidance, and coaching in age-appropriate behaviors, interpersonal communication, problem-solving and conflict resolution, and relating appropriately to others to address daily living, social, and communication needs and to support the youth in a home, foster home, or community setting, or, the youth may be at risk for out-of-home placement as a result of the youth’s mental health condition, or, requires support in transitioning back to the home, foster home, or community from a congregate care setting.

3) Outpatient services alone are not sufficient to meet the youth’s needs for coaching, support, and education.

4) Required consent is obtained.

5) The youth is currently engaged in outpatient services, Intensive In-Home or the referral source determine that Therapeutic Mentoring Services can facilitate the attainment of a goal or objective identified in the treatment plan or ISP that pertains to the development of communication skills, social skills and peer relationships.

Exclusionary Criteria

Any one of the following criteria is sufficient for exclusion from this level of care.

1) The youth displays a pattern of behavior that may pose an imminent risk to harm self or others, or sufficient impairment exists that requires a more intensive service beyond community-based intervention.

2) The youth has medical conditions or impairments that would prevent beneficial utilization of services.

3) Therapeutic Mentoring services are not needed to achieve an identified treatment goal.

4) The youth’s primary need is only for observation or for management during sport/physical activity, school, after-school

activities, or recreation, or for parental respite.

5) The service needs identified in the treatment plan/ISP are being fully met by similar services.

6) The youth is placed in a residential treatment setting with no plans for return to the home setting.